HispanicHerriatageEssayICS16COV

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES: HISPANICS IN THE UNITED STATES There have been many great Hispanics that have been very successful. Some have been leaders in the United States military. Some of them have had a big influence on the United States. Many of them came from very difficult situations and faced hard times when they were kids. However, they were still successful even though they had these difficulties in their lives. In this essay I am going to talk about four Spanish people who had a hard time as a child, and became great men even though they faced hard times.

The first man I will talk about is David G. Farragut. He was born in Tennessee in 1801. His dad, George Farragut, was from Minorca, Spain, and ran a boat ferry in Knoxville, Tennessee. He came to the United States after joining the Spanish Merchant Marines. His dad, George, was also a cavalry officer in the Tennessee militia. When David was four years old, his dad took a job in New Orleans, and his mom died from yellow fever. After that, David had to stay with friends who would take care of him. The family that he stayed with was a Navy family. David started as a midshipman on a ship when he was only nine years old. Farragut fought in three wars: War of 1812, Mexican-American War, and the Civil War. He was the first admiral in the United States Navy. This was a great achievement.

The second person I am going to talk about is Lorreta J. Velazquez. Loretta J. Velazquez was born in Cuba in June, 1842 to a rich family. So her childhood was not too bad, but she did not live with her parents. When she was seven years old, she went to live with her aunt in New Orleans. At age 14, she actually got married to a man that was an officer in the Texas army. Texas left the union of the United States in 1861 and her husband joined the Confederate army. “ **Loreta Janeta Velázquez** (June 26, 1842 – c. 1902), was a Cuban-born woman who claimed that she masqueraded as a male Confederate soldier during the American Civil War.”(Wikipedia, 4.28.16) She really wanted to fight along with her husband, but he would not let her. So, she made herself a uniform and disguised herself as a man and became a solder. She called herself Thomas Buford. She gathered volunteers and she was their commanding officer. She actually fought in many battles. After that, she became a spy for the United States. When she was older, she wrote a book about her life and included all of her adventures. “Needless to say this was no ordinary war story, for Madame Velazquez claimed to have so fervently supported the Southern cause that she donned the Confederate uniform as Lieutenant Harry Buford and fought at the battles of First Bull Run, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh.” (Civil War Times magazine, August 1999)

The third person I am going to talk about his Alberto Gonzalez. He was born August 4, 1955, in San Antonio, Texas. His mom and dad were migrant workers. Hid dad became a construction worker. Alberto was very smart. He did very well in school, but was not planning on going to college because no one in his family ever went to college. Instead, he enlisted in the United States Air Force after graduation. “While serving in Alaska, he was impressed with the officers' accounts of the Air Force Academy and sought an appointment there.” (American Academy of Achievement, August, 2012) After the Air Force, he went to Harvard University and earned his law degree. After graduation and working in a law firm, he was asked to become an advisor to the governor of Texas, George Bush. When George Bush became President of the United States, he asked Alberto to be the U.S. Attorney General. He was honored by becoming the first Hispanic attorney general for the whole United States.

The last person I will talk about is Alex Rodriquez. Alex Rodriquez is one of the greatest baseball players. He was very motivated and led the record for the most home runs, runs scored, and runs batted in. He is Dominican and was born in New York City in 1975. However, his family moved to the Dominican Republic. This is where he first played baseball with his dad. Shortly after they moved back to the United States, his father left the family for good. They had no money and life was hard. His mom worked two jobs. Alex missed his dad and had to now help his mom. He always tried his best to make good grades in school. So he studied hard and played a lot of baseball. His dedication to baseball really paid off for him. He had a lot of talent and is a great, great baseball player.

These four people are great examples of how life can be tough a lot of the time. However, even though things are tough, people can still be very successful with hard work and dedication. These four people are Hispanics and have accomplished many good things in their life. Hispanics in the United States have been leaders in the military, become famous writers, and become great leaders in law.


 * Works Cited**

"David G. Fraggut." //Latinos in History//. Scholatic, n.d. Web. .
 * This source is recommended because my teacher recommended this site and it's good because he taught me how he was an Hispanic Soldier in the Civil War.

"Loreta Janeta Velázquez." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 June 1842. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. .
 * It has links that lead back to it's sources.

Novak, Viveca. "25 Most Influential Hispanics in America." //Time//. Time Inc., 22 Aug. 2005. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. .
 * It's a national magazine and they have editors to check their facts.

Marcela. "Alex Rodriguez Biography." //Hispanic Culture Online//. Hispanic Culture Online, n.d. Web. . >
 * This is true because Marcela is telling me she's an Hispanic immigrant.