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They classed themselves as being White when they could, and that's a fact, which is why one could sometimes see signs refering to Spaniards differently than othe Europeans:
Mestizo-Hispanics didn't become "people of color" until after the civil rights movement.
Ironic: I knew a 'Latina' from Spain; born and raised------------she was definitely Nordic White as well (blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin).
I know that was definitely not the case in New Orleans which had a sizeable Italian population. NOLA's mayor in the 1960s, Victor Schiro, was a demagoguic segregationist and race-baiter, and New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello was a racist who funded Klan front groups like the White Citizens' Council and the Mississippi Sovereignity Commission. (Italians being Catholics weren't allowed into the Klan but they were allowed into said Klan front groups, which generally were for people whose social position would have made them shun the KKK as declasse and for the unwashed rabble.)
Islenos and Malaguenos (the Andalusians whose roots in Louisiana dated back from when it was a Spanish colony, so called because most but not all came from Malaga) were definitely considered white in Louisiana. Leander Perez has already been mentioned, a vicious bigot who controlled the anti-Long faction in Louisiana politics.
I've read about light skinned or mixed race people considered "black" who passed for white in those years and referred to themselves as Sicilian, Greek, or Armenian.
The key word being Louisiana-----------the 'race' rules were quite different due in large part to heavy Roman Catholic influence. In fact: prior to the Civil War; some free Blacks owned Black slaves.
Spaniards in the U.S. were almost non-existent before the C.R. mouvement.
In fact, they were never called "Spaniards", but Islenos, Malaguenos, Californios, Minorcans or Cubans in Key West.
The "Islenos", "Malaguenos" in Louisiana, that arrived there during the 18th Century, as Mahoun mentioned.
Islenos in Florida, Key West and Orlando, many came from Cuba when Ybor created Ybor city, near Orlando. Islenos comprised a large percentage of Cuban peasants, they were settled there during Spanish times and many went to Florida because of the war in Cuba that lasted from 1864 to 1898.
Minorcans in Florida. They were settled there by the British during the XVIIIth Century, by then Minorca was English. They are assimilated and only a few speak Spanish, but they lost their Catalan. A famous Minorcan is Admiral Farragut.
There was a small colony in New York that disappeared.
Spanish settlers in California, I believe they are a large group totally assimilated, they were called "Californios".
Spanish settlers in Tao, New Mexico. A group of Spaniards that settled in New Mexico in the XVIIIth Century. They have been living there in isolation since then fighting Indians, Mexicans and Americans.
In Texas, I believe there were Spanish "hacendados" that sided with Texas. I don't know much about them. In some occasions, I've found people with Spanish or Catalan last names in the South that didn't even knew the origin of their last name.
Another group are Basques, some from Spain and some from France. They live in Idaho, Nevada and Montana.
Quite possible: a (probable) Anglo White judge 100 years ago in Dothan, Al had the surname Domingus.........I am guessing that his name used to be Dominguez/s.
Well Puerto Ricans in NY that looked black they were treated very differently from the Puerto Ricans that looked White.
Worse yet: I met a White Puerto Rican woman ('ethnic' facial features/build but porcelain white skin) whose bio daughter was a tall, stereotypical Anglo, at least in looks----------and, said child (much to the mother's sorrow) was extremely prejudiced against at least Mestizo Mexicans/Chicanos.
Pedro Alvarado was one of Cortes' captains and was noted for his fair hair and beard as well as his beauty and deportment.
He was fierce and fearless in combat and impetuous, good natured and generous. He was also as cold bloodedly cruel as a Julio-Claudian. He was nicknamed "Tonatiuh" meaning "the Sun in it's daytime power", by the Mexica (Aztecs); quite a compliment from as martial and cruel as people as they.
The Mexican women seeked to mate with him and have his children, they thinking him to be a god as only a god could've been so beautiful and so cruel.
The key word being Louisiana-----------the 'race' rules were quite different due in large part to heavy Roman Catholic influence. In fact: prior to the Civil War; some free Blacks owned Black slaves.
Given the attitudes about blacks that were very common amongst many old school Italians (accentuated because in the late 19th and early 20th century Sicilians and Southern Italians were on the bottom of the white hierarchy in America, it took military service in WW2 for them to be fully assimilated into the white mainstream - and generally groups on the lower level of hierarchies take out their anger on the groups beneath them), if any Italians were labelled as black anywhere in the US including the South (and I know you're not talking about heavily Catholic areas like Louisiana and much of Texas), there would have been serious riots.
Hispanics were mostly ignored during the '60s. If their issues were brought up, you were quickly shouted down by those championing the black population and it's issues. The same with American Indians.
Ironic: I knew a 'Latina' from Spain; born and raised------------she was definitely Nordic White as well (blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin).
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There are no Latinas from Spain, except a girl sired from recent waves of Non-White Hispanics from Latin America. In Spain, "Latino" refers more or less to Non-White Hispanics.
Last edited by Leovigildo; 09-09-2009 at 04:00 AM..
Worse yet: I met a White Puerto Rican woman ('ethnic' facial features/build but porcelain white skin) whose bio daughter was a tall, stereotypical Anglo, at least in looks----------and, said child (much to the mother's sorrow) was extremely prejudiced against at least Mestizo Mexicans/Chicanos.
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Puerto Rico received some Spanish immigration from Spain, mostly from Balearic Islands, but not as much as Cuba (1.000.000 from 1900 to 1945) or Argentina (4.000.000 to 5.000.000 from 1900 to 1959).
They are Portuguese.
In Spain there also was a colony of English and some Italian traders present in Andalusia since the XVIIIth Century. They were "Sherry" (Jerez) traders. They are Spanish, Andalusians. Their names are Domecq (also in Mexico), Terry, Osbourne and Garvey. Their families are still here.
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