THE CONTEXT OF CIVIL RIGHTS| 395Americans because of language barriers and because about one-third of Lati-
nos are not U.S. citizens (a requirement for voting in national elections). Second,
unlike African Americans, Latinos are a relatively diverse group politically. They
include Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and
people from many other Latin American nations. Most Latino voters are loyal to
the Democratic Party, but a majority of Cuban Americans are strong Republicans.
Although this diversity means that Latino voters do not speak with one voice, it
brings opportunity for increased political clout in the future because both parties
are eager to attract them as new voters.
Asian Americans have experienced discrimination since their arrival in the
United States in the nineteenth century. The fi rst wave of Chinese immigrants
came with the 1848 California gold rush and staked out their claims along with
Americans. However, by 1850, when the easy-to-fi nd gold was gone, Americans
tried to drive out the Chinese through violence and the Foreign Miners Tax. Sub-
sequently, Chinese immigrants worked on building the intercontinental railroad
between 1865 and 1869; but since they were given the more dangerous jobs, many
lost their lives. After the railroad was completed, Chinese workers returned to
the West Coast, where they experienced increasing discrimination and violence.
When Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Chinese already in the
United States were prevented from becoming U.S. citizens. (The Supreme Court
later granted their American-born children automatic citizenship under the Four-
teenth Amendment.)^11 The Chinese Exclusion Act also barred virtually all immi-
gration from China—the fi rst time in U.S. history that a specifi c ethnic group was
singled out in this way. Later, during World War II, Japanese Americans were sin-
gled out and placed in internment camps for fear that they were enemy supporters.
In recent decades a diverse range of Asians have emigrated to the United States,
including Koreans, Filipinos, Hmong, Vietnamese, and Asian Indians; their diver-
sity in culture means that they display equally diverse political views and voting
patterns.
IN THE 1960S AND 1970S, CESAR
Chavez and the United Farm
Workers union successfully
organized mostly Mexican
American farm workers, fi rst
in California and then in other
parts of the country. Here, Chavez
speaks to a group in Texas.