Research Paper on:
Gonzalez's and Flores' Studies of U.S. Latinos on Cultural Hybridity, Free Trade Zones, Immigrant Myths, and Political Participation

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
(2000) and Juan Flores "From Bomba to Hip-Hop: Puerto Rican Culture and Latino Identity" (2000) address several issues relating to Hispanics in the United States and in turn the affect  the United States has on Latin America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean countries in regards to free trade agreements. Gonzalez addresses among other issues the barriers encountered by Latinos  to fully participate in the U.S. political system, the myths portraying Latino immigration as a burden to the government, and the impact of the free trade zones. Flores provides an  extensive coverage of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States including the feeling of cultural hybridity. Together these two authors have provided an important collection of material needed in  the study and understanding of the extensive population and multicultural issues which relate to Latinos and the United States. Barriers encountered by Latinos to fully participate in U.S. political system  One of the largest barriers facing Latinos participation in the U.S. political system was the restrictions facings Latinos voting power within the United States for many years. Only with  the last two decades have Hispanics been able to register to vote freely and because of this, between the years 1976 and 1996, Hispanic voter registration increased by 164 percent  compared to only 31 percent of non-Hispanics. Previous to this many Hispanics were not allowed to vote because they could not become registered citizens thus not only barring their own  rights within the country but also restricting the electing of Hispanic representatives in government with a few exceptions (Gonzalez, 2000). Several initiatives have been processed to limit Hispanic voting  privileges over the past century. One was the famous Texas poll tax which sometimes equaled about 30 percent of the average minimum wage of the poorer population which consisted mainly