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You are here: Home / History / How did Cuban exiles do in the United States and What does atrevimiento mean in Spanish?

How did Cuban exiles do in the United States and What does atrevimiento mean in Spanish?

June 4, 2020 by Karen Hill

On the whole, Cuban exiles did very well in the United States, better than any other Hispanic American group.

They were helped by the U.S. government, which welcomed them as refugees from a communist regime, and therefore allies. Cuban exiles easily received permanent residency status. They got free temporary housing, medical care, financial aid, and job counseling.

But they also had to help themselves. Cubans who had been lawyers or accountants now found themselves washing dishes or cleaning bathrooms until they could find better jobs.

Their life savings taken by Castro, they suffered hunger and humiliation. Still, as middle-class people with education and skills, they soon rose.

Cubans credit their success to a cultural quality of atrevimiento (daring or boldness). It didn’t hurt that most were white.

Anglo prejudice against Cubans was not as great as against racially mixed Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.

Related Facts

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  • How did the United States government plan to kill Fidel Castro after the Cuban Revolution and Cuban Missile Crisis?
  • How have Cuban Americans changed Miami and Where do Cuban Americans live?
  • What are some examples of Cuban dishes and What does ropa vieja mean in Spanish?
  • How many Cubans were in the United States before the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s?
  • Were the rumors of Spanish atrocities in the Cuban War of Independence true or false?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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