September begins the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. This national celebration was first authorized by Congress as a week-long celebration on September 17, 1968, and then expanded to a month on August 17, 1988. The month (September 15 through October 15) celebrates the history and culture of the nations' Hispanic Americans.

It acknowledges the influence of Hispanic Americans on politics, the economy, and social and cultural life throughout the United States. The timespan chosen includes the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. In addition, Mexico achieved independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18.

Activity: Students can learn more about Hispanic culture by studying some of the history that brought Hispanic citizens and their culture to the U.S. Use the following pathfinder to link to resources:

Click the Topics search tab > United States History > Special Subjects > Hispanic-American History

Using the subtopics included in the Results list, assign different subtopics for student to research and summarize. A two-minute oral (or PowerPoint) report on the assigned subtopics should include the following type of information:

• Who is this person, or what is this event?
• What happened during this event, or what did this person do?
• Why is this person or event important to Hispanic Americans?
• How does this person or event contribute to present Hispanic culture?