the United States have done so legally.
However, more people want to move to
the United States than U.S. laws allow.
Therefore, some people enter the country
without permission. These people are
called illegal immigrants or illegal aliens.
In the early 21st century there were
probably more than 10 million such
people in the United States. More than
half were from Mexico. About one quarter
were from other Latin American
countries.
Americans disagree about whether this
illegal immigration is helpful or harmful
to the United States. Some believe that
illegal immigrants help the economy.
They do this by taking low-paying jobs
that other Americans do not want. Others
think it is unfair that the states must
pay for public services for people who
immigrated illegally. For example, states
must pay for the education of children
of illegal immigrants.
Bilingualism
Many Hispanic Americans can speak
both Spanish and English. This ability
is called bilingualism. But many new
immigrants—and their children—speak
only Spanish at first. Some Americans
think that schools should teach
Spanish-speaking children in Spanish
until they learn English. Other
Americans, however, think that schools
should teach Spanish-speaking children
in English, along with the Englishspeaking
children.
Hispanic Americans Today
By 2004 there were more than 41
million Hispanic Americans in the
United States. They made up about 14
percent of the U.S. population.
Many Hispanics are proud of their
roots. They want to pass their culture
and the Spanish language on to their
children. At the same time, Hispanics
are an important part of U.S. society as
a whole. In 2009 Sonia Sotomayor
became the first Hispanic justice of the
United States Supreme Court.
..More to explore
Castro, Fidel • Census • Central
America • Chavez, Cesar • Cuba
• MexicanWar • Mexico • Migration,
Human • Puerto Rico • Refugee • South
America • Spanish-AmericanWar
History
History is the study of the past. The
study of history helps make sense of
humankind. It also helps people understand
the things that happen today and
that may happen in the future.
People trained in history are called historians.
Historians usually choose a particular
time period or a particular group
of people to study. They may write
books and articles to help other people
understand the past. They often use
written records such as diaries, letters,
and newspaper articles to learn about
the past.
Today records are easy to get. They are
mostly written on paper or stored on
Many people
believe that
studying
history is a
way to avoid
repeating past
mistakes.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA History 63
computers. But records from long ago
may have been written on stone or
drawn on buildings. These records may
be buried in the ground, partially
destroyed, or covered in layers of paint.
Historians who study ancient time periods
must uncover these records.
Historians may also use the tools of
archaeology to study ancient times.
Archaeology is the study of the things
that ancient people made, used, and left
behind. Some people a long time ago
did not have a way to write things
down. But historians and archaeologists
still learn much about the way these
ancient people lived. They do this by
studying the tools, homes, clothing,
weapons, and other objects that the
ancient peoples used or owned.
#More to explore
Archaeology •Writing
Hitler, Adolf
Adolf Hitler ruled Germany from 1933
to 1945. He called himself Fuhrer
(Leader). Hitler believed that Germans
were born to rule over other peoples.
This led toWorldWar II. He also
believed that there was no place in society
for Jewish people. This idea led to
the Holocaust, when millions of Jews
were killed.
Early Life
Adolf Hitler was born into a German
family on April 20, 1889, in Braunau
am Inn, Austria. He grew up in Linz,
Austria. In about 1913 Hitler moved to
Munich, Germany. WhenWorldWar I
began in 1914, he joined the German
army.
An English scholar named Bede was an
early historian. In the 700s he wrote a history
of the English people up to that time.
His book is now part of history itself. A
page from the work shows what books were
like at that time.
Adolf Hitler
64 Hitler, Adolf BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
After the war Hitler joined a tiny political
group in Munich. In 1921 Hitler
took control of the group. By then it was
known as the Nazi Party. In the 1920s
he published his autobiography, Mein
Kampf, meaning “My Struggle.”
The Third Reich
By 1932 the Nazi Party was the largest
party in the Reichstag (Germany’s lawmaking
assembly). Hitler became chancellor,
or leader, of Germany in 1933. In
1934 he took complete control. He created
what he called the Third Reich, or
empire.
Hitler soon put his beliefs into practice.
Soon Jews were not allowed to own
businesses or attend certain schools.
Many were arrested and sent to concentration
camps. Hitler also strengthened
Germany’s military power.
WorldWar II and the
Holocaust
Hitler then moved to enlarge the Third
Reich. He took over neighboring countries.
When Germany invaded Poland in
September 1939, WorldWar II began.
During the war Hitler stepped up his
