Minutemen

Megan L. Gray & Stephanie Oakley

Historically, the term minutemen originally referred to those individuals who took up arms against the increasing presence of British soldiers in the American colonies. During the American Revolution, these men formed a portion of the Massachusetts militia that was ready to fight at a moment's notice; hence the name “minutemen.” Nowadays, individuals calling themselves Minutemen have organized in opposition to the movement of undocumented immigrants into the United States. This entry examines the nature and scope of this controversial recent movement. The Minutemen formed in response to the presence of illegal immigrants in the United States and the increasing demonstrations by various immigrant groups demanding residency and citizenship rights. According to the Center for American Progress, as of May 2007, there are 11.1 million undocumented migrants residing in this country. Most of these undocumented workers are Hispanic/ Latina/o and live in the southwestern United States. Since the beginning of the ...

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