history 33 final-assignment 9 part 1
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History 33Assignment 9 – Part 1
By: Victor Valenzuela
MEXICANOS:
A History of Mexicans in the United States
Chapter 1
Spaniards and Native Americans,
Prehistory-1521
The Spaniards The Spanish were the result of a multiplicity
of cultures— As most Europeans were. Christopher Columbus exploited the peoples
and the resources he encountered.
Aztecs
Aztecs believed, Aztlán, to be the site of their homeland.
Aztec people were valiant warriors and master builders.
Tenochtitlán, was the capitol of the Aztec Empire, and was said to have had a population of 400,000 people by 1519
The Conquest of Mexico
The conqueror of the Aztec’s was Hernán Cortez (1485-1547)
The germs and disease’s that the Spanish brought with them made a undeniable impact which favored the Spanish.
In 1520 the smallpox epidemic destroyed close to 90 percent of the Aztec population, and in turn ensuring the victory for the Spanish Conquistadors .
Chapter 2
The Spanish Frontier,
1521-1821
Spanish Exploration
Soon after the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs they turned their attention to exploring the north.
The arrival of Cabeza de Vaca in 1528, was purely out of luck. A tropical storm brushed them to the coast of what is now Texas.
Major Trends
The frontier life was difficult, and this is shown by the number of fatalities.
Mothers often died while giving birth, although the men died at the hands of Indians.
Being a widow was not uncommon, in Abiquiu 1845, 91 out of 338 households were headed by widowed females.
Major Trends
The settlements of Baja, California brought a halt to the northern expansion of the Spanish.
A number of Jewish settlers actually had a significant presence in the new frontier.
Since the conversion of Jewish belief to Catholicism, many Jews went to the “New World,” to gain some sort of religious freedom.
Chapter 3The Mexican Far North,
1821-1848
Mexican Independence
Mexico gained their independence in 1821, from the Spanish rule.
The reasons being was that the Spanish were dealing with the invasion of France, during the Napoleonic wars.
In 1808 when Napoleon invaded Spain, he named his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, as the successor of King Ferdinand VII
California California residents were not able to bask in
the new found freedom Mexico had won. Californians fought with themselves over the
political rights and authorities. The women in California were treated poorly
and were considered second class citizens
Clash of Cultures
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo brought an official end to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) was signed on February 2, 1848
The United States paid Mexico $15,000,000 in consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States
Chapter 4
The American Southwest,
1848-1900
Gringos and Greasers
The stereotyping of cultures and races overtook the mind of the masses
Irish and Mexicans were looked at as lazy and irresponsible
Seen as incapable to assimilate
California The discovery of gold at Coloma, California
caused much competition on the mining sites. On January 24, 1848 (roughly a week before
Mexicans signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,) gold was found.
New Mexico
The conservation of the Mexican Culture was done so best by the New Mexico citizens.
Hispanos remained the dominant (through numbers,) until close to the time of World War II
When the United States gained New Mexico, they also about forty thousand Native Americans.
Chapter 5
The Great Migration,
1900-1930
Motives For Mexican Immigration After the first World War a number of laws
were passed in which resulted in the culmination of the Reed-Johnson Immigration Act of 1924
The immigrating Mexicans were motivated by certain luxuries they would not be able to have in Mexico, but specifically the southwest region attracted them the most
The Mexican Revolution
Mexicans faced a great deal of racial prejudice and discrimination in coming into the United States
The Mexican revolution was not just a political uprising, it was a “True” revolution which means it impacted every aspect of life including- politics- economics- culture- and society itself
Economic Development of the Southwest Many of the people who came to the United
States would come from the same villages as others, and would come as a group, this would result into settling down as a group.
Chapter 6
The Depression,
1930-1940
The Depression
The 1930’s was a decade of great hardship, Economically, for the United States
The most vulnerable countries were the ones that were the heavily industrialized—United States, and Germany
Urbanization
The farm work, and the railroad work was seasonal which lead to urbanization
Mexicanidad—Mexican Nationalism— was something which was very much embraced, especially because the Mexicans in the Midwestern parts were so far from the native Mexicans and their families (if any were left behind.)
The “Mexican Problem” The collapse of the economy did create
tension and problems, especially towards races.
Many people wanted to keep the United states pure, such as the Ku Klux Klan, and took measures to do so.
Chapter 7
The Second World War and its Aftermath,
1940-1965
Mexicans in the Military
What initially brought the United States into World War II was the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor, on December 7,1941.
This was an opportunity for Mexicans to try and become mainstream in America.
Approximately 250,000 to 500,000 Mexican (immigrants and native born,) actively enrolled into the military services.
The Bracero Program
The Bracero program was a program which came as a consequence from World War II.
The program recruited Mexican nationals to work in the Western United States on a temporary basis, as a government funded program during and after the war.
Operation Wetback
By the 1960’s the farmers were able to contract undocumented workers, because of the influx of the undocumented immigrants crossing over to the united states
Mexicans rushed towards the opportunities of jobs in the U.S.
It was cheaper for farmers to hire undocumented work, as opposed to the Bracero, because they could give them less money, rights, ect.
Chapter 8The Chicano Movement,
1965-1975
The Mexican Community in the Mid-Sixties The Mexican population in the
1960’s(according to Grebler,) was 3,842,000 And 87 percent of the population was said to
reside in the southwest regions, the additional 13 percent was said to have lived in other areas of the country.
The schooling was averaged 3-4 years less than their Anglo counterparts.
Chavez, Huerta, and the United Farmworkers The National
Federation of Labor Unions was founded to improve the working conditions, wages, and overall lives of the farm workers.
Cesar Chavez is one of the most notable voices for the farm workers
Other Early Chicano Leaders The Chicano/a community has had many
influential and notable civil rights leaders Reies Lopez Tijerina, being one, lead a new cause to regain lost Hispano lands through New Mexico
Chapter 9
Goodbye to Aztlán,
1975-1994
Demographics The high levels of “Hispanics” living in the
United States was backed by the numbers collected by the Census Bureau.
Increase of 61 percent from 1970-1980 And 53 percent from 1980-1990 Mexicans kept a high level of public interest
well after the 70’s Emerging trend of bilingualism Affirmative action.
Immigration High birth rates was one of the main reason
why Mexicans stayed in the medias light, but also was die to the high levels of immigration from Mexico to the United States, this was simply un avoidable to notice.
Feministas: The Second Genertaion By the Early nineties
more Latina women were going to college and graduating, than the Latino men.
This trend followed through, as in the mid nineties indicates that there were more Latina women in professions than there were Latino Men
Chapter 10
The Hispanic Challenge,
1994-Present
Stemming the Tide
Congress, in 1990, increased the penalty for violation of immigration policies, and also increased the funding given to the boarder patrol.
Awakening the Giant: Grassroots Mobilization The threats to the civil liberties of the
Mexican Americans started this political mobilization through the country, which was first seen in California.
The grassroots movement also demanded more rights for the undocumented workers, which was directly correlated with the influx of military presence at the boarder.
The Awakening Giant: Electoral politics In the early twenty-first century the
mobilization for rights was just not taken by the streets, it was thought to be the ample time to create the impact through the electoral political aspect.
This awakened the mindset of future political hopefuls, because they saw that the Latino/a vote was a very important one.