Cultural History Of Mexican American Summary

In this article Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type Gonzalez gives us an outlook different from what we generally read when taught about American History. His effort is to explain how each of the different Latino groups came. What was happening in their home towns that caused them to leave. If people want to accept it, eventually they will have to. That this country is bound to go through an enormous Latino population explosion. Gonzalez writes “Mexican Americans meanwhile, face a frustrating identity problem like that of Puerto Ricans” (pg97). Being a Mexican American myself I could agree that it is at times frustrating identifying. We are either too American to be Mexican. Or too Mexican, to be American. In 1749 because of what was called the promise

García’s book can be very dense at times, providing the reader with many numbers, graphs, and statistics. Nevertheless, these statistics provide the reader with a better understanding on how El Paso was being shaped by Mexican immigrants; it also provides a new light on immigration during the nineteen and twentieth century’s in the United States. Many times Mexican immigration is overlooked, and thought of, as a recent event, when people think of nineteenth century immigration many think of the European immigration into the United States, yet García’s study shows that people were

The United States is made up of two different types of immigrants: those who are born on U.S. soil and those who travel to settle here. However, despite whether one is born in the United States or not for most their lineage runs back to other countries. It is evident that a majority of the U.S. first immigration wave was around the late 1800’s to the 1920’s. This was a time in which many immigrants where leaving their countries due to different reasons and finding prosperity in the U.S. In the book 97 Orchards: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement (97 Orchard) by Jane Ziegelman she explores and paints the history of five different immigrant families. The book goes into great detail sharing stories of daily

The 1940’s inevitably signaled the beginning of the Mexican American civil rights era in the west as Mexican Americans rose to immeasurable heights in an attempt to terminate the de jure segregation they were unwillingly victims of. Their notable attempts to prove that they were worthy of the natural rights granted by the founding fathers brought light to the intense hatred shown towards Mexican Americans that was centralized in Los Angeles, California as

The reason why there were so many Mexican was because after the Mexican-American War, when the United States (US) took two-thirds of Mexican land, part of this land became California. Many Mexicans who lived in that land were still allowed to stay, but they were stripped of their property.3 Thus, most Mexican Americans became poor. One of the few jobs that would allow Mexicans to work in were in cannery farms. These jobs, however, did not pay enough for the Mexicans to afford their living expenses.4 Many Mexican families needed to live with other families in small houses to keep up with the rent.5 Since these Mexican families were living in such poor conditions, they felt they needed to negotiate with the companies and get better wages. There is also the possibility that the effects of American culture on Mexican women swayed them to unionize. Women were becoming more independent, and teenage girls, including Mexicans, wanted to be able to go on dates without chaperones. These teenagers needed to argue with their parents or get around them to succeed in doing this.6 It is possible that these rebellious attitudes toward their parents would create that mindset needed to “rebel” against companies by forming

Ever since the 1900s, there has been a large number of Mexicans immigrating illegally and legally into the United States. During this time, Mexicans mostly lived in the southwestern part of America, where most schools in the area were segregated, job opportunities were limited, public facilities were limited to Mexican Americans and housing was in poor quality. “For example, in California, public swimming pools were open only one day a week for Mexican Americans” (Daniels). “In 1993 the National School Boards Association found

In 1910 the Mexican Revolution forced Mexicans to cross the border into the United States, in search of safety and employment. In 1917 with the advent of World War 1 factories in war-related industries in the United States desperately need more workers. Latinos from the Southwest begin moving north in large numbers in search of employment (Meyer, Sherman, & Deeds, 1995).

Hispanics have been immigrating to America since the beginning of the Spanish Colonial era. Up until the 1920’s Mexican Americans have boomed in rural places in america. The 1920’s was meeting the beginning of a renaissance, a better promised life for both native americans as well as immigrants. Businesses were booming, wages were higher, and the industry was creating a bright future for America. However, Mexican Americans continued to face hardships as well as few successes leading up to the 1920’s. Whether these were Native born Americans with a Hispanic background or newly immigrated Mexicans, Mexican Americans faced the hardship of poverty, discrimination, segregation, and struggles during the 1920’s.

Many of the Latinos that traveled to Washington were “fur trappers, miners, ranchers and leaders of mule-packing commercial transportation” for the jobs they knew it would be offered for them (“Washington State History”). When the Internment of Japanese Americans happened, it caused a labor of crisis in the agricultural regions in Washington State. This left a huge opportunity for Hispanics to seek out a better life to start fresh again and the solution to the crisis was the Mexican Labor. The Bracero Program was “designated by the Mexicans, the workers were contracted in agriculture and later in the railroad industry from 1942-1947 in Washington State,” (“Washington State History”). After the Bracero program, many Latinos settled in Eastern Washington because there were a lot of open jobs and they were able to socialize easier with other

Starting in the late nineteenth century until the end of World War II, the immigration policy in the United States experienced dramatic changes that altered the pace of immigration. High rates of immigration sparked adverse emotions and encouraged restrictive legislation and numerous bills in Congress advocated the suspension of immigration and the deportation of non-Americans (Wisconsin Historical Society). Mexican American history was shaped by several bills in Congress and efforts to deport all non-Americans from the United States. The United States was home to several Spanish-origin groups, prior to the Declaration of Independence. The term “Mexican American” was a label used to describe a number of Hispanic American groups that

The world around us is surrounded by many diverse cultural groups. Each culture is unique and systematically made different, and cultures have their own beliefs and ways of life. Many cultures have their own language, values, set their own rules, and mores. Each culture has a group of people with the same beliefs, and they join organizations and institutions. Each culture is distinguishable from one another because each has different customs and beliefs. Although I was born in Mexico and brought to the United States at 6 months, I grew up in a Mexican culture. The Korowai and Mursi are cultures that have their own set of beliefs and values. In some instances family members have different cultures because they either move away or become separated.

My parents were both born and raised in Mexico. My father came to the states when he was only 19 years old. Before he met my mother, he took some classes within the schools of Peralta Community College District and was able to graduate. He ended up working at Lockheed Martin and he inspects parts that will become part of a missile or satellite. He then married my mother at the age of 39. My mother came to the states with my father at the age of 24. The following year at 25 years old, she had her first daughter which is me, Chiquis. My mother became a housewife and after a couple of months, she knew she couldn’t be home all day and she knew she had to make some extra money and take advantage of the amazing opportunity she had to be

In our society today, culture is not what it used to be hundreds of years ago. There is no more “pure” culture. Our culture today is enriched with many different traditions and customs that are being shared and adopted. Due to emigration and immigration, a variety of diverse customs, beliefs, and knowledge moved with every exiting and entering human being. Thus, changing and shaping the culture of many. Throughout the world, the beliefs and religious views of culture are dissimilar around the world. By taking the time to read, listen and learn about certain people’s culture, there will be knowledge and understanding that will be gained.

From a national perspective, the migration of workers from Mexico is apparent everywhere, from my community to just about anywhere in the U.S. I have traveled. Migrant workers from Mexico have become an integral part of the U.S. workforce. And as a result the social changes across the U.S. are evident, whether it’s the music or the cuisine Latin influences have grown abundant in our society.

By the late 1930’s, the economic situation in Mexico was worsening and employment was difficult to secure (Mexican Immigrant Labor History, retrieved 2014). When the U.S. entered WWII in 1942, there was another call from the agricultural industry for immigrant laborers (Mexican Immigrant Labor History, retrieved 2014). This initiated the Bracero Program which offered contract employment to Mexican men, and laborers to U.S. farmers, and became the precursor to later Mexico-U.S. migration (Philip, 2006). Latinos did not come exclusively from Mexico, but some migrated from countries south of the Mexican border, entering the U.S. illegally, and were presumed to have entered the U.S. through Mexico (Bankston, 2007). When the program officially ended in 1964, many of the migrant workers remained in the country unauthorized (Philip, 2006), and eventually migrated to southern states that offered economic opportunity, including NC (Bankston, 2007).