Mexican American Case Study

During the age of reconstruction, the freedman’s bureau launched the opening of up to 1000 schools for African American children presiding in the south. An assortment of north- sponsored colleges made for African

One of the largest Hispanic-origin population in the United states are Mexicans (Gonzales-Barrera & Lopez, 2013). Mexican American’s are considered minorities in the United States. There are many reason why I am choosing to explore Mexican Americans for this paper. As a minority myself, I can relate to some of the struggles that Mexican American’s may face. However, there are some things that I will never relate to or know the personal aspect of the Mexican culture. Just like any other population, Mexican Americans have their own culture, values, and challenges.

Many Mexican Americans have been able to accomplish their own versions of the American dream by attending a 4-year college, owning businesses, and taking on political and public service careers. However, Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants continue to face the hardships that their ancestors went through in the 20th century. The ethnic Mexican experience in the United States has been a difficult one for Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans of the first generation. Two key factors that continue to shape the lives of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants are labor laws and the citizenship process. Focusing on the research, statistics, and information provided by Mai Ngai “The Architecture of Race in American Immigration”, Natalia Molina’s, “In a Race All Their Own": The Quest to Make Mexicans Ineligible for U.S. Citizenship”, and George J. Sanchez, “Becoming Mexican American” will provide the cause and effect of labor laws and citizenship laws that made an impact on the lives of Mexicans during the 20th century.

“Wow, you are so rich”, these words have been repeated many times by close friends and relatives. I am perceived as a rich and spoiled girl who sleeps on top of a pile of money and lives in a mansion in the United States. As much as I would like to live up to that assumption, in reality, I am just a middle class citizen that lives in a small town. Yes, we have cars and a big house, but we are not loaded with money. In the country of Mexico I have had numerous occurrences where its citizens have seen me differently, not a Mexican, but as an American.

Throughout Reconstruction and post Reconstruction eras, education has been a staple of many political campaigns, and the downfall of others. Society thrives on education. In the aftermath of the Civil War, freed slaves scrambled to get representatives into the government, so that public schools for black folk might be established. All was well during the reconstruction era, but post Reconstruction saw a heavy decline in black congressional representation, and a corresponding decrease in support for African American education. Reconstruction helped to establish institutes of public education in the south for both races, but, in the end, provided more help to whites than blacks.

Of the nine million dollars spent on African American education system between 1865 and 1870, the Freedmen’s Bureau contributed five million dollars to it (McPherson, 624). This organization’s power and support diminished in time; therefore, how, if at all, did African Americans education change after the Freedmen’s Bureau? Even though the Freedmen’s Bureau was the primary supporter of African Americans’ education, it was not the only organization to support their education. The literacy rate of African Americans drastically increased; the illiteracy rate fell from eighty percent in 1870 to forty-five percent in 1900 (McPherson, 625). This organization already established solid foundations, such as schools, teachers, and supporters, of African American education by the time it lost its power. Nevertheless, African Americans indomitable desire for education was the driving force behind the education

As the high school became more popular Blacks began to vie for this form of higher education. However, their efforts were thwarted as even the only available black public school was shut down to ensure social control and reproduction. This was because southern Whites believed that higher education for Blacks would lead to social efficiency and mobility.

They had facilitated opportunities for mass meetings and public education. Prior to the Civil War, there was no public education in the south, meaning that wealthier families could afford private education and tutors (Sterling 14). During Reconstruction, there was a deep emphasis on education being a key factor in their come up. As an assertion of White dominance, the formerly enslaved population had been kept in ignorance, and were scarcely given any type of chance to formerly educate themselves by their masters. The appeal of educating the future generation of Black Americans, and newly freed people was liberation of the mind. People were being deceived into legally binding themselves to unfair labor contracts because they had been illiterate, so adults and children alike sought to enrich their culture, through the power of knowledge. However, they weren’t receiving the resources for an effective education system until the received aid from the Freedmen’s Bureau and other aid

Education has always been valued in the African American community. During slavery freed slaves and those held captive, organized to educate themselves. After emancipation the value of education became even more important to ex-slaves, as it was their emblem of freedom and a means to full participation in American Society (Newby & Tyack, 1971). During this time many schools for African Americans were both founded and maintained by African Americans. African Americans continued to provide education throughout their own communities well into the 1930’s (Green, McIntosh, Cook-Morales, & Robinson-Zanartu, 2005). The atmosphere of these schools resembled a family. The

Mexican Americans were affected by the case Mendez v Westminster this case affected Mexican Americans in Orange County . The case was brought to court in 1947 the basis of the case was that the school district was segregating the Mexican Americans. When the Mendez children were sent to another school because they were Mexican American the case was filed in March 2, 1945 by the Mendez family. The case was also for the other 5,000 kids attending the district that were Mexican American. The cases argued that segregating children of Mexican ancestry violated the equal protection of the law clause in the 14th amendment .The defense argued that education was a state issue and the courts did not have any jurisdiction. They also argued that Mexican Americans were being segregated so

This summer I will be going to latin America through a non-profit organization called Amigos de las Americas.

Despite popular belief that the category of whiteness grants many advantages, that was not the case with Mexican-Americans. There were several Mexican-Americans that had whiteness features, and passed as being white, but the Anglo’s were not fond of Mexican-Americans being labeled as white. This led to forms of racial supremacy through legal exclusions, George A. Martinez in Mexican-Americans and Whiteness writes that “Mexican-Americans were earmarked for exclusive employment in the lowest brackets of employment and paid less than Anglo-Americans for the same jobs.” (Martinez 33). Mexican-Americans were treated unequally just because they were Mexican-Americans and not real Americans, these forms of racial supremacy continued, and as a result they were excluded from receiving their full and equal rights.

“Oliver Brown’s… eight year old daughter had to travel 21 blacks to get to her school despite the fact that there was one just 7 blocks from her home” (Historylearningsite). Since, there was a law for segregation even if there was a school near, if it was for white-only the colored could not attend. This was limiting towards African Americans, because they could only attend schools for specifically for the colored. Also, the black schools received far less financial support than did white schools (Vahistorical). This resulted in the classrooms being small and cramped. The textbooks that was provided were discarded from the white schools. In South Carolina, public funding for white schools were 3 times the amount given to the blacks. There was barely any colleges for the colored and for African Americans to get an admitted to colleges, many were only accepted when the court got involved. Discrimination put segregation in place resulting in African american not getting the full education, they could’ve

If there were to be one major Latino group which is the least assimilated, I would make the plea for the Mexican minority group. I believe that this is the case, mainly, because of two reasons. The first is the degree of potentiality to garner wealth and power, as is conducive to leisure, when the Mexican immigrants settle in the United States. Many of the Mexican minority come in search of the “American Dream,” the chance to rise the ranks of the social hierarchy, similar to most other immigrants. However, the result is far less indicative of created aristocracy. The reason being is that many have their work concentrated in sectors where low paying jobs are a commonality. Such a truism prevents the Mexican group’s diminishes their drive towards

In 2014, 35 million Americans identified as Hispanic, of whom 64 percent said they had Mexican heritage - almost 11 percent of the total population. As birthrates for Hispanics exceed those of Anglos, demographers estimate that by 2042 non-Hispanic whites will be a numerical minority in the United States. At the beginning of this century, there were twenty-one states where Hispanics were the largest ethnic minority.