Occupied America Chapter Summary

In chapter one Conquerors and Victims: The Image of America Forms (1500-1800) Gonzalez talks about the impact upon the arrival of the Europeans to America. This arrival was categorized as “the greatest and most important event in the history of human kind”. Spain and England were two countries that had a big impact on our modern world and transplanted their cultures around the territories they took over. Both countries created their empires in which they established on their identities and viewpoint of their language and social customs. Upon their arrival the native population was outnumbered, many of which live around Mexico’s Valley and others populate the Central Andes region and Rio Grande.

This section highlights that history has created a false narrative depicting the natives as a victimized people, which they were to some extent but only in the fashion that they did not possess the same technology for warfare, immunity of communal diseases transmitted, and they were not anticipating combat. All other factors considered, the natives stood to be a potential threat. In regards to knowledge obtained by Spaniards prior to arrival and knowledge gained from observation, it would be remiss had they not prepared for battle. This argument is not to be misconstrued in approving their actions; I do recognize colonization as an evil for both the reasons employed and its damaging effects, but rather to change the narrative surrounding that of the native people. While they did experience a tragedy, I feel that it is erroneous to write them into history as being incompetent resulting from their

The central idea of the”From war to america” by Kristen Lewis is Hope is stronger than fear. I know this because in the text it said, “By 2p.m., it had come clear that the family needed to leave. They headed down to the street, which was poked with bullet holes-only to find that their escape route would put them in full view of armed fighters. We didn't have time to think,francois says,we just ran.” This shows hoping to get out but they also are bevling that they can get out it might be scary but they have to get out. Also, i know the central idea is in the article is states” they leave because they have no choice:staying means putting their lives in danger.” This means that the are hoping to set out and not letting fear get in there way.

Restall’s ultimate goal in writing this book is to provide readers and scholars alike with a more realistic viewpoint and history of the Spanish conquest. He wishes to dispel the many myths that accompany the epic tale so as to provide a better understanding of who the natives were and, more importantly to Restall, who the Spanish were. He does an excellent job of questioning the who, what, and where of the personalities and motives of the men involved in conquest. These questions are heartily answered in a well-written and easy to read history book.

In Harvest of Empire’s “Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type” Juan Gonzalez outlines how Mexican descendants contributed to U.S. prosperity and culture. Gonzalez’s assertion is that the Mexicans and their culture have been in the United States long before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the establishment of settlements and trade along the Rio Grande by Mexican pioneers, and the important factor Mexican-American workforce had in the nation. He supports his argument using historical records, individual’s stories and local papers. Respectively, Gonzales provides information that Mexicans greatly affected the economic uprising and culture of United States across the border.

The book Harvest of Empire offers many examples of the factors leading to migration, which include economic and political persecution. The book has a direct connection between the hardships Latinos faced economically and military in their perspective countries. By reading this book it is clearly stated that Latinos are on the verge of becoming the largest minority group in America. Juan Gonzalez presents a devastating perspective on U.S. history rarely found in mainstream publishing aimed at a popular audience. Few of those countries were immigrants from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Central Americans.

“Race, Expansion, and the Mexican War” and “Anglo-Saxons and Mexicans” by Horsman illustrates a causal effect regarding the treatment of Mexicans during the period of the early United States. The events from “Anglo-Saxons and Mexicans” show the ideologies regarding Mexicans that were present at the time. The actions that resulted from the ideologies are found in “Race, Expansion, and the Mexican War”.

Oklahoma was once referred to as the “Unassigned Lands” (Fugate,138). This land was land inside Indian Territory that had not been claimed by one of the tribes (Hoig). Whites believed they were entitled to this land and wanted to get the statement across that America is a “white man’s country” (Dorman, 38). Immediately after Benjamin Harrison, the United States of America’s president at the time, announced the land would be opened for settlement, people began gathering their belongings, loading their wagons, or preparing their horses for travel. Thousands of people crowded the borders of the Unassigned Lands in hopes of establishing a settlement in the area (Fugate,140). At noon on April 22, 1889, people dashed across the land with their belongings seeking a plot of land. The Oklahoma Land Run was an exciting, puzzling, and in some cases, a violent day in Oklahoma’s history.

     The author of Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman, grapples with the United States’ economic relationship with their neighbors to the south, Mexico. It also considers, through many interviews, the affairs of one nation. It is a work held to high esteem by many critics, who view this work as an essential part in truly understanding and capturing Mexico’s history. In Mexican Lives, Hellman presents us with a cast from all walks of life. This enables a reader to get more than one perspective, which tends to be bias. It also gives a more inclusive view of the nation of Mexico as a whole. Dealing with rebel activity, free trade, assassinations and their transition into the modern age, it justly

Desert Immigrants: The Mexicans of El Paso 1880-1920 analyzes and discusses the Mexican immigrants to El Paso, Texas. The most western city of the vast state of Texas, a city in the edge of the Chihuahuan desert; a place too far away from many regions of the United States, but as Mario García explains a very important city during the development of the western United States. He begins explaining how El Paso’s proximity to different railroads coming from México and the United States converged there, which allowed El Paso to become an “instant city”, as mining, smelting, and ranching came to region. (García 2)

When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away gives an in-depth history of the Pueblo Indians before and after the Spanish conquest. It describes the forced changes the Spanish brought to the Indians, and also the changes brought to the Spaniards who came to “civilize” the Indians. The author's thesis is that the Pueblo Indians and other Indians were treated cruelly by the Spanish, who justified their crime by claiming they were civilizing an

In the span of 50 years a lot can change especially when a power struggle began brewing between land hungry President James Polk of the United States and recently independent Mexico. California began its transition from the dominance of Spanish powered Missions to independent Ranchos. In Two Years Before the Mast Richard Henry Dana Jr explores the issue of race and ethnicity from an Anglo perspective in newly opened for trade to foreigners California. From the PBS website, one is able to learn about the Mexican American War of 1846 and the effects it had on the history of the United States and Mexico. Looking deeper into this topic one is able to discover Michael C. White’s testimony as a Mexican citizen of Anglo descent fighting for the United States. An important document that changed the course of history was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This document was an agreement between Mexico and the United States and whose certain provisions were then violated by the latter country. According to the Pio Pico official website, he was a victim of such practices as he went from being a prominent figure in society to dying a poor man. A few years after these events, according to the article Crime and Punishment: Los Angeles County, 1850-1856, crimes emerged against the now minorities. The 19th century proved to be a timeframe of big change for Los Angeles. It saw the rise and fall of Mexican power and the social, political and economic changes that came with these events. Race and

(1) List and discuss at least three reasons for the reconquest of New Mexico by the Spanish.

Timothy J. Henderson’s A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States (2007) and Amy S. Greenberg’s A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico (2012) offer two narratives of the United States –Mexican War. Both authors conclude that the United States justification for war with Mexico was without warrant; however, they contradict their central arguments that actions of the United States, and President James K. Polk, were not justified by letting their biases overshadow their arguments. Although, their approaches do significantly contribute to the understanding of the United States-Mexican War. Amy Greenberg’s book examines the perspective of the war from the United States first antiwar movement. Greenberg utilizes quotes throughout her work of critiques of the war from

The end of the war between Mexicans and America marked a new beginning as it became possible for Mexicans to get land in Texas. The process of allocating land to Mexicans was through a treaty signed in a bid to end the war. The government appointed a land commissioner upon which several title deeds were supplied. The Mexican government made it clear to Austin on his responsibility to settle three hundred Catholic families along the Brazos River. The problem that arose later on, however, is the increased rebellion from new settlers in the land (Lyles, 2015). The emergence of rebellion pushed the Mexican government to seek ways of quelling future rebellions. The military played a key role in reducing immigration into the unoccupied lands.