Social Movements Created by Mexican Americans

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.

I will be applying the three major sociological perspectives, which include functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism to the experiences of Hispanic Americans. No ethnic group attracts more public attention than the Hispanic people do due to their large numbers, their residential clustering, and bilingual programs and signs associated with them making them a recognizable ethnic group. Hispanic people who live in poverty or the small number involved in gangs, drugs, or other criminal activity get more attention and generate negative stereotypes, but most of them live as members of the middle class.

Things had changed since the time their father grew up and both the Americans and the Mexicans had become more accepting of cultural differences.

During the 1970’s, Mexican Americans were involved in a large social movement called the "Chicano movement." Corresponding with the great development of the black civil rights movement, Mexican Americans began to take part in a series of different social protests in which they demanded equal rights for themselves. Composed mainly of Mexican American students and youth, these activists focused on maintaining a pride for their culture as well as their ethnicity to fuel their political campaign. Left out of this campaign initially though were Mexican immigrants.

Chicanos faced another problem along with their land being taken and being treated as second class citizens. Assimilating into American culture was difficult. Do you keep in touch with the roots of your homeland or do you change and adapt to the new ways of American culture? This was a struggle for Chicanos and it was difficult to adapt. A new language and a new culture in a place they once called their home. Some people tried to fit into both cultures, putting them into somewhere else entirely. This didn’t help their sense of belonging, and ultimately casted them farther as outsiders than before.

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

Throughout America's history, there have been numerous social and political movements that have had a profound and lasting impact on American culture. Movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's Suffrage Movement have influenced and shaped American ideals and beliefs. These movements were typically driven by a cause. From the 1890s to the 1920s, a period of social and political reform flourished in America. This was driven by the desire to eliminate corruption in the government. People wanted to have a positive impact on society and they wanted to speak up for what they believed in. This era was a pivotal turning point in the history of the United States. This era was known as the Progressive Era.

Los Angeles is well known for being the center of fashion, media and entertainment, but also serves as the home for many diverse populations: one of them being the Mexican Americans. Since their arrival, the Mexican Americans has been the target of racism from the white men in the United States. Mexican Repatriation resulted in the voluntary or involuntary migration of Mexicans during 1929-1937, in which 400-500,000 Mexicans left the United States and Mexican Americans were forced to become "American" through Americanization. These events led to the accumulation of tension between the two races, which then became apparent in the Sleep Lagoon Murder Trial of 1942 and exploded in the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943. The Zoot Suit Riots represented

Discrimination was a very harsh case to all Mexican Americans and also for the African Americans. In the 1950’s it was a very difficult time for the Hispanics, they were considered people who weren’t intelligent and invisible. There was too much racism in everywhere and every place of Texas. There were also many signs out the restaurants, parks, and in public places that said, “No Mexicans,

Every culture has their own unique and distinguishing characteristics. One’s cultural identity defines who they are as an individual, group, and community. Their cultural identity may be reflected in numerous ways such as: language, communication styles, religion, beliefs, values, clothing, or other types of aesthetic markers. Cultural identity is formed by many of these traits but is not limited to these specifically. This essay will provide detailed information on Mexican Americans, and their ancestry and heritage. I will also explain about this cultures central beliefs and values, while incorporating information on Mexican Americans, cultural patterns, cultural identity, and their cultures communication characteristics and styles.

The spread of religious refugees walked side by side with the movement of people as a smaller scale migration. Parker points out, “Europeans also introduced Christianity to America, especially among indigenous peoples in Central and South America and among enslaved Americans. “ Enslaved Americanized African spreading Christianity in their home land, Catholicism and Christianity were widely practice in America continent. With the same ambitious as Roman Catholic Church, Russia brought their Orthodox Church to the colonized indigenous Siberian. European missionaries exposed Chinese emperors to Christianity as well as their expertise in mathematics, astronomy and military science. Chinese immigrants in the Philippines and Indonesia showed to

Social movements are organized attempts, or efforts to bring change in the established institutions in a society based on common interest and goals. Social movements are very crucial to everyone since it has the power to bring change which affect people’s lives. For instance, the abortion-rights movement is a significant issue today. Everywhere in the media, you will find people debating whether women should have legal access to obtain abortions in the United States. I believe this movement is a problem that everyone has put their mind to. Everyone on Facebook often expresses their opinion about this movement, some agree that it should become legalized while others oppose to this idea because it is against their religious beliefs.

There were an abundance of social, political, and economical factors that led to the Mexican Revolution. Socially, there was a great displacement in the treatment between the elite and rich classes and the poor classes. Politically, what once started out as a Republic, after they had won their independence, had transitioned into a tyrannical dictatorship. Economically, Mexico was over dependent on loans from foreign nations such as France, Spain, England, and The United State of America.

During the first great wave of immigration which was in 1910, Mexicans crossed US borders in small numbers which was around 1.5 million people. Civil wars in Mexico caused people to migrate. Most of them entered through Texas towns and cities. Some people who wanted to formalize their status paid some amount of money at the immigration station but the people who did not wanted to pay walked across the border. Around that time, US patrol border was unguarded. After migration, most of them settled in towns and cities in the Southwest. The US needed help from the Mexican workers in agricultural and transportation field mainly after World War I. Some of them also settled in Omaha and Kansas. Interwar period caused more Mexicans to move to the city such as San Diego and Los Angeles. By 1930, Los Angeles had population of over 100000 Mexicans. Similar to other immigrants, they started their own societies and organizations. They attended catholic churches. Their children attended segregated schools thereby trying to become Mexican American. They tried to cope with the American culture by listening to American music, clothing and other forms. This also brought them certain restrictions. For example, they were prohibited from accessing

During these times dance halls were extremely popular for interacting, dancing and forgetting about the stress of what was going on around the economic world such as the Great Depression. L.A was full of mexicans. The style of the young people began to evolve and mexicans were influenced through the hip, slang and Chicano ways. These zoot suits outfits were very popular in African American