civil rights - Hispanic Movements in the US Flashcards
where were the majority of Hispanic Americans based at the end of the 19th Century?
- significant minority in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona
- most worked in agricultural labourers
- distinctive due to their language which was Spanish, and their religion, Roman Catholicism.
what was the Mexican-American War?
- Americas saw this as manifest destiny
- President Polk wanted Texas to be a part of the US, but Mexico considered the annexation of Texas as an act of war.
- US secured control of Mexico in the war and they received $18 million in compensation - 1845
- It cuts the territorial size of Mexico in half
- Most people living in Texas would have been Texican, but now American
what was the Gasden Purchase 1853
it was an agreement between US and Mexico
allowed the US to purchase a strip of land which is now South Arizona and South New Mexico for $10 million
they wanted to facilitate the southern transcontinental railroad route
Hispanics living in this land were suddenly under American law and lost their identity
what is treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)
2nd feb 1848 - ended the war between US and Mexico
Mexico ceded 55% of their territory including California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico etc
it gave Mexicans the right to remain in US territory but 3000 chose to move whilst move decided to stay in Mexico
what was the impact of the Great Depression?
- pressure to reduce numbers of Mexican immigrant workers
- started deporting Mexican immigrants (LA lost a third of its Mexican American population)
- William Doak, Secretary of Labour, launched a raid to identity ‘aliens’ for deportation
- Roosevelt’s deal from 1933 gave Mexican Americans assistance such as camps and work
- Hispanic Workers formed confederation of unions of Mexican Workers and Farm Labourers to pressure for better working conditions
what do chicanos mean?
derogatory term for children of Mexican immigrants
reclaimed as a symbol for ethnic pride and self confidence
what was the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund 1968?
- latino civil rights organisation focused on promoting and protecting civil rights living in the US
- founded in Texas in 1968 by Mexican American lawyers who wanted more legal representation
- provides legal representation to individuals facing discrimination with voting, education, employment, immigrant
- engages in policy advocacy at local, state and national levels
- won important legal victories
what was the League of United Latin American Citizens in 1929?
- founded in Texas 1929 to combat discrimination
- advocaes for equal opportunities in education, employment and political representation
- involved in legal battles such as Mendez v Westminster
- focused on legal strategies, grassroots organising and political engagement
what was the American G.I Forum?
- Latino veterans civil rights organisation in 1948
- Private Longoria was a Mexican American solider and his heroic actions earned him awards but it took 4 years to get his body home
- the director of a local funeral home refused his family to use the chapel for discriminatory reasons
- led to protests
- actions: raising funds to pay for a poll tax which allowed hundreds of its members to vote
what was Mendez v Westminster 1947?
- Sylvia Mendez was turned away from a Californian school due to their Mexican ancestry
- Schools in Cali had already seperated schools due to the demand by white parents in the 1930s
- Gonzalo Mendez took 4 LA districts to court and won, so judge ordered school districts to cease discriminatory practises
- school appealed this but Calis govenor signed a bill which made it the first state to desegregate public schools
- influenced and provided evidence for Brown v Bord
what was Hernandez v Texas 1954
- a hispanic agricultural worker was accused of murder in Texas and during the trial, it was noted that no Mexican Americans were on the jury, which raised questions about a fair trial and equal protection
- they argued it was violating the 14th amenment and so the case went to the supreme court, who ruled in favour of Hernandez
- now decided that the 14th amendment extended to all racial and ethnic groups
- recognised discrimination on the base that it wasn’t a black and white binary thing
who was Corky Gonzales
- writer, boxer, civil rights activist
- unsuccessful for serveral political offices
- founded crusade for justice which offered Chicano community benefits such as job training, food bank, bilingual schools, protests.
- “spiritual plan of aztlan” encouraged chicanos to strive for economic, cultural and political fredom
what was the Mexican American Youth Organisation/ Brown Berets 1967
- founded Brown Berets in 1967
- concentrated on combatting police brutality and fighting racism and demanding education, job and housing equality
- youth group of high school students gathered to discuss problems
- opened a coffee house as a site to promote community consciousness in 1967
- considered themselves nationalists
- opened a free clinic which offered a range of medical services
- published La Causa
what was the Comision Femenil Mexicana Nacional
- founded in October 1970 by women
- founded when women raised issues regarding women and families
- focused on issues such as birth, employment and ageing
- directed their efforts to organising women for leadership positions, disseminate news, and information and promoting programs
- participate in the 1975 lawsuit opposing involuntary sterilisation of Chicanas, although this lost, they brought the adoption of bilingual consent forms
what was the impact of WW2 on Chicanos?
- significant migration of Mexican Americans in urban areas
- many served in US military
- Mexican American Youths were targeted by white servicemen
