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History of immigration hispanics
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History of mexican americans ESSAY
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While many remember the Great Depression as a time of terrible trials for Americans, few understand the hardships faced by Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the U.S. This paper examines the experiences of Mexicans in America during the Great Depression and explores the devastating impact of repatriation efforts. America has an extensive history of accepting Mexican workers when they are needed for cheap labor, and demanding that they be deported when the economic situation is more precarious in an attempt to open jobs for Americans. In the 1930s, “Americans, reeling from the economic disorientation of the depression, sought a convenient scapegoat. They found it in the Mexican community.” Mexicans were blamed for economic hardships and pushed to leave the United States because Americans believed they were taking jobs and draining charitable resources; however, few understood the negative repercussions of these actions. During the Great Depression, the push to strip jobs from Mexicans and repatriate them had the unintended consequences of adding more people to welfare rolls, contributed to labor shortages and forced out legal citizens of Mexican descent which created feelings of bitterness and rejection. The drive to keep jobs out of the hands of Mexicans had the highly undesirable result of forcing many families to depend on welfare to survive. Many Mexicans were forced to leave and rounded up by immigration officials, while others were intimidated by immigration practices and left voluntarily. While some left willingly because of the poor economic outlook, hoping things would be better in Mexico, others were deported even if they had come to the United States legally. One reporter called for an investigation of immigr... ... middle of paper ... ... EBSCOhost, (Accessed December 9, 2013), 2. “Immigration Abuses,” Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles), Jul 22, 1931, http:www.proquest.com, (Accessed December 10, 2013). Balderrama, 3. “Alien Drive Speeds Up,” Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles), Apr 11, 1931. http:www.proquest.com, (Accessed December 8, 2013). Balderrama, 78. Ibid., 60. Rosales, F. Arturo, Testimonio: A Documentary History of the Mexican American Struggle for Civil Rights, (Houston: Arte Publico Press, 2000), 101. Ibid., 101. "Mexican Labor Dearth Feared,” Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles), May 6, 1931, http:www.proquest.com, (Accessed December 7, 2013). Ibid. Hoffman, 90. Ibid., 94. “Immigration Abuses.” Rosales, 80. Martinez, Oscar. Border People: Life and Society in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1994), 232. Ibid., 232.
The focus of analysis will consist of Southern Chicago Mexicans and the way by which they established themselves as important features of US civilization. Within the late 1910s and early 1920s the first major waves of Mexican immigrants ventured into the Southside of Chicago. Members of the community overcame the discrimination against them while organizing themselves in way that introduced Mexican pride and community building across their
Weber, David J. Foreigners in Their Native Land: The Historical Roots of Mexican Americans. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973.
During the late 1800's and early 1900's hundreds of thousands of European immigrants migrated to the United States of America. They had aspirations of success, prosperity and their own conception of the American Dream. The majority of the immigrants believed that their lives would completely change for the better and the new world would bring nothing but happiness. Advertisements that appeared in Europe offered a bright future and economic stability to these naive and hopeful people. Jobs with excellent wages and working conditions, prime safety, and other benefits seemed like a chance in a lifetime to these struggling foreigners. Little did these people know that what they would confront would be the complete antithesis of what they dreamed of.
Durand, Jorge, and Douglas S. Massey. Miracles on the Border: Retablos of Mexican Migrants to the United States. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1995. Print.
Immediately following the turn of the century, immigration into the United States began to increase, which led to the creation of many laws restricting the individuals who could be permitted into the country. “The Immigration Act of 1917 was a law passed by Congress on February 5, 1917 that restricted the immigration of 'undesirables’ and required eight-dollar entrance fee and a literacy test for those under the age of sixteen” (Tucker 1). This act created limitations on who would be permitted to enter the United States, making it more difficult for individuals to come start new lives. “Those who were uneducated, poor, or disabled were discriminated against, for the sake of keeping America “pure”. The Immigration Act of 1917 also excluded immigrants from many Asian countries (the “Asiatic Barred Zone”), and was followed by the Immigration Act of 1924, which added Japan to the zone, and limited the number of immigrants permitted in a given year to 2% of the number of residents from that same country residing in the United States” (“Milestones: 1921-1936” 2; Marcus 1). Those within the Asiatic Barred Zone were not permitted to immigrate into the United States, while those in other countries faced quota limitations that restricted the number of persons who could immigrate each year. This two percent quota caused a great decrease in ...
1900-1930," Journal of American History; June 1996, Vol. 83 Issue 1 Web. 26 May 2015.
Monroy, Douglas. Thrown Among Strangers: The Making of Mexican Culture in Frontier California . 1990.
Ngai, Mae M. 2004 “Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America” Publisher: Princeton University Press.
Immigration has always been a contentious issue in the United States. Benjamin Franklin thought that the influx in German immigration would flush out the predominately British culture in America at the time. (5) Furthermore, a continual wave of foreign cultures began pouring into the American metropolitan areas at the turn of the 20th century. The migration of Italians, Poles, and Jews across the Atlantic Ocean began a mass assimilation of cultural ideology and customs into the United States, yet many people thought that these migrants could not adapt. Today, the American society has become a melting pot of foreign influence; however, many cynics remain skeptical about the incorporation of Latin American people and their influences. Accordingly, these same critics are just as naïve as their previous counterparts, who refused to accept the many gifts and contributions these immigrants have to offer. We must ask ourselves: How long will it take to peacefully incorporate Spanish immigrants into American society? America was built on the movement of these cultures, and the current population of this country must set aside its non-democratic premonitions, and embrace the historical and positive aspect of Latin American immigration.
America is a nation consisting of many immigrants: it has its gates opened to the world. These immigrants transition smoothly and slowly from settlement, to assimilation then citizenship. These immigrants are first admitted lawfully as permanent residents before they naturalize to become full citizens. In her book “Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America”, the historian Mae Ngai draws our attention to the history of immigration and citizenship in America. Her book examines an understudied period of immigration regulation between 1924 and 1965.
Proposal For “The Effects of the Immigration Act of 1924”: The Immigration Act of 1924 and its effect in the Rio Grande Valley in the early 1900’s by Jacob Garza
3. Anita Edgar Jones, "Mexican Colonies in Chicago," Social Service Review 2 ( December 1928): 39-54.
Migration is a significant topic in every history textbook, from US history to world history. It has played a key role in many influential events as well as affected the world we live in now. For example, in the late 1800s many different ethnic groups migrated to the United States. Thanks to that great migration, the United States displays many different cultures as well as cultures that blended together to form the melting pot we know today. However, migration didn’t just occur in the late 1800s. There are many examples of migration still transpiring in the 21st century. One topic that the news has been particularly focusing on is the movement of Mexicans to the United States. This had to led to a great uproar because they are both taking
Goodman, Adam. “A Nation of (Deported) Immigrants”. University of Pennsylvania Press: Dissent Magazine, 2011. Web. In ...
Immigration remains a constant topic of debate in the U.S. and the different positions taken on the subject vary a great deal. Unfortunately, when disputes about this subject arise, it rarely includes conversation regarding the second generations immigrants and the assimilation process in the immigrant communities that already exist within the United States. Immigrants in the U.S., in this case Mexicans, tend to create their standards of success from both the native country and the host country. Often they compare their current living conditions to the conditions they left behind and find that they are neither satisfied or unsatisfied. The immigrants are mindful of their financial situation and that it is better in the U.S., but, it is