Mexicans in America - Essay Example

Running Heading: MEXICAN AMERICANS Mexican Americans Mexican Americans Modern day America is a country of many cultures and people from across the world are currently staying, working and studying in America as they contribute to its development. However, the evolution of American society into its modern day form has a long history behind it; and perhaps the most interesting chapter of this history is that which deals with the history of Mexican Americans. This paper will shed light on the history of Mexican Americans while giving particular attention to the first half of the 20th century. By doing so, the paper will attempt to present the current socio-economic state of Mexican Americans in American society in the pre-text of the above mentioned chapter in history. Mexican Americans have been present in the Americas long before that fateful day on the 4th of July when history took a turn like no other. However, as the 20th century drew closer, the implications of the Mexican American War began to come forth in the form of prejudice against racial hatred against the Mexican Americans who chose to enter America and those who were residing the part of Mexico that fell within US borders at the end of the Mexican American War. The influx of Mexican immigrants into America continued to increase over time and there came a point at the beginning of the 20th century where it became clear that Mexican Americans desired to become a fully functioning part of American society. However, the difference between the two societies did not allow Mexican Americans to settle in America with ease. The Anglo Americans refused to accept the Mexican Americans and the racial hatred and prejudice that had been lying low for the last few decades began to become evident in the treatment to which Anglo Americans subjected the Mexican Americans. After World War II, Mexican Americans began to take an active stance against racism and prejudice on the grounds of ethnicity. This was because they began to worry about the well-being of their future generations and desired them to have significantly better lives (Divide, 2008). The Mexican American parents did not want their children to go through the same difficulties that they had gone through in coal mines and assembly plants. In order to build a better future for their children, Mexican Americans began to make use the justice system to acquire the rights that they had been refused in the past (Terriquez, 2010). An example of institutionalized discrimination against Mexican Americans can be found in the fact that the California school districts made it mandatory for Mexican American children to be seated in a building separate from Anglo American children. It was commonplace for Mexican American children in schools to be punished for speaking in the Mexican language. Mexican American children remained under a constant state of fear and anxiety because they could not make use of their native tongue (Behnke, 2004). The rationale behind this move was so that teachers could give specific attention to Mexican American children; however, the school districts did not impose any regulatory or assessment framework through which language proficiency could be tested. The degree of discrimination exercised was so intense that a student with a Mexican surname was sent to the building for Mexican American students without question. There was a clear advantage that Anglo American children were given over Mexican American children. Also, the building housing the Anglo American children also provided them with far better facilities than those that were available for the Mexican American students. It was no surprise that parents of Mexican American children began to sue the school districts. A commonly cited case in this regard is Gonzalo Mendez vs. Westminster (Stacy, 2003). The case came forth in 1946 and marked a turning point in the approach that legislation took towards Mexican Americans. As a result of this case, it was established that the segregation being carried out in schools does not have any grounds and the segregation system in schools should therefore be abolished. As a result of this decision by the US District Court for the Southern California District, employers employing Mexican Americans began to take a more cautious and somewhat considerate approach towards Mexican Americans. The social perception regarding Mexican Americans in the first half of the 20th century gave little respect to no respect to Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans were subjected to behavior driven by prejudiced and biased perceptions. The Anglo American community did not consider the Mexican Americans to be as efficient as them. The friction between the two cultures was undeniable (Behnke, 2004). This friction was most prominent between the Mexican Americans and the Non-Catholic Anglo Americans who did not manage to comprehend and accept the characteristics of Mexican American culture. They actively shunned Mexican American culture. Mexican Americans with little or no fluency in the English language were subjected to the most discrimination since they were considered to be unfit for American society. This created a significant rift between Mexican Americans and Anglo Americans. An example of this rift and its volatility can be found in the fact that numerous Mexican Americans were arrested and jailed on grounds of suspicion (Durán, 2009). This excessive isolation forced the Mexican Americans to become passive residents in the American society. Mexican Americans began to concentrate in neighborhoods where they could stay close to each other for support. One of the most notable of areas in which Mexicans were subjected to institutionalized discrimination was that of employment. There were cases in which Mexicans were unable to acquire employment even if they satisfied the criteria for the position. They were refused employment on the mere grounds of being Mexican (Behnke, 2004). In cases where Mexicans were given employment, they were not only underpaid but also subjected to racial discrimination. The facilities given to them were obsolete and below adequate standards. From the 1900s to the 1950s, Mexicans were employed mostly by the mining industry. At this point, Mexicans were considered to be no better than slave labor and were treated the same way (Behnke, 2004). They were subjected to extensively unfair treatment and they were given no rights of any kind. With the passage of time, it became a habit for Mexican workers to go on strike against unfair treatment. However, Mine owners gave little regard to their pleas and demands. The strikes were able to bring the Mexicans only partial relief; and the little relief that they managed to obtain through the strikes was denounced by actions such as the infamous Bisbee Deportation. In other instances, military force was used to quell strikes and protests by Mexican American mine workers. Mexicans were financially stretched as immigrants into the country to begin with and the unfair treatment dished out to them continued to make their lives harder in the country (Mintz, 2010). As a result, it became common practice for Mexican Americans to actively seek out each other and form unions through which they could raise their voices and make their demands. It was not until the 1940s that Mexican Americans began to be given regard by the Anglo American society (Divide, 2008). By that time, Mexican Americans had stayed long enough in America to become recognized as a permanent part of American society. The time it took for Anglo Americans to recognize Mexican Americans is often taken as an indicative of the reluctance with which Mexican Americans were accepted into 20th century America. However, the acceptance of Mexican Americans in Anglo American culture society still had a long way to go. The 1940s saw Mexican Americans being treated in ways that segregated them from Anglo Americans (Behnke, 2004). For instance, Mexican Americans were not allowed to sit with Anglo Americans in social areas. Discrimination against Mexican Americans became a formal element. Mexican Americans were required to sit in segregated areas in churches, schools and other social facilities. In essence, the discrimination against Mexican Americans was present at the state level at this point in time. Mexican Americans were not considered to be eligible to make use of the facilities and privileges that were granted to Anglo Americans. The discussion shows that Mexican Americans have come a long way from the socio-economic conditions in which they were present in the early 20th century. It is clear that Mexican Americans have taken on the form of a close-knit community through the use of unionization. The 1940s come across as a time when Mexican Americans began to gain recognition and reverence as a part of the American society; and the current socio-economic condition of Mexican Americans is proof of the momentum with which this approach was carried on through the remaining 20th century. In their current state, Mexicans still continue to prosper in America as more Americans immigrate to America every year. However, it can be observed through the observed discussion that unless an aggressive element of unionization was present, Mexican Americans may have not been able to acquire the position in society that they hold today (Weaver, 2003). Mexican Americans were pushed down the social ladder during the time period from the 1900s to the 1950s. It was not until they began to form unions and began to make use of the legal system that Mexican Americans began to acquire a reputable and functioning position in the American society. References Behnke, A. (2004). Mexicans in America. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications. Divide, A. B. (2008). Ronald Fernandez. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Durán, R. J. (2009). Legitimated Oppression: Inner-City Mexican American Experiences with Police Gang Enforcement. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography , 143-168. Mintz, S. (2010). Mexican American History Guide. Retrieved December 1, 2010, from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/mex_am/index.cfm Stacy, L. (2003). Mexico and the United States. New York: Marshall Cavendish. Terriquez, V. (2010). Claiming Rights and Righting Wrongs in Texas: Mexican Workers and Job Politics During World War II. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews , 492-494. Weaver, C. N. (2003). Confidence of Mexican Americans in Major Institutions in the United States. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences , 501-512. Read More