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Chapter 10

Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans

Mexican Americans

Legacy of war created America’s two largest Hispanic minorities
Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848
Under the treaty, new Americans guaranteed rights to property and their cultural traditions

Mexican Americans

The loss of land and the lack of legal protection after the treaty
US gained Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico for $15 million
In exchange, US granted citizenship to 75,000 Mexican nationals
Guaranteed

Mexican Americans

Religious freedom
Property rights
Cultural integrity
Land conflict between Anglo ranchers and Mexican-American ranchers
Mexican-Americans became outsiders in their own land

The Immigrant Experience

Immigration from Mexico is unique in several respects
Continuous large-scale movement for most of this century
Proximity of Mexico encourage immigrants to maintain strong cultural & language ties

The Immigrant Experience

Aura of illegality that surrounded Mexican migrants
Suspicion of Anglos toward Mexicans contributed to mutual distrust
Mexican immigration tied closely to the economies of Mexico & the United States

The Immigrant Experience

US corporations invested in Mexico in a way that maximized profits but minimized:
Money in Mexico to provide employment
Mexican workers are used as cheap laborers in their own country by fellow:
Mexicans & Americans or as undocumented workers here

The Immigrant Experience

Repatriation
Program of deporting Mexicans during depression of 1930s
Constitutional because only illegal aliens were to be deported
Many classified as illegal had resided in US for decades

The Immigrant Experience

Braceros
Program between Mexico & US allow migration across border by contracted labor
Mexicans regarded as positive presence when useful
Operation Wetback and Special Force Operation (1954)

The Immigrant Experience

Mojados
Slang for Mexicans who enter illegally; refer to those who secretly swim across Rio Grande
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)
Expressed concern over handling of illegal aliens

The Economic Picture

Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans
Higher unemployment rates, higher rates of poverty, and lower incomes than Whites
The Culture of Poverty
Embraces a deviant way of life that involves:
No future planning, no enduring commitment to marriage, and absence of work ethic

The Economic Picture

Developed by Oscar Lewis
Cultural traits as the cause of poverty
Blaming the victim
Used indiscriminately to explain continued poverty
César Chavez
Formed National Farm Workers Association
Became United Farm Workers (UFW)

The Economic Picture

Difficulties of organizing migrant farm workers
No savings for organizing or to live on while on strike
Growers relied on limitless supply of Mexican laborers to replace strikers
Opposition by agribusiness and lawmakers

Political Organizations

La Raza Unida (LRU)
Pride in one’s Spanish, Native American, and Mexican heritage
Supported candidates who offer alternatives to the Democratic and Republican parties
Chicanismo (Chicanozaje)
Stress a positive self-image

Political Organizations

Reies Lopez Tijerina (1963)
Purpose of the organization was to recover lost land
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) 1967
Pursue issues through the courts and protect Mexican Americans’ constitutional rights

Dual Nationality

The United States does not prohibit dual nationality
Estimated that anywhere from 5 million to 10 million Mexican Americans are eligible:
For such dual nationality

Puerto Ricans

Borinquen (Puerto Rico) claimed by Spain in 1493
Native inhabitants, Taino Indians
Reduced in number by conquest, slavery, and genocide
Puerto Rico annexed by the US from Spain after the Spanish-American War

Puerto Ricans

Colonization of Puerto Ricans
Politically, then culturally, and economically
Jones Act of 1917
Citizenship extended to Puerto Ricans
1948
Cannot vote in presidential elections and have no voting representations

The Bridge Between the Island and the Mainland

Despite citizenship, occasionally challenged by immigration officials
Other Latin Americans attempt to enter country posing as Puerto Ricans
Push and pull factors led to migration from the Island to the mainland

The Bridge Between the Island and the Mainland

Neoricans
Puerto Ricans in New York
Better educated and have more money than Puerto Ricans from the Island
Often resented by long time Islanders
Now more dispersed throughout the mainland

The Island of Puerto Rico

Original inhabitants, Taino Indians, wiped out in a couple of generations
Neocolonialism
Refers to continuing dependence of former colonies on foreign countries
English and Spanish are the official languages

The Island of Puerto Rico

Statehood and Self-Rule
Puerto Ricans periodically argued and fought for independence
Commonwealth supporters argue too many unknown costs, so embrace status quo
Others view statehood as key to increased economic development & tourist expansion

The Island of Puerto Rico

Arguments for and against independence
Obama promised support to:
“a clear decision” by the people on statehood, whatever it be
“By the end of 2012 or soon thereafter”
Statehood, independence, or continuation of the island’s current status

Social Construction of Race

Color Gradient
Reflects past fusion between different groups
Rather than being “black” or “white”, such societies judge as “lighter” or “darker”
On the Island social class determines race
On the mainland race is more likely to determine social class

The Island Economy

Overall economy well below that of poorest areas of the US
Federal government exempted US industries in Puerto Rico from taxes on profits (10 years)
Enterprise Zones
Island’s agriculture ignored and economic benefits to the island are limited

The Island Economy

Unemployment is three times that of mainland
Per capita income is less than half of Mississippi, the poorest state
Puerto Rico emerging as major gateway to US for illegal drugs from South America
World Systems Theory

The Island Economy

Major factors in Puerto Rico’s economy
Tourism
Government subsidies encouraged construction of luxury hotels
Criticisms
Major economic beneficiaries are investors from the mainland not locals

The Island Economy

High prices prevent less affluent from visiting
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)
Reduction of trade barriers and its lower wages undercut Puerto Rico’s commonwealth advantage
Other island nations compete for tourist dollars