*NON-PLAGIARIZED* 3 full paragraph history "journal entry"
HRW33
WK5ch7Mexicans.pptxMexicans
Become foreigners in their own land
Early Mexico
Northern Mexico, which is now considered the Southwest portion of the United States was once the territory of Spain.. The Catholic Church of Spain had sent their missionaries to establish pueblos but Spanish citizens did not emigrate to Northern Mexico in large numbers, as they had in other parts of the world. Therefore, It was a sparsely populated territory.
Spain had been so successful at conquering lands from North West Africa down to most of the Caribbean and all of South and Central America…. that those Spaniards that wanted to relocate to the West had already done so and were already successful land owners in the central and southern portions for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Spanish Mexico 1700s
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California’s Population
The first (non indigenous) settlers to Los Angeles were 43 families from Central and Southern Mexico.
Spain was offering incentives, to Spaniards, and Mestizos that would move up to northern Mexico and populate California.
Can you imagine that! They were having trouble populating California!
Mestizo: is a person of mixed race primarily a blend of American Indian/ Spanish and Africans of Arab and Jewish ancestry.
Mestizo Families
Some famous Mestizos
1821 Mexico wins its freedom from Spain
The landowners with the largest plots of land are Rancheros.
Rancheros were often former Spanish soldiers that were granted land by the Mexican government. They inhabited vast tracks of land throughout California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona.
They had taken those lands from their previous owners the Native Americans.
Those Native Americans were the servants (slaves) of the Rancheros.
Native Americans built the Spanish Missions with their hands.
Paternal Relationship
“All of our servants are very much attached to us, They do not ask for money, nor do they have a fixed wage; we give them all they need, and if they are ill we care for them like members of the family”
Much like the slave owners of the south, the Rancheros justified exploitation of their servants.
Mexico’s Immigration Policy on Americans
Americans that wanted to settle in Mexico, needed to:
Apply for a land grant
Convert to Catholicism
Become Naturalized Citizens of Mexico.
1830’s Mexico prohibited slave owners from setting up plantations. Americans were not allowed to immigrate in to the state of Texas at all.
Justification to breaking Mexico’s immigration laws
“We must be conquerors or we are robbers”
“Commission to REDEEM the WILDERNESS” in to Civilization
Fight against the Mongrel Spanish/Indian/Negro Race
Assert dominance of the Anglo-American work ethic and industriousness.
Mexican Rancheros do not fully utilize their lands.
Thus the Mexican-American war over Texas began
The Battle at the Alamo
20,000 illegal immigrants (Americans) were living in Texas.
Compared to 4,000 Mexican Citizens
The Battle over San Antonio was won by American invaders
General Houston declared himself the President of the New Republic of Texas.
Terrorized the remaining Mexican Farmers.
Plunder, rape, destroying homes, crops and cattle.
The Lone Star State
“President” Houston declared Texas the Lone Star State. A flag was created with a single star – symbolizing the victory of the Anglo-Saxon race.
See next slide
The “Legal” taking of Mexican Lands in California
New laws were created to remove Mexicans from their own lands
Land deeds that were legally given or sold from the Mexican government were considered null by the new American government.
Property Taxes - Under Mexican law, Rancheros and Farmers only paid taxes when they produced a profit. Now they had to pay taxes even when they produced no profit.
Forced to put their lands up for collateral in exchange for loans to pay taxes- many Ranchers lost their lands.
Legally Ostracized
Mexicans become foreigners in their own land
Lands were taken from Mexicans. They were forced to work as day laborers on what was previously their land.
Anti-Vagrancy law (Greasers Law)
When Gold was discovered: Mexicans who taught Americans how to mine for gold, had to pay ‘Mexican Miners Tax’ Even for Mexicans born in the new territory of the U. S.
This was similar to the Chinese Miners Tax
