U.S Mexican History, Research Paper Example

In your view, what were the most important factors leading to increased Mexican Immigration from 1900-1920s?

The culture of Mexicans dates backs to the indigenous times, and has often been overlooked by historians that choose to whitewash history. The history of Mexico and its descendantsare imbedded with a deep cultural impact on language, new developments, agriculture, and a way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation.The most critical factors that lead to Mexican mass immigration during the 1900s to 1920s were reasons that included a better life for immigrants, American employers looking to contract unskilled laborers, political refugees, and natural disasters.The move for Mexicans immigrants was wrought with prejudice, freedom, and social movements that changed the composition of America.The purpose of this essay is to provide a critical analysis on the leading factors of mass Mexican migration to the United States.

The immigration of Mexicans into the United States has often been a contentious battle in which is still being contested and hotly debated on both sides of the political spectrum. While some people choose not to understand the reasons for which people immigrate to other countries, there are several major factors thatinfluence large groups of people to leave their homeland. One of the most essential reasons that Mexicans chose to immigrate during that time period was due to the political recourse that left many a political refugee. During the time period, migration to the United States was only a matter of time since the invention of the railroad getting to longer distances was easier. The civil wars within Mexico led to much privatization of resources and the land, and the government was in favor of foreign investment and not the welfare of its people. (Acuna, pg. 155, 1981) In a nutshell, the state of Mexico was troublesome for their citizens. At the time, the population of Mexico was growing rapidly, where the economy was doing poor, and the country was wrought with violence.The country of Mexico had just recovered from several wars that transformed the economic system and left much of the land in shambles, and open for destruction as natural disasters such as drought were able to devastate some parts of Mexico. Many people sought to leave Mexico because the increased violence, the lack of economic options, and the poor conditions.

The impact of mining and commercial agriculture within the border towns of the United States were a cause for many employers to seek the skills of many additional laborers. American employers were rapidly growing their crews as many immigrants crossed the borders. They were employed on railroads, mine operators, and farms throughout the southwest. Workers that worked on the other side of the border in Mexico were being discriminated, and treated unfairly compared to their European counterparts. The workers were being forced to work out of the option of staying, or being subjected to be in the army. (Acuna, pg. 159, 1981) The workers in Mexico saw the bonanzas in the United States as a source of job opportunities besides those in the mining companies. (Acuna, pg. 160, 1981) According to Acuna, “the expansion and contraction of these industries constantly attracted and uprooted these armies of workers who were in search of stability and control over their lives.” (Acuna, pg. 160, 1981) In that period over 1 million Mexicans immigrated to the United States for job opportunities alone. These job opportunities help with many second generation Mexican to forge out a better way of life than their parents.The expansion of the railroad, the agricultural opportunities, and mine helped with social mobility, economic stability, and other opportunities even with the limited notion of a racist ceiling that denied them equal pay than their white counterparts.

Life in America was a major increase than the deteriorating country of Mexico at the time. Although many Mexican immigrants faced a racial glass ceiling, and racists attitudes from Americans. It wasn’t enough for many Mexicans to pursue a life within borders of the United States. Many Mexican workers would hold strikes at the workplaces in order to get a better pay and better rights. The united front of the Mexican immigrants, forged a community within different parts of the United States. As Acuna shared in his research, “an important part of forming a community is concentrating enough people so they can fight for rights, such as an education for one’s children.” (Acuna, pg. 162, 1981) The Mexican Revolution that left many parts of Mexico in devastation forced many to relocate. The wealth distribution was largely unequal, and as the rich were getting richer, the poor were getting poorer.Within Mexico unlike the United States, there was no real middle class, and they poor were become dissolute in waiting for a change. These were the social ingredients that made the move to the United States the only option in order to cultivate a life, where they forged some type of future, and stable life for their families.

The mass immigration sparked the U.S government to take notice and create laws in which were directed to the Mexican immigrants entering the country. As many people in Mexico were sparking a revolution inside the country to gain control, many were fleeing as political refugees in search of freedom, economic stability, and the opportunity to forge a life for their families. While the immigrants were searching for a better way of life, they were met with hostility as the movement was during a period of rapid change during World War 1, the rise of radicalism, demise of small farmers, and teetering on a depression.  Yet, the cultural and economic impact of the immigrants led to many changes throughout the United States that are still present today.

How Did the Great Depression Affect Mexican Americans Differently than Other Americans? Explain the Various socio-political realities endured by Mexican Americans.

During the period between the start of the 20^th century up until after the First World War, over a million Mexicans immigrated to the United States. Many fled Mexico due to the political strife, lack of economic opportunities and mobility, and the desire to forge a better life. The United States offered economic stability with its increase in bonanzas, mining, farming, and railroad jobs that saw many American employers ready to exploit Mexican immigrants for cheaper labor.During the Great Depression, Mexican Americans were harshly treated compared to their white counterparts, having to endure deportation, arrests, and other socio-political realities that were different than other American. While within the decades of 1900 to 1920 saw an outlook of social and economic progression for many Mexican immigrants, the American nativists were not happy with the population taking over their cities and jobs. Mexican Americans had to endure the harshness of the racist and prejudicial notions that were placed in the forefront thanks in part to the political and social movement in the country.

After World War 1, the economic situation within the United States went downhill. As the financial mistakes of the rich and middle class created an economic depression, it left many lower and middle class in poverty. They had to survive in shanty towns, handouts, and food lines. While many Americans suffered, the minorities suffered more.The amount of jobs in the United States during the Great Depression was at an all-time low, and many would often stand in lines just to work at low wage jobs, usually reserved for African Americans and Mexicans. Now Immigrants and other minorities were now being turned away from these labor jobs because of the growing hostility of white Americans. This essay will address the harsh realities of the social political context that many Mexican Americans whose families immigrated to decades earlier, were facing during the Great Depression.

While many would think that Mexican Americans that were born within the United States would openly embrace Mexican immigrants, they were in fact, increased tensions between them. (Acuna, pg. 181, 1981) Just like the white Americans, they too felt like they were taking the job away from American workers in a time in which the economy was headed for a slowdown. Within larger cities, tensions were at its highest. As many immigrants would fight for equality and rights, Mexican Americans differed as they strongly believed that the immigrants were putting a great strain on the social and economic infrastructure. The elite Mexican Americans that consisted of landowners, teachers, doctors, and so on pushed the lower class and immigrants into poor neighborhoods, with poor sanitation, and housing that contributed to their health problems. From the mass immigration, the United States Congress first passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 to limit the number of immigrants admitted, and then the Immigration Act of 1924 that further limited the immigrant population to 2 percent in order to keep the United States an Aryan nation. (Acuna, pg. 193, 1981) From these already contentious feelings, the attitudes of American nativists including Mexican Americans were they were not welcomed.

The Great Depression hits in the 1930s, and the United States was hit with a massive job loss forcing many to move to the Midwest and up north for work opportunities. When President Roosevelt enacted the New Deal, it didn’t offer the Mexican nationalists any benefits, however Mexican Americans were able to benefit from public assistance, and there programs such as the Farm Security Administration, the Works Progress Administration, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. (Acuna, pg. 204, 1981) While these programs provided a job relief to Mexican Americans, they couldn’t take part in relief assistance such as Social Security, National Labor Relations Act, and workers’ compensation. According to Ruiz, “with the onset of the Great Depression… between 1931 to 1934 an estimated one-third of the Mexican population in the United States (over 500,000 people) were either deported or repatriated to Mexico even though the majority were native U.S. citizens.” (Ruiz, pg. 27, 2008) Mexicans and Mexican Americans were the only groups that were targeted for deportation. The social welfare offices focused solely on this population as many, white Americans viewed they were usurping American jobs, and were not deserving to be on the relief rolls. (Hoffman, 1974) The socio-political climate during the Great Depression increased the past notion that they were one of the causes of why white Americans were unable to get employment opportunities, or more financial relief. In a disturbing trend, employers and social workers encourage many to go back to Mexico with lies that there were greater opportunities in Mexico. (Ruiz, pg. 27, 2008)

Even with the cultural assimilation of Mexican Americans there was still ongoing racism, with tensions escalated as the economy declined. White Americans, couldn’t and wouldn’t choose to know the difference between Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants, as they all grouped them together in the blame, as President Hoover used Mexican immigrants as a scapegoat for the economic problems. (Balderrrama, pg. 4, 2006) Many in power tried to curtail criticisms of relief efforts by citing that Mexicans were taking a majority of relief and assistance although, data shows they were less than 10 percent across the nation. The racial discrimination brought on by the political discourse was from the head as the brunt of the blame lay with Mexican Americans. The effects of the Depression forced many Mexican Americans to flee cities, and be forced to go to Mexico.Unlike other monitories, and international immigrants, the Mexican population either American born or not were being subject to mass raids and deportation spurred by the media and the local governments. Many Mexican Americans were arrested for no crimes other than their perceived nationality. The Great Depression was a harrowing time for all Americans, and it effected the Mexican population immensely.

Works Cited

Acuna, Rodalfo. 2010. Occupied America: A History of Chicanos.  Seventh Edition.  Pearson. Book.

Balderrama, Francisco. 2006. Decade of Betrayal: Mexican Repatriation in the 1930s. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico. Book.

Hoffman, Abraham. 1974. Unwanted Mexican Americans in the Great Depression:Repatriation Pressures, 1929-1939. Tucson University Press. Book.

Ruiz, Vicki L. 2008. From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in the Twentieth-Century America. Oxford University Press. New York. Book.