Mexican American History 1848 present Chicano Mexican American

Mexican American History 1848 -present Chicano= Mexican American

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848) • Mexico gave nearly half its land to USA (Entire Southwest U. S. --Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado) • U. S. promise to Mexicans living in new terr. : 1) to respect their right to the land 2) U. S. citizenship (nearly 80, 000 stayed)

Transformation to Second-Class Citizens, late 1800 s • Loss of Land: Mexican land owners had to prove right to their land in U. S. court -U. S. gov’t did not recognize Mexican or Spanish land grants -Landowners often had to sell their land to pay legal fees • No land to ranch or farm work for whites • Barrios: segregated Mexican American neighborhoods created when “Anglo” settlers built cities around Mexican settlements

Mexican-American War, 1846 -1848 • Causes: -disputes over border -American settlement of Mexican territory • Result: -U. S. Army seized Mexico City -Treaty of Guadalupe -Hidalgo signed to end war

Immigration to U. S. , 1900 s • 1910 Revolution in Mexico caused wave of immigration to U. S. • 1920 s: Over 500, 000 Mexicans came to U. S. on permanent visas (work permits) • Benefits: Higher pay, more safety in U. S. • Segregation: Schools, restaurants, theaters, other public places “whites only” until 1940 s

Great Depression=Deportation • Dust Bowl: major drought in Midwest; 2. 5 million farmers migrated west to find work • Repatriation Program: U. S. gov’t pressured Mexican farm workers to return to Mexico -Search for “illegal aliens” began, those without legal residency permits deported

World War II: Bracero Program • WWII: Chicano farm workers got jobs in factories • Bracero Program (1942 -1964): U. S. gov’t shipped in more Mexicans, under contract to U. S. growers and ranchers -Temporary workers: expected to return to Mexico • Operation Wetback (1953): INS swept Mexican American communities, deporting over 1 million illegal immigrants