Schaefer c10 (1)

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

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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



– 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



• 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



• 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



• 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)



• 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



• 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)



• 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



• 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



• 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


Contemporary Picture of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans

• Education– In 2008, only 55% of Mexican Americans &

76% of Puerto Ricans aged 25 or older:• Had completed high school, compared with 88

percent of White non-Hispanics



• 3 factors of increasing social isolation of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans– Latinos are increasingly concentrated in

largest cities where minorities dominate– Schools once desegregated have become re-

segregated

• Tracking



• Family Life– Most important organization or social

institution among Latinos or any group– Structure differs little from all families in US– Familism– Display variety of American family in general

while suffering higher levels of poverty



• Health Care– Life Chances limited for Latinos

• People’s opportunities to provide themselves with: – Material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable

life experiences

– Hispanics as a group are locked out of health care system



– Complicated by lack of Hispanic health care professionals

– Curanderismo• Latino folk medicine, form of holistic health care

and healing

• Culture makes them less likely to use medical system



• Religion– Predominantly Catholic– Church has taken an assimilation role in past– Recently, more community oriented– Hispanic population growth important for the

church



– Some churches starting to accommodate observances of Mexican rituals

• Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

– Pentecostalism• Type of evangelical Christianity growing in Latin

America


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