The Status of Mexican Americans, 1848-1900
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
50% of Territory
1850 Census
86,000 – 116,000
New México: 62,000-77,000
California: 9,100-14,300
Texas: 13,900-23,200
Arizona: 1,000-1,600
Mexican Nationals
Property & Economic Rights
Citizenship
Article IX
Article X
Changing Society
Americanization
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
head political system
dislocate the landed elite
displace native merchants
dominion over agriculture
disenfranchise the masses
proletarianize the masses
The Subjugation of Mexican Americans
Land Loss
California Gold Rush, 1849
1
Fraud
Sherriff Sales
Auctions
Santa Fe Ring
Land Titles
Greedy Squatters
Natural Disasters
Labor
Proletariat
Joblessness / Unemployment
Unspecialized Workers
Domestics
Women
Segregation
Barrioization
Jacales
Political Subjugation
Disenfranchised
Santa Fe Ring, 1865-1885
Bossism
Reduced to 2nd Class Citizens
Racial Slurs/Terms
Social Darwinism
2
Nativism
Meskins
Greasers
Cholos
Violence
Revenge / Distrust / Comp over Land
Purpose of Violence
Tame the Frontier
Redeeming the Wilderness
Cart War, 1857
Tejano Freighters
Cattle Wars
El Paso Salt Wars, 1877
Lincoln County Wars, New Mexico, 1870s
Water sources & grasslands & cattle herds
Lynchings / Whippings / Mutilations / Hangings
Francisco Gandara
Blackwater, AZ, 1872
Juanita, 1851
Downieville, California
Francisco Torres
California, 1892
Resistance by Mexican Americans
3
La Raza
Barrios
Mexican Quarters
Autonomous Communities
Family
Compadrazgo
Cultural Celebrations, Folklore, & Artistic Forms
Bodas
Quinceañeras
Music
Corridos
Oral Tradition
La Llorona
Teatro
Literature
Poetry
Short stories
Riddles, folktales, jokes
Religion
Roman Catholic Church
Mexican Catholicism
Curanderos
Don Pedrito Jaramillo (TX)
4
Santa Teresa (AZ)
Protestant Churches
Presbyterian
Methodist
Baptists
Peace Structure
Accommodation
Economic Interests
Labor Organizing
Unionization
Strikes
Knights of Labor
American Federation of Labor
New Almaden Mine
Santa Clara County, California, 1850s
Dismal Wages
Dangerous Circumstance
Health Hazards
Overpriced Items at Company Store
1. work stoppage
2. law enforcement agencies
3. scabs
Political Resurgence
Republican Party
5
Democratic Party
Populist Party (Peoples Party)
Club Mexicano Republicano
Club Demócrata Mexicano
Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM)
Mexican Liberal Party
Ricardo Flores Magon
Political Gains
Amado Chávez
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Miguel Otero
Territorial Governor
Discrimination
Language Restrictions
Segregation
Limited Justice (Juries)
Bilingual Education
Voting
New Mexico
Pattern of Incumbency
Laredo City Election Riot, 1886
Mutual Aid Societies
Insurance
6
Self-help
Relief
Health Care
Funeral Benefits
Fraternal Lodges
Alianza Hispano-Americana, 1894
(Hispanic American Alliance)
Muckraking
Spanish-language Journalism
Expose
Injustice
Gringos
Francisco Ramirez
El Clamor Publico
(The Public Clamor)
La Voz del Pueblo
(The People’s Voice)
Education
Public School Systems
Private Schools
Escuelitas
Parochial Schools
Catholic Schools
7
Protestant Schools
Institutions of Higher Learning
St. Michael’s College, Santa Fe, New Mexico
University of Texas
University of Michigan
Georgetown University, DC
University of Notre Dame, Indiana
Violence
Social Banditry
Bandidos
Acts of Banditry
Juan Nepomuceno Cortina
Cortina War, 1859-1860
Brownsville, Texas
Republic of Rio Grande
Villain vs. Hero
Tiburcio Vasquez, 1850s & 1860s
Foreign Miners Tax
Cattle Rustler
Joaquin Murieta, 1851
War of Terror
Gringo
Sexual Assault of his Wife
8
Avenger of Injustice
Elfego Baca, 1884
New Mexico
Group War
Juan Flores
Fugitive
War of Revenge
Flores Wars, 1857
Cycle of Violence…
Nuecestown Raid, 1875
Corpus Christi
Las Gorras Blancas, 1889
White Caps
New Mexico
Vs. Ranchers
“to protect the rights of the people in general and especially those
of the helpless classes.”
Fence-cutting Wars
Conclusion
9