Desegregation and Mexican-American
This book deal with the place of Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans in American society, particularly in Southern California, in the 1940s. While much of Anglo society racialized those of Mexican descent, in the eyes of the law Mexicans and Mexican-Americans were classified as “white.”
Reflect on the ways that those of Mexican descent were affected by this racialization and the ways in which they and their allies fought to attain equal status in society and particularly in the law.
What marked Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as a separately defined group in the eyes of Anglos? Did those in this group seek to be seen as a separately defined group, and if so how, why, and to what ends? In what ways did those in this group resist the separate definition?
How was the law used by Anglos to treat Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as less than full members of society or as second-class citizens?
How were Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, and their allies from other groups, ultimately able to use the law to gain equal rights? Were Anglos ultimately successful in using the law to racialize Mexicans and Mexican-Americans?
Assignment Guidelines
Double spaced, one inch margins all around, 12 pt font. Put your name, course number/section, date and e-mail address in the upper right corner (single-spaced). Number the pages.
Must primarily use your book, and secondarily other course material, for this assignment. Outside material can be used to supplement your essay, but it is unlikely that you will need it. Cite to all materials relied upon, including page number(s). Essays without citation to course material will not be accepted. Use parenthetical citations along with a Works Cites page, or footnotes. Cite to Pacific Eldorado as “PE” (for example, (PE, 35) means that the material you are relying on is in Pacific Eldorado on p. 35). Cite to your assigned book by using the name of the author and the page number (for example, Weitz, 23). You should have at least one citation per paragraph unless the paragraph is a general introduction, conclusion, or purely your opinion. For outside sources, provide a full citation.
Number the response to each of the three questions.
