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End of Mexican War of Independence
The hunger to get separated against the Spanish colonial government, after being enslaved for almost three-hundred years, caused many Mexicans to join in the revolution. The priest responsible for lighting the flame was Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo-Costilla, in his cry for Independence, also known as El Grito de Dolores at his church. The Spanish government was murdering many revolutionaries, so the attack date was moved up from October 2nd to September 16. -
Intervención estadounidense en México,
President James K. Polk sent John Slidell, to Mexico City to acquire land. The Mexican government refused to meet, and this angered President Polk. In January 1846, President Polk sent out troops to Texas with the hopes of provoking a war from Mexico. When the troops were attacked for trespassing, Polk reached out to Congress to declare war. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed and sealed the American victory in 1848; by its terms, Mexico ceded about 55 percent of its current territory. -
Cinco De Mayo- Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla
In 1856 Benito Juárez, a lawyer and member of the Indigenous Zapotec tribe, was elected into presidency for Mexico. As a result of poor financial decisions, and not so thriving economy, the country was forced to temporary default on debts made to European governments. Britain and Spain came to negotiations with Mexico and withdrew; however, Napoleon III took this opportunity to invade Mexico. With the leadership of General Ingenico Zaragoza, Mexican troops defeated the French. -
Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz also fought alongside Benito Juárez, defending the Mexican nation during the French Intervention. In 1876, Diaz became president of Mexico and sought out to modernize the country; however, his tactics rained down unlawfully against the Mexican citizens and favored foreigners and landowners. This was mostly due to the fact the Mexico was in sever debt at that time of Díaz’s presidency, and seeking investors was the quickest way to get funding. Later sparking the revolution on 1917. -
1917 Immigration Act
This act prevented many non-Americans from entering the United States in order to create more jobs for white citizens. The main target for this act was to restrict European immigration; however, this was also implied to Mexicanos. Many critics argue that this event is what lead to the The Steel Strike of 1919. As the politicians pushed campaigns to target immigrants, many American workers pushed for higher salaries. Many factory owners are now forced to outsource laborers. -
End of Mexican Revolution
Most of the Mexican population revolted against the feudal-like system called la encomienda. This was a system that protected several wealthy land owners, and supported many outdate beliefs. At the end of the Mexican Revolution the United States saw a spike of Mexican refugees and political exiles fleeing Mexico to seek sanctuary. The ultimate goal for these refugees was to escape the violence and policy changes that erupted after the war- depending on who was running. -
Ford Motor Company
The Ford Motor Company was one of the first auto companies to hire Mexicanos and African Americans at competitive wages, as they did to their white workers. As the population grew, due to recruitment, a barrior sprung up in the downtown area. Few years later a church, by the name Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, was built to exclusively cater to Mexicanos. -
Nationwide Steel Strike of 1919
It is important to note that by the summer of 1919, a steel union has been implanted in almost all well established towns. As the unions grew, and the difficulty to meet negotiations with the U.S. Steel did not help, nothing seemed to halt the thought of a national strike. Factory owners hired Mexicanos and African Americans to further promote racial tensions within the community during these strikes; nonetheless, these workers were later referred to as strikebreakers. -
The Great Market Crash
The stock market crashed as a direct result of government policies; the power of the dollar was worth close to nothing. The prominent tension against un-pure Americans living in The United States caused a negative perception of the Mexican population. This ultimately perceives Mexicanos as a problem to the economy. Although, it is interesting to note that the Mexicanos were only a six percent ethnic group in the United States (lowest versus other groups). -
World War II
Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, invades Poland in September 1939 driving France and Great Britain to declare war against Germany. Adolf’s decision was backed by strategic treaties that were signed in place with Japan and Italy beforehand. However, before Hitler was able to attack, he had to neutralize any possibility that the Soviet Union would resist the invasion of Poland territory. The outcome of the negotiations promised to split the land. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan staged a surprise attack, which devastated the naval base in Hawaii. In response, the United States could no longer avoid the fight. Roughly 350,000 Mexican Americans and 53,000 Puerto Ricans were recruited to join the fight. The government went to certain lengths to acquire more labor from down south, due to shortages (i.e, bracero program). The traditional approach to recruitment shifts dramatically, as job build boards are now targeting women and minorities. -
American GI Forum
In 1948, Dr. Hector P. Garcia, a World War II Army veteran, and an activist, fought to create an organization to help support all Latino veterans. Discrimination against Mexican Americans was still holding strong even after the war. Mexicans were still viewed as second class, and this was apparent by the living conditions many Latinxs were subjected to. Evidently, the focus was to improve veteran benefits, but eventually expanded to address other issues (i.e, education, voting, housing, etc.) -
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
Right after WWII roundups were set to stabilize the economy, the rising unemployment rates led to reparation efforts. One of which, Operation Wetback, was backed by Dr. Garcia, with the goal of setting a new standard for American Latinxs. However, this created a debate within the Latinx community, and so the fight for restricting deportation now back on the table. The Immigration Act of 1965, established immigration quotas for the individuals immigrating from Western Hemispheres.