Hispanic Mosaic“Hispanic”American term – meaning a particular group of people from aRegionCentral America, South America, and the CaribbeanMakes no sense because Jamaicans, Haitians, Brazilians, etc.Spanish InfluenceA country once colonized by SpainBut does NOT include someone from Spain, they are Spanish, NOT HispanicMixture of 3 culturesSpanish, Indigenous (native peoples), AfricanYou don’t have to be a mix of all 3, but a mix somehow.ReligionCatholicism is the basic religionLanguageBut “Spanish” varies from region to region across “Hispanic” culturesThis long ass definition proves Americans don’t know what the fuck they’re talking aboutMexicans in this countryWere here before it was under English rule, and don’t follow our wave thing, none of our Hispanics do.Mexicans were here before the second and third sons.Spain colonized Mexico in 1521Spanish colonization vs. English ColonizationSpain colonized under the crown, the king and queen pay for these expeditionsThe bulk of what the conquistadors find belongs to the crownEnglish colonized as if the natives weren’t there or killed themThe king and queen would send over single men, and their jobs was to marry the local people’s royaltyBig because a, they recognized there were people there, and b, they recognized their separate cultureAn idea of acculturationThese marriages produced mixed birth childrenBut those in charge would ALWAYS be 100% Spanish.BUT if the Mestizos moved to where there were no Spanish… They could be at the top!Hierarchy built from these marriages1). “white” full blood Spanish2). “Mestizo” half Spanish, half native3). “Mulatto” half African, half Spanish4). “Mexicans” – 100% native5). Africans – “blacks”Similar to the American hierarchies, based on “whiteness”1st Mexican movement: The borderlandsMestizos to “the borderlands”Looking for somewhere the Spanish were not so they could be in charge.Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and CaliforniaWhy could the Mestizos go there and not the Spanish?Barren land, so the Spanish didn’t have much interest in there. Plus, the people of these lands are nomadic, which makes them much harder to conquer.Mestizos don’t care, and brings “The Mission” with them to convert the heathen natives.The Mission – The church in the borderlandsRoman Catholic, institutional church, not just a place for church but social functions, and in the case of evangelicals in particular there is health care, schooling, and food for the natives.Mestizos on the borderlandsRanches, nice lives1821, Mexico receives independence from Spain, so some Mestizos come back because most of the “whites” are leaving.This means when America starts to expand, we’re dealing with Mexicans, not Spanish. 1830s, plantation owners start moving west with their slave because cotton grows better the further west you go, plus land is extremely cheap, but they’re moving into Mexican territory. The Plantation owners tell the government they want Texas, and to kick out the Mexicans. However, the plantation owners and the government starts offering land grants, where you sell discounted land, to the point where it’s free. All you have to do is promise to settle there with their family. This way they can build up the population to apply for statehood. In 1845, these people ask to become part of the US, Texas. BUT part of this territory belongs to the Mexicans, so they naturally fight back with little battles.Extralegal organizations get involved, scaring the Mexicans off the land.War breaks out, (actually ends up being a training ground for the Civil war) (1845-1848) When Americans won, Mexico had to give up most of the territory north of the Rio Grande in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848, pay Mexico a mere 25 million for all that land.We suddenly have 80,000 mestizos that were still living in these territories, were immediately granted citizenship as a favor because they were already living there. However, 2,000 of them looked around, saw how Americans treated those that weren’t white, and decided to head to Mexico.“No cruzamos la linea. La Linea nos cruzo a nosotros!” (We did not cross the line, the line crossed us.) (in regards to all Mexicans being illegal)Mestizos owned land in America, but the WASPs want it, so they start illegally taking their land away. Mexican deeds are no longer recognized, so they sell the land to Americans, but as Mestizo money is tied up in the land, they can’t necessarily buy it back.Also, extra legal organizations scare off Mexicans, or kill them so that their land gets auctioned off.Now, the Mexicans can only get low skill jobs.Miners (carrying away rocks and building the railroads after the Chinese lighters left) and Migrant farm workers. Mexicans are kicked off their farms, and not allowed to work on them because the new owners didn’t trust them.1850 – Mestizos 1/3 farm owners, and 1/3 skilled1900 – 2/3 unskilledImmigration to the USNOT our Mestizos, they are crossing the borders semi-voluntarilyWhy are they leaving?The Mexican revolution. A rebellion of the lower class against the upper class. (1910-1930)Porfirio Diaz, president of Mexico for 40 years, stuffed ballots, scared voters, etc.BIG divide between the rich and the poor. The rich like him the poor don’tRich like him because he is for industrialization, roads, schools (mostly for the rich), stopping agricultural jobs and moving to industrial jobs. He also wants foreign development in Mexico, for foreign companies to come down, build the factories for him, and he will provide low paid workers to labor for a penny a day.Poor hate him because he calls them his “Peons”. He keeps them working many hours for very little money so that supposedly they won’t have time or money to rebel. If they attempt to rebel, the Rurales, a private army for Diaz, walk around in sombreros and bullets across their chest.90% Illiteracy rates in Mexico, which means they can’t fill out Visas to immigrate to America.1.5 million poor Mexicans move to the southwest states because it’s close and they can walk. No need for chain migration and whatnot.Why are they coming to the US?Under the Chinese exclusion act, so the lowest paid jobs are no longer being filled.We ask them to come, place factories on the American side of the border and pay them the same amount as in the states. Called “Globalized Capitalism” “Outsourcing”We still have the exemptions from Quota
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