Hispanic Americans Flashcards
Why did immigration of Hispanics increase after ww2? (3 reasons)
economic incentives, family ties. immigration act 1965
what was the bracero programme?
agreed in 1942 by US and Mexican government- brought across thousands of Mexicans across to work as contract labourers
where did Hispanics concentrate their work?
near homelands such as Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas
What did the repatriation programme offer to Hispanics?
family reunions as many returning migrants had relatives living in USA
Why did people tend to settle in places like Arizona, California and Nevada? (2)
lots of work in chicano communities, proximity to border
what did the immigration act of 1965 do?
abolished immigration quotas of immigration act of 1924, family reunification clause
by 1978, how many Hispanics were living in the USA?
7 million ( 1million in LA alone!)
what discrimination faced Hispanics? (6)
high unemployment, ill-treatment, low wages in the workplace, poor housing, educational segregation, discrimination from police
who was Rodolfo Gonzalez?
he founded the crusade for justice in Denver in 1966 which campaigned for better treatment of chicanos, joined King’s Poor people’s march in Washington 1968- was an inspiration to many young chicanos
what was ‘brown power’? when did it happen?
became common mantras on the way towards finding an identity (their ‘semi-white identity seemed unacceptable by many) - 1960s
what problems did Hispanics face in education?
lowest college attendance than any other group, segregated from white students, suffered crumbling buildings, studied curriculum that made them feel like outsiders.
what did chicanos do to try to improve education?
Mendez and other second world war veterans filed a suit against the four school districts in California, when their children were turned away from white only schools.
What happened in the Mendez v. Westminster case of 1947?
Supreme court ruled that segregating children of ‘Mexican and latin descent’ was unconstitutional.
what were ‘blowouts’?
they were walk-outs (schools).
describe details of a famous blowout
1968, 2,000 stuents from schools in eastern LA (Schools paid based on number of students each day)
were blowouts successful? 2 for and 2 against
high media coverage, and gained Kennedy’s attention, however police forced students back to schools and there were no substantial changes to chicano education with more walkouts in 1971, 1972, 1974
Who was Tijerina and what did he do?
formed a campaign to return land in new mexico to chicanos and made speeches. he managed o highlight position of chicanos and appealed to many young chicanos.
After Tjerina’s legal campaign was deafeated what happened?
Tijerina launches a raid on a court house in new mexico.
Who was Chavez?
trade union leader who lead struggle for rights in southern farming areas.
What happened in Delano, 1965?
grape strike of Filipino American farm workers to press for higher wages
What happened 6 months later in 1966?
Chavez and te UFW led a strike of California grape pickers on a march from Delano to California state capital.
How long did grape strike last? Was it successful?
5 years, Attracted national attention, by early 70s most farm owners signed bargaining agreements with labourers for better wages.
How did Hispanics fight for better political rights ?
Raza Unida Party founded in 1970 and party continues to fight for political rights today
