Mexican-American Assimilation at the Turn of the 20th Century Essay

The first major wave of Mexican in-migration during the ordinal century triggered physical as well as verbal attacks by white Americans. Immigrant labor camps were raided by whites espousing white supremacist beliefs. By 1911 certain politicians lobbied against further Mexican immigration. The Dillingham Commission argued that Mexicans were undesirable as future citizens. Nativist scholars and politicians feared mongrelization as a by-product of contact with Mexicans, and in 1925 a Princeton economics professor even spoke of the future elimination of Anglo Americans by interbreeding with Mexicans (Feagin and Feagin, p.265).These themes reemerged in 1928 when a congressional committee attempted to set limits on immigration from the western hemisphere. Congressman John Box called for restrictions on Mexican immigration because the Mexican was a product of mixing by the Spaniard and low-grade Indians. This mixture, check to Boxer, was an obstacle to participation in American democr acy. The image of the Mexican American male possessing innate criminal tendencies emerged during the World War II era.For example, in 1943, following the Zoot Suit Riots, the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department issued a idea alleging that the Mexican Americans desire to spill blood was an inborn characteristic. Further, the report concluded that Mexican Americans were violent because of their Indian blood (Feagin and Feagin, 265). And as easy as 1969, a California judge ruling in an incest shimmy reiterated similar racist beliefs. He stated in court Mexican people think it is perfectly all right to act wish well an animal. We ought to send you out of this country.You are cast down than animals maybe Hitler was right. The animals in our society probably ought to be destroyed (Feagin and Feagin, p. 266). One of the most unyielding stereotypes is the image of simplemindedness. In 1982 the U. S. Department of Defense issued a report explaining that lower test scores for Hispanics an d African Americans as compared to white Americans were due to contagious differences as well as cultural differences.During the same year, the National educational Testing Service, surprised by the excellent performance of 18 Mexican American students attending Garfield High School (a school situated in one of Los Angeles poorest Mexican American communities), demanded that all retake the exam. Allegations of cheating by the students was the reasoning of the testing administrators. The students eventually did re-take the exam once again they authorized excellent scores. Other Immigrants Mexicans and the Dillingham Commission of 1907-1911 http//www. jstor. org/ persistent/10. 5406/jamerethnhist. 30. 2. 0033 Biological Superiority of Whites.http//www. princeton. edu/tleonard/ text file/retrospectives. pdf John Boxs Proposed Immigration Limitations http//www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/disp_textbook. cfm? smtID=3&psid=594 Zoot Suit Fights http//www. pbs. org/wgbh/ bridle/zoot/eng_sfeat ure/sf_press_text_04. html Mexican immigration general info http//www. jstor. org/stable/981093 Gutierrez, David. 1993. substantial to Whom? Mexican Americans and the History of the American West. Western Historical Quarterly (24)4. http//www. jstor. org/stable/2702497? seq=3 THIS ONE IS MONEY.