World War II and Mexican American Civil Rights

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book World War II and Mexican American Civil Rights by , University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780292779136
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780292779136
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

World War II marked a turning point for Mexican Americans that fundamentally changed their expectations about how they should be treated by the greater U.S. society. The experiences of fighting alongside white Americans in the military, as well as of working in factory jobs for wages equal to those of Anglo workers, made Mexican Americans less willing to tolerate the second-class citizenship that had been their lot before the war. Having proven their loyalty and "Americanness" during World War II, Mexican Americans in the postwar years wanted to have the civil rights they knew they had earned.

In this book, Richard Griswold del Castillo and Richard Steele investigate how the World War II experiences of Mexican Americans galvanized their struggle for civil rights and how the U.S. government responded to the needs and aspirations of Mexican Americans. The authors demonstrate, for example, that the U.S. government "discovered" Mexican Americans during World War II and set about addressing some of their problems as a way of forestalling a sense of grievance and disaffection that might have made the Mexican American community unwilling to support the war effort. The authors also show that, as much or more than governmental programs, the personal wartime experiences of Mexican Americans formed their civil rights consciousness. The book concludes with a selection of key essays and historical documents from the World War II period that collectively gives a first-person understanding of the civil rights struggles of Mexican Americans.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

World War II marked a turning point for Mexican Americans that fundamentally changed their expectations about how they should be treated by the greater U.S. society. The experiences of fighting alongside white Americans in the military, as well as of working in factory jobs for wages equal to those of Anglo workers, made Mexican Americans less willing to tolerate the second-class citizenship that had been their lot before the war. Having proven their loyalty and "Americanness" during World War II, Mexican Americans in the postwar years wanted to have the civil rights they knew they had earned.

In this book, Richard Griswold del Castillo and Richard Steele investigate how the World War II experiences of Mexican Americans galvanized their struggle for civil rights and how the U.S. government responded to the needs and aspirations of Mexican Americans. The authors demonstrate, for example, that the U.S. government "discovered" Mexican Americans during World War II and set about addressing some of their problems as a way of forestalling a sense of grievance and disaffection that might have made the Mexican American community unwilling to support the war effort. The authors also show that, as much or more than governmental programs, the personal wartime experiences of Mexican Americans formed their civil rights consciousness. The book concludes with a selection of key essays and historical documents from the World War II period that collectively gives a first-person understanding of the civil rights struggles of Mexican Americans.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Mexican American Youth Organization by
Cover of the book Rowing in Eden by
Cover of the book Words of the True Peoples/Palabras de los Seres Verdaderos: Anthology of Contemporary Mexican Indigenous-Language Writers/Antología de Escritores Actuales en Lenguas Indígenas de México by
Cover of the book Social Stratification in Central Mexico, 1500-2000 by
Cover of the book Water Management in the Yellow River Basin of China by
Cover of the book El Eternauta, Daytripper, and Beyond by
Cover of the book Black Texas Women by
Cover of the book Texas Amphibians by
Cover of the book Mexican Financial Development by
Cover of the book The Bow and the Lyre by
Cover of the book Public Spending and Democracy in Classical Athens by
Cover of the book No Mexicans, Women, or Dogs Allowed by
Cover of the book Lucky 7 by
Cover of the book Defying Displacement by
Cover of the book John O. Meusebach by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy