Mexican Americans & World War II / edited by Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Rivas-Rodriguez, Maggie.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mexican Americans--Social conditions--20th century.

Mexican Americans--Social conditions.

United States--Social conditions--1933-1945.

United States.

Social conditions.

United States--Race relations.

Race relations.

World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--United States.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 310 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Mexican Americans and World War II

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2005.

Summary:

Up to 750,000 Mexican American men served in World War II, earning more Medals of Honor and other decorations in proportion to their numbers than any other ethnic group. Mexican American women entered the workforce on the home front, supporting the war effort and earning good wages for themselves and their families. But the contributions of these men and women have been largely overlooked as American society celebrates the sacrifices and achievements of the "Greatest Generation." To bring their stories out of the shadows, this book gathers eleven essays that explore the Mexican American experience in World War II from a variety of personal and scholarly perspectives.

The book opens with accounts of the war's impact on individuals and families. It goes on to look at how the war affected school experiences; how Mexican American patriotism helped to soften racist attitudes; how Mexican Americans in the Midwest, unlike their counterparts in other regions of the country, did not experience greater opportunities as a result of the war; how the media exposed racist practices in Texas; and how Mexican nationals played a role in the war effort through the Bracero program and through the Mexican government's championing of Mexican Americans' rights. As a whole, the collection reveals that World War II was the turning point that gave most Mexican Americans their first experience of being truly included in American society, and it confirms that Mexican Americans of the "Greatest Generation" took full advantage of their new opportunities as the walls of segregation fell.

Contents:

Introduction / Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

The five Sanchez brothers in World War II : remembrance and discovery / Rita Sanchez

The beating of Private Aguirre : a story about West Texas during World War II / David Montejano

On the west side : a portrait of Lanier High School during World War II / Julio Noboa

Lost momentum : World War II and the education of Hispanos in New Mexico / Lynne Marie Getz

The Mexican American dream and World War II : a view from the Midwest / Dionicio Valdés

Zoot violence on the home front : race, riots, and youth culture during World War II / Luis Alvarez

What a difference a war makes! / Maria Eva Flores

Framing racism : newspaper coverage of the Three Rivers incident / Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez

Mexico's wartime intervention on behalf of Mexicans in the United States : a turning of tables / Emilio Zamora

Rosita the Riveter : welding tradition with wartime transformations / Naomi Quiñonez

On the nation's periphery : Mexican braceros and the Pacific Northwest railroad industry, 1943-1946 / Erasmo Gamboa.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [291]-298) and index.

ISBN:

0292706510

0292706812

OCLC:

56840471

Online:

Publisher description