Crucible of struggle : a history of Mexican Americans from colonial times to the present era / Zaragosa Vargas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vargas, Zaragosa, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mexican Americans--History.

Mexican Americans.

History.

Mexican Americans--Social conditions.

Immigrants--United States--History.

Immigrants.

United States.

United States--Relations--Mexico.

Relations.

Mexico.

Mexico--Relations--United States.

International relations.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxi, 438 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Other Title:

History of Mexican Americans from colonial times to the present era

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, [2017].

Summary:

"Ranging from the founding of New Mexico in 1598 to the 2008 Obama presidential campaign, Crucible of Struggle vividly outlines and explores the totality of the 500-year Mexican American experience that is woven into the greater context of American history. It maps out current debates in Mexican American history while also incorporating new scholarship from the last thirty years."--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Era of the Spanish Northern Frontier to 1821 1

Spanish Institutions and Mixed-Race Society of the Northern Frontier 3

The Founding of New Mexico 8

Resisting Spanish Colonization: The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 11

Duty to the Crown and Church Fulfilled: The Spanish Reconquest of New Mexico 13

A Buffer Zone Against Expansion: Spanish Colonial Texas 20

The Apache and Comanche Threat in Texas 22

The Condition of the Spanish Texas Colony in the Early Nineteenth Century 24

Guarding the Western Periphery: Spanish Colonial Alta California 25

Mexican Independence Comes to the Northern Frontier 30

Conclusion 31

Chapter 2 Life and Society in Mexico's Northern Borderlands, 1821-1846 39

Indian Relations on the Northern Frontier After Mexican Independence 42

Men of the Plains: New Mexican Ciboleros and Comancheros 45

The Opening of Commercial Markets: The Taos Trade Fair and the Santa Fe Trail 46

Conflict in New Mexico: The 1837 Revolt 48

Tejano Life on the Texas Frontier Under Mexico 50

The Never-Ending Indian Menace: Comanche Raids in Texas 51

The Growing Conflict in Texas with Mexico 52

The Drive for Texas Independence 54

Making California Mexican 63

The California Missions: Making Indians Faithful and Industrious Christians 65

The Golden Age of California Ranching 67

The Californio-Era Revolts Against Mexican Rule 70

Conclusion 72

Chapter 3 Mexican Americans in the Era of War and American Westward Expansion 80

The Southwest on the Eve of the Mexican War 82

The Outbreak of War 85

The American Occupation of New Mexico 86

The 1847 Taos Revolt Against American Occupation of New Mexico 89

The American Occupation of California 92

The Battles at Monterrey and Buena Vista 95

The Enduring Paradox: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 101

Conclusion 106

Chapter 4 Mexican Americans from the 1850s to the End of the Civil War 113

Mexican Americans in the Post-conquest Southwest 114

The Californio Banditti Joaquin Murieta and Tiburclo Vasquez 120

Juan Cortina: Champion and Hated Villain of the Texas Border Region 124

Mexican Americans in the American Civil War 128

Mexican Americans in the Indian Wars 135

Conclusion 137

Chapter 5 Mexican Americans in the Southwest, 1870 to the Early Twentieth Century 144

The Mexican Americans of California 145

The Tejanos and Mexicans of Texas 146

Disenfranchising Tejano Voters as Political Strategy 151

The Mexicans of Arizona and New Mexico 152

The United States and the New Mexico Land Grants Question 156

Las Gorras Blancas and the Struggle to Protect Land Grants 158

Statehood for New Mexico and Arizona? 162

The New Southwest Economy and the First Modern Phase of Mexican Immigration to the United States 165

Conclusion 169

Chapter 6 Mexican Immigration, Work, Urbanization, and Americanization, 1910-1929 177

Mexican Labor Strife and Struggle 179

Tejano Freedom Fighters: The Plan de San Diego 183

The Killing Fields of South Texas 185

Immigration from Mexico During the Years 1910-1920 188

Mexicans, World War I, and the 1920-1921 Depression 189

Mexican Immigration from 1920 to 1929 191

Mexican Los Angeles 192

Mexicans in the Rocky Mountain and Plains States 194

Mexicans in the Urban Industrial Heartland of the Midwest 195

Mexicans and Social and Cultural Change and Americanization 198

Mexican Mutualism and Fraternalism 200

Conclusion 204

Chapter 7 The Mexican American Struggle for Labor Rights in the Era of the Great Depression 212

The Plight of Mexicans in the Early Years of the Great Depression 214

The Repatriation Campaign Unfolds 216

Mexicans in the Era of the National Recovery Act 220

Mexican Women Workers Battle for Equality 222

Mexican Coal Miners Wage War in Gallup 224

Tejano Struggles for Unionism in South Texas 227

Emma Tenayuca Brings Social Justice to San Antonio's Mexicans 228

The 1938 Strike by San Antonio's Pecan Shellers 229

The UCAPAWA Organizes Colorado's Mexican Farm Workers 231

Mexican American CIO Unionists Organize Los Angeles and Southern California 231

Conclusion 235

Chapter 8 The Mexican American People in the World War II Era 241

Mexican Americans on the Eve of the Second World War 243

Justice Delayed: The Sleepy Lagoon Incident 248

Mexican Americans and the Sinarquista Menace 250

America's War at Home: The Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots 251

Mexican American GIs on the Pacific and European War Fronts 253

Mexican Americans Fight Against Discrimination: The Case of Los Angeles 257

Mexican American Women War Workers 258

Braceros: The Mexican Contract Labor Program Begins 260

American Race Relations and Mexican Americans 261

Conclusion 263

Chapter 9 Mexican Americans in the Postwar Years, 1946-1963 270

Forgotten: The Status of Mexican Americans in Postwar America 272

Mexican Americans in the Early Postwar American Labor Movement 274

The Radicalism of ANMA 278

Mexican Americans and the CSO 279

Mexican Americans Caught in the Web of the Red Scare 282

Mexican Americans in the Dragnets of Operation Wetback and Operation Terror 284

Civil Rights Litigation by Mexican Americans 285

Don't Bow to the Powers That Be: Shifts in the Mexican American Rights Movement 288

Mexican Americans and the Democratic Party 290

Conclusion 294

Chapter 10 Mexican Americans in the Protest Era, 1964-1974 304

Viva La Huelga!-Gaining Ground for Farm Workers 307

The People's Choice: Reies López Tijerina and the New Mexico Land Grants Movement 311

Cultural Nationalism and Community Control: The Crusade for Justice 316

A Search for Identity; The Chicano Student Movement 318

Righteous Discontent: The Chicana Women's Movement 321

Raza Sí! Guerra No!-The National Chicano War Moratorium 323

"Pardon My English"-La Raza Unida Party 329

Conclusion 332

Chapter 11 Mexican Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century 342

Mexican Americans and Reagan's "New Morning in America" 345

"Tú Voto Es Tú Voz" (Your Vote is Your Voice): Mexican Americans and the Political Process 347

Mexican Americans and the Civil Wars in Central America 350

Unemployment, Drugs, Gang Warfare, and the 1992 Rodney King Riots 351

The 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act (IRCA), the English-Only Movement, and Proposition 187 353

"Fight the Power": From the Bakhe Decision to Proposition 209 357

Mexican American Workers Organize 360

"NAFTA's Gonna Shaft Ya": Mexican Americans and NAFTA 362

Latino, a New National Identity, and Continued Latino Immigration 365

Conclusion 366

Chapter 12 Latinos and the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century 375

Latinos and Increased Anti-immigrant Activity After 2006 378

Latinos Help Elect Batack Obama in 2008 379

Latinos Bear the Weight of Deportation 381

Latinos and the Great Recession 385

Latinos and Health Care 388

Individual States Take on Immigration Reform 389

Latinos Stand up for Immigrant Rights 392

The Dreamers and Doers 394

Latinos and the 2012 Reelection of Barack Obama 397

Latinos and Private Detention Centers 401

The Surge of Children from Central America 403

Conclusion 405.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780190200787

0190200782

OCLC:

967325866