Chapter 7 "Wetbacks"

HUAC

- 1938 - House Un-American Activities Committee - investigated allegations of communist activity in the U.S. during early years of Cold War

Loyalty Review System

- 1947 - Truman issued investigation of all leaders to make sure they weren't communists

Brown vs Board of Education

- 1954 - court case that ruled segregation of schools unconstitutional - put blacks and Mexicans in same school bc technically Mexicans are "white" - launched Civil Rights Movement of 60's

Operation Wetback

- 1954, lasted several months - under Dwight D. Eisenhower - cause: rapid growth of immigration following WWII (economic development in Mexico led to rapid growth of urban areas and inability to keep up with inflation) - Immigration and Naturalization Services initiated operation wetback: military operation by the border control sent over 1 mil ppl back to Mexico in 1954 - LULAC and AGIF kind of support operation (don't oppose) - temporarily successful but immigration rose again in 60's

McCarren-Walter Act

- AKA immigration and nationality act of 1952 - keeps immigration caps in place - restricted immigration to US - Authorized deportation of immigrants if identified as communists even if they're citizens - Truman vetoed bill, but bill was overridden

AGIF

- American GI Forum - 1948 - Made up of Mex Amer. veterans who focused on discrimination - Felix Longoria was a war veteran who died and fat wanted him buried at Three Rivers, but this funeral home wasn't available to Mex Amer., they were furious - Case put AGIF on national scale

CSO

- Community Service Organization (similar to LULAC) - 1947 - Tried to end restrictions that put ppl into neighborhoods bc of race - Believed they needed to elect their own officials to get problems done - Fought school segregation and wanted to end police brutality - Trained Dolores Huerta and Caesar Chavez

MAPA

- Mexican American political Association - 1960 - aimed to put Mexican Americans in political positions

Hernandez vs the State of Texas

- Mexicans not on jury bc technically they were being tried by their "peers" since they were considered "white" - Hernandez commits murder - argues that isn't being tried by peers, argument is problematic bc they're asking for desegregation, but also a Mexican jury - Hernandez is sent free bc supreme court said not allowing Mexicans on jury violates 14th amendment of equal protection

PASSO

- Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations - started in Texas by Dr. Hector Garcia (founder & president) - Push for Mexican politicians - Help ppl learn about politics - Help register Mexicans

ANMA

- The National Mexican American Association - 1949, functioned through 1953 (don't make it out of Red Scare) - Dedicated to protecting rights of Mexicanos both native and foreign born - Also supportive of feminist issues and farm-workers rights (critical of bracero program)

Truman's Domestic Program

- Wanted to switch from war to peace - based off New Deal - Puts Mex Amer. civil rights in post-war era - Anti-communist

Fair Deal

- created by Truman - wanting to improve the lives of ordinary Americans (increase in min. wage, total national health insurance, increase public housing, SS, education...) - didn't get any of this (republican controlled congress)

LULAC 1929

- during 1950's - League of Latin American Citizens - Very anti-communist - Trying to put Mexicans in POLITICAL POSITIONS so they could be decision-makers - Believed they needed to work within the system to make change - EDUCATION: believed desegregation and equal opportunity would be about risings in socioeconomic standing - How do they fight for equal education opportunities?: say that they aren't black, just different white - won in court bc for one, separation based on language was declared unconstitutional - during post-war era its effectiveness was aided by its ability to work with powerful Anglo politicians, like Lyndon B. Johnson

Mexican American Civil Rights (all the letter committees)

- labor strikes decrease bc if you were seen sympathizing with communism you could be deported

1950's America

- post WWII - heavily anti-communist - conservative

McCarthyism

- process of making accusations of subversion or treason without real evidence - Joseph R. McCarthy accused 200+ leaders of communism - ppl. decided he was crazy after he accused military, still started frenzy