CHIC 1102 Midterm Events and Keyterms

Cultural Citizenship

The guarantee of full citizenship rights and equal treatment for all people within a country.

Cultural Citizenship Denial

Can be denied based on race, ethnicity, language, or skin color, even to birthright or naturalized citizens.

Manifest Destiny

Coined by John O. in 1845.

Justified U.S. territorial expansion

Divinely ordained expansion as argued by Sullivan.

Racist and Eugenicist ideas

Beliefs that viewed Mexicans as inferior and 'barbaric.'

Political instability in Mexico

Followed independence in 1821 after centuries of Spanish exploitation.

Texas War of Independence

Conflict (1835-1836) including the Battle of the Alamo and Battle of San Jacinto.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended the U.S.-Mexico War in 1848; U.S. gained California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, and Texas.

Rio Grande border recognition

Mexico recognized the Rio Grande as the border and was paid $15 million.

Post-1848 War Tensions

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was not honored, leading to lynchings and land theft targeting Mexican Americans.

Juan Cortina

Led resistance against injustices faced by Mexican Americans.

Jim Crow laws

Applied to Mexicans in the Southwest, leading to segregation.

Bracero Program

U.S.-Mexico labor agreement during WWII (1942-1964) that promised fair wages and housing but often led to exploitation.

Operation *

A mass deportation campaign under Eisenhower in 1954 that deported nearly 4 million Mexicans and Mexican Americans.

First Migration Wave (Cuban American History)

Post-War of Independence (1868-1898), U.S. admitted about 55,700 Cuban immigrants, mainly cigar workers.

Second Migration Wave

Post-Castro Revolution (1959-1966), around 270,000 Cubans arrived, mainly wealthy professionals.

Cuban Adjustment Act

1966 act that granted fast-track residency and financial aid to Cuban migrants.

Marielitos

Cubans who arrived during the Mariel Boatlift (April-Sept 1980), totaling 125,000, including political refugees and 'undesirables.'

Balseros

Cubans who fled on rafts during the economic crisis (1990-1994), totaling 30,900.

End of Wet Foot-Dry Foot Policy

Obama ended the policy in 2017, removing preferential treatment for Cuban migrants.

Christopher Columbus

Landed in Puerto Rico in 1493, leading to Taino genocide.

El Grito de Lares

Puerto Rican independence rebellion in 1868.

Treaty of Paris

1898 treaty that made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory.

Foraker Act

Established U.S. rule over Puerto Rico in 1900.

Insular Cases

Legalized U.S. colonies as 'separate and unequal' in 1901.

Jones Act

Granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans in 1917.

Commonwealth Constitution

Established in 1952, it limited self-rule for Puerto Rico.

Debt Crisis

Puerto Rico faced a debt crisis in 2015, amounting to $72-120 billion from illegal Wall Street loans.

Nationalism

Ongoing divide between pro-statehood and independence movements.

Anti-Latino racism

Blocks statehood.

Cultural Citizenship (Rosaldo)

Key framework to understand Puerto Rican inequality.

Classic Colony (1900-1950)

Resource extraction, agribusiness (sugar), suppression of culture.

Industrialized Autonomous Colony (1950-1980s)

Industrialization, cheap labor, limited self-rule.

Postindustrial Neoliberal Colony (1980s-present)

Debt dependence, austerity, and mass migration to mainland U.S.

U.S. Corporate Interests

United Fruit Company dominance in Guatemala and Honduras.

U.S. Political Interests

Prevent spread of Communism (Reagan's 'virus').

Consequences of U.S. Intervention

1 million war deaths by 1985.

Nicaragua

Dictatorship under Anastasio Somoza Debayle.

Somoza's Actions

After the 1972 earthquake, Somoza stole foreign aid.

Sandinista Revolution

Toppled Somoza.

Reagan's Support

Backed Contras against the Sandinistas (1980s), causing mass displacement.

El Salvador Civil War

Right-wing death squads murdered >8,000.

Archbishop Óscar Romero

Assassinated (1979); four American nuns killed.

U.S. Aid to El Salvador

Sent $3.7 billion in aid to the regime.

Guatemala Dictatorship

Dictatorship of Jorge Ubico (1931-1944) favored United Fruit Company.

Democratic Reforms in Guatemala

Under Juan José Arévalo and Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán.

Decree 900

Land reform seized UFCO land → CIA's Operation Success (1954) overthrew Árbenz.

Guatemala Death Toll

Led to 75,000 deaths by 1985 through scorched-earth campaigns.

1980 Refugee Act

Excluded most Central Americans except Nicaraguans.

Sanctuary Movement (1982)

Led by Rev. John Fife to protect migrants.

Organizations for Migrants

Casa Maryland, CARECEN offered aid and advocacy.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS, 1990)

Created for countries in armed conflict (first: El Salvador).

CAFTA (2006-2014)

Central American Free Trade Agreement with U.S., Canada, El Salvador, and others.

Effects of CAFTA

Removed tariffs; boosted U.S. exports but displaced rural farmers.

Migration due to CAFTA

Drove migration northward due to economic collapse.

Nicaragua Suspension

Suspended (2025) for human rights violations.