Chicano Movement and Mexican-American Historical Timeline Notes

Territorial Holdings in $1800$ :
- Historical maps indicate that in the year $1800$ , the landscape of North America was divided between several major powers.
- New Spain: Indicated in pink on historical maps, this territory covered vast areas that would later become Mexico and much of the Western and Southwestern United States.
- United States of America: Indicated in blue, the U.S. holdings were primarily concentrated in the Eastern portion of the continent at this time.
- International Borders: Borders at the turn of the century were drastically different from modern geopolitical lines.
The Mexican-American War ( $1846$ - $1848$ ):
- Annexation of Texas: The United States annexed Texas after the territory fought for and gained its independence from Mexico.
- Border Dispute: A primary cause of the conflict was a disagreement between the U.S. and Mexico regarding the location of the southern border.
- Failure of Diplomacy: Peaceful negotiations failed to resolve the border dispute, leading to full-scale warfare.
- War Outcome: After invading Mexican territory, U.S. forces destroyed the Mexican military resistance.
- Treaty Terms: The U.S. set the terms for the resulting peace treaty, which led to the acquisition of significantly more land from Mexico.

The Mexican Revolution ( $1910$ - $1920$ ):
- This conflict was characterized by its length and extreme violence.
- Refugee Crisis: Similar to other immigrant groups throughout history, many Mexicans fled their homes to seek safety within the borders of the United States.
- Demographic Change: During this decade-long event, the number of immigrants entering the U.S. from Mexico tripled, rising from approximately $200,000$ to $600,000$ individuals.
Creation of the Border Patrol ( $1924$ ):
- The United States Congress established the Border Patrol as a branch within the Immigration Bureau of the Department of Labor.
- Jurisdiction Evolution: Initially, the agency’s control was limited strictly to the seacoast. It was not until later that its scope was expanded to include the monitoring of the Canadian and Mexican land borders.
Election of Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo ( $1928$ ):
- Background: Larrazolo was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States during his childhood.
- Career: He practiced as an attorney and served as the Governor of New Mexico.
- Historical Milestone: In $1928$ , he became the first Hispanic individual elected to the United States Senate.

The Bracero Program ( $1942$ - $1964$ ):
- Formal Agreement: The U.S. and Mexico signed the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement, which became widely known as the Bracero Program.
- Purpose: The program was designed to mitigate labor shortages occurring during World War II.
- Utility: Laborers, referred to as "braceros," were permitted to enter the U.S. on a short-term basis, primarily to work in the agricultural sector.
- Controversy: While the agreement included specific protections for workers, many American employers ignored these mandates, leading to the program's controversial reputation.
The Zoot Suit Riots (June $3$ - $8$ , $1943$ ):
- Duration and Location: These riots occurred over a $10$ -day period in Los Angeles, California.
- Trigger: The violence began when U.S. military personnel targeted young Mexican Americans who wore "Zoot Suits," a trendy fashion style of the era.
- Underlying Tensions: Conflict had been simmering because white soldiers often viewed "zoot suiters" as draft dodgers, despite the fact that many of the youths were too young to serve in the military.

Mendez v. Westminster ( $1947$ ):
- Case Objective: This landmark court case sought to end the segregation of Mexican American children in California schools.
- Plaintiff: Sylvia Mendez, a young Mexican American girl, along with others, sued California school districts for excluding them based on their Mexican heritage.
- Historical Impact: The plaintiffs won the case, which established a vital legal precedent that was later utilized in the famous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case.
Hernandez v. State of Texas ( $1954$ ):
- Supreme Court Ruling: The U.S. Supreme Court held that Mexican Americans were entitled to equal protection under the law.
- $14\text{th}$ Amendment Interpretation: The Justices reached a unanimous decision that the protections of the $14\text{th}$ Amendment were not limited to "white" or "negro" citizens, but extended to include individuals of Mexican ancestry.
Operation "Wetback" ( $1954$ ):
- Policy: President Dwight D. Eisenhower implemented this program, which utilized a racial slur as its official name.
- Actions: The government rounded up and deported approximately $1,000,000$ Mexican immigrants.
- Rationale: Immigrants were used as scapegoats and blamed for low national wages.
- Termination: The program was terminated after several months when government funding was exhausted.

Founding of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) ( $1962$ ):
- Leadership: Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez founded the organization.
- Goals: The NFWA was established to organize and advocate for improved working conditions for migrant laborers.
- Delano Grape Strike: The union led a massive strike against grape growers in Delano, California.
- Tactics: The movement utilized marches, protests, and a nationwide boycott of grapes.
- Result: The strategy was successful, forcing employers to negotiate labor contracts. The NFWA eventually merged with another labor union to form the United Farm Workers Union (UFW).

Extension of the Voting Rights Act ( $1975$ ):
- Presidential Action: President Gerald Ford signed the extension of this act.
- Section $203$ : This specific addition mandated that bilingual ballots must be provided to voters who require them, ensuring greater accessibility to the democratic process.
Immigration Reform & Control Act (IRCA) ( $1986$ ):
- Legalization: The law provided legal status to approximately $2.7 \text{ million}$ long-term immigrants residing in the U.S.
- Restrictive Measures: Simultaneously, it increased border security and established penalties for employers who knowingly hired unauthorized workers.
Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court Appointment ( $2009$ ):
- Background: Raised in the South Bronx, New York, by parents from Puerto Rico.
- Historical Significance: Sotomayor became the first Hispanic person and the third woman ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
The DACA Program ( $2012$ ):
- Acronym: Stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
- Purpose: The policy was designed to protect individuals who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, a group commonly referred to as "DREAMers."
- Scope: The program provided protection from deportation for roughly $700,000$ people, allowing them to legally remain in the country where they were raised.