week 7b

Overview of the Mexican-American War and Its Significance

• The Mexican-American War was a deeply controversial conflict that influenced many aspects of American society and politics.

• Henry David Thoreau famously protested against the war, leading to his jail time and the writing of his essay that would later influence figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

• The war is often viewed through conflicting narratives: one as a march of progress for America and the other as an act of theft against Mexico.

Complicated Origins of the War

• Background: The war originated primarily over the disputed territory of Texas, which was once Mexican land when Mexico gained independence from Spain.

• Instability in Mexico: In the early to mid-1800s, Mexico faced significant internal government instability, making it difficult to control distant lands like Texas.

• American Expansion: American settlers, attracted by economic opportunities in Texas, began migrating and planting cotton farms, contributing to tensions over land ownership and governance.

• Population Shift: American settlers began to outnumber Mexicans significantly, leading to claims of a manifest destiny to claim the land.

Manifest Destiny and Its Implications

• Definition: Manifest Destiny is the belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

• Cultural Context: This idea draws from religious and ethnocentric ideologies reminiscent of Puritan ideals, claiming divine approval for westward expansion.

• Rhetorical Strategy: Used as a justification for war with Mexico, it framed the conflict as a necessary step in fulfilling America's destiny, necessitating the acquisition of new territories.

The War's Goals and Outcomes

• Texas Independence: Texan settlers declared independence from Mexico, leading to confrontations such as the Battle of the Alamo, which fueled American sentiment for war.

• US Military Involvement: The US government sent military support to Texas under President Polk, solidifying the path toward war.

• Treaty and Land Acquisition: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war, granting the U.S. vast territories, including parts of present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Promises Made and Broken Post-War

• The treaty promised rights to citizenship and property protections for Mexican landowners in the newly acquired territories.

• Immediate Conflict: The discovery of gold in California shortly after the war initiated a massive influx of settlers, undermining the treaty's promises.

• Land Ownership Issues: By 1860, Mexican landowners had lost around 90% of their land due to legal manipulation, cultural disadvantages, and American squatter claims.

Squatting and Legal Disadvantages

• Squatter Rights: New settlers, often failed gold seekers, claimed lands by asserting squatter rights, taking advantage of a lack of proper legal documentation from Mexican landowners.

• Cultural Disparities: Mexican landowners, adhering to handshake agreements, found their claims dismissed in courts favoring American settlers, further complicating the issue of land ownership.

• Legal Manipulations: Lawyers began to exploit these situations, facilitating property claims that disregarded or undermined the rights promised in the treaty.

The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta

• Cultural Symbol: Joaquin Murrieta emerged as a folklore hero representing resistance against injustice faced by Mexicans in California.

• Contradictory Narratives: To Mexicans, he was seen as Robin Hood; to Americans, as a violent outlaw.

• Execution and Display: His beheading and display of his head as a trophy symbolized the brutal realities of racial dynamics and control over Mexican populations post-war.

Historical Perspectives on Mexican Immigration

• Historical Context: Throughout the 19th century, Mexican immigration was not seen as a problem, but attitudes shifted dramatically during the Great Depression.

• Demonization of Immigrants: Economic hardships led to scapegoating of Mexican immigrants, with many citizens being deported unjustly, often despite their American citizenship.

• Impact of the Great Depression: The socio-economic crisis exacerbated existing racial prejudices, leading to mass deportations under the assumption that Mexican laborers were a threat to American jobs.

The Chavez Ravine and Dodger Stadium

• Community Displacement: Residents of Chavez Ravine were promised improvements and housing projects but were ultimately displaced in favor of establishing Dodger Stadium.

• Government Promises: Initially, offers were made for residents to vacate temporarily for better living conditions, which were later reneged.

• Cultural Erasure: The empty land where the stadium sits is a stark reminder of broken promises to a community and signifies a continued pattern of land theft and disregard for minority communities.