Download The Impact of WWII oN Mexican Americans

The Impact of WWII oN Mexican
Americans
By:
Morgan Aring
Ashlee Bowen
Milan Cabebe
Hunter Edelen
Rileigh Varga
U.S History Block 2
Loya
Milan
Key Content Terms
Mainstream the ideas, attitudes, or activities that are regarded as normal or conventional; the dominant trend in opinion, fashion, or the arts.
Bracero Program was a series of laws and diplomatic agreements, initiated by an August 1942 exchange of diplomatic notes between the United
States and Mexico, for the importation of temporary contract laborers from Mexico to the United States.
Barrios a district of a town in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries
Hardships severe suffering or privation
Lawless not regulated by or based on law or not restrained or controlled by law
Hunter
Opportunities
Many Mexican Americans were able to join the war
because America needed all the troops they could
get.
This Made many Mexican Americans feel they had
a chance to “prove their loyalty & become part of
the mainstream”.
About ½ a million Mexican Americans served in the
war, which in turn gave them respect from their
country.
Opportunities
● The war fueled Latino migration to the U.S
● Mexican women & African Americans gained new job opportunities due to
labor shortages
● The Bracero Program (1942) brought Mexicans to the U.S to work in
agriculture & various industries
● Over 100,000 contracts were signed between 1943 & 1945 to recruit &
transport Mexican workers to the U.S for work on the railroads
● By 1945 the bracero population numbered to about 1,000; most worked on
the Pennsylvania railroad
● Laborers had little access to healthcare, recreation, legal aid, and
translators. (Which led to later hardships)
Ashlee
Rileigh
Hardships
● Before the war, Mexican Americans were subject of discrimination for the
workforce.
● They were still segregated against even during the war, just as Americans
did to anyone with colored skin.
● Often lived separated from white people in cities.
● Their neighborhoods were called barrios and were entirely self-sufficient,
these neighborhoods were found in poor communities and often had high
crime rates.
● Mexican Americans wanted to fit into American customs and they saw the
war as an opportunity to do so.
Morgan
Hardships
Mexican Americans had little contact with white Americans. There were many
riots between the two groups. Most of the riots were focused on a fashion fad
known as “zoot suits.”
“Zoot Suits” were a flat, broad-brimmed felt hat paired with a long suit with
large shoulder pads. Many people saw these suits as a symbol of lawlessness.
Pachucos and servicemen from the local navy base often clashed. The
servicemen would beat the Pachucos and ripped off their “zoot suits.”
Credits
Rileigh & Morgan- Hardships
Milan- Key Content Terms
Hunter & Ashlee- Opportunities