Mexican Immigrants In The 1920s Essay

The Roaring Twenties are recognized for the increase in opportunities for different ethnic groups throughout California. Mexican immigrants are a particular ethnic group who have historically been marginalized by legislation and political rhetoric. Mexicans immigrants migrated to California with the intent of gaining economic opportunities. While the United States allowed for more economic opportunities to be attained, the treatment of Mexicans during the 1920s unveil inequity in labor policies and structures. The experiences of Mexican immigrants during the 1920s illustrate an increase in economic opportunity and the simultaneous susceptibility to exploitative systems of labor and discriminatory ideologies. The economic opportunities that

This is significant on the basis that the cultural changes that characterized the 1920s were largely based in changing population demographics. With an influx of immigrants from other countries as well, there were restrictions and quotas established pertaining to immigration. Mexicans were not directly impacted by these quotas, but there were barriers existent for Mexican immigrants. While one may inherently believe that the exclusion from these restrictions were created with the intent of providing opportunities for Mexicans, this is not reflective of the economic policy of the 1920s. While farmers across California began to acknowledge the contributions of Mexican labor “…the perceptions of Mexicans as temporary migrants and docile laborers contributed to the fact that they were never included in the quotas”(The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress). The National Origins Act of 1924 created a system where European immigration exponentially declined. As the racial and ethnic demographics changed in California, there were efforts to attain more equitable wages as Mexicans participated “both independently and in collaboration with other marginalized workers, in strikes for higher wages and better working conditions”(City University of New York). Mexicans were only further marginalized by these efforts as the increase in economic competition led to Mexicans

While the diversification of California began before the 1920s, the population increase in California created a state largely affected by discriminatory policies. For example, in “many areas of southern California, the children of Mexican immigrants were increasingly segregated into separate schools as local boards of education established ‘American Schools’”(251). While the culture and population became increasingly diversified, the forced assimilation and segregation policies remained largely the same. Legislation and educational institutions targeted Mexican immigrants with discriminatory rhetoric despite the increase in cultural diversification in the 1920s. Specifically, some communities “saw the growing Mexican immigrant population as a social problem and worked to eliminate what they saw as the negative aspects of Mexican American life”. The “rapid cultural changes” associated with the 1920s demonstrate how discriminatory attitudes have been perpetuated throughout history despite changes in population