“Come! Come! Come over it is good here,” was the gospel from Mexicans who had crossed the border who were spreading the word of opportunity to those back in their homeland. (312)
In Chapter 12, Takaki shines a light on the Mexicans once again, this time focusing on the post-Mexican Revolution and post-treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Takaki states the Mexicans “great migration to El Norte after 1900 was an extension of population movement already under way within Mexico.” (312) This was caused by the aftermath of civil war within Mexico’s borders. This war lead to countless people suffering political persecution, loss of their homes and possessions, as well as financial instability, which caused many Mexicans to lose hope in their homeland. Due to this many people fled from Mexico after the Mexican revolution causing a massive wave of immigration into the United States.
As Takaki puts it “Pushed from Mexico by poverty and the horror of war, migrants were pulled to El Norte. Essentially they were searching for work and following wages.”
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Work at the time was also easy to come by for laborers with the expansion of the railroad in the United States. “Chicanos were… heavily employed by the railroad companies.” (320) Although many Mexicans worked for low wages, they were willing to worked hard. Takaki states, “Actually, many Chicanos found they had no choice but to work on the railroads.” (320) Many Mexicans were forced into this line of work because it was a tough job, work not many wanted to do, and so they were exploited for their willingness to work. It is also important to note “Most Chicanos, however, worked in agriculture.”