Symbolism Of The Zoot Suits Riots

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Zoot Suit Essay When the Constitution was made on September 17, 1787, the first amendment was created to give us freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. The Constitution gave us the right to express ourselves. But, in 1943 the exact opposite happened. Youths in Los Angeles were wearing zoot suits. Zoot suits are high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with lapels and wide padded shoulders. They were illegal to wear because they used an excessive amount of cloth. The serviceman were already low on cloth so they were not happy about the excessive amount of cloth. Zoot suit riots were a formative art of our history because the young people of Los Angeles stood up for themselves. In the Zoot Suits Riots article that I read on the encyclopedia Britannica, the author talked about how they were beaten for wearing them. Not matter how much they were beaten they did take their suits off or stop making them. Zoot suits riots were a precedent for all of us, definitely the younger generation. The precedent that zoot suit set for us is to stand up for what we believe in. …show more content…

They were symbolic they symbolized freedom of expression. It was not fair for them to be beaten for wearing zoot suits but, people just didn’t like the thought of using excessive cloth. After reading and reflection over the zoot suits riots it made me feel like the things that we do today are not worth fighting for. All in all, if you feel that you should stand up for something you strongly believe in, just do