“A Century of Chicano History”

In the book “A Century of Chicano History” we discover that in the 1900’s most of the population in California because of the labor work available was the Mexicans. Men as well as women were either retaining a visa or smuggling their way into California to work mainly in agriculture. Discrimination was a major part in history for the Mexicans and also the Chicanos. Some Mexicans entered the United States on permanent visas during the 1920s. But many more entered informally before passage became restrictive. There was so much labor work available that the Mexicans were not waiting to obtain a visa and instead were making there way through the border illegally. Even after establishment of more stringent immigration rules and procedures, thousands continued to cross without legal authority. Many of them were ignorant of the required legal processes; others sought to avoid the head tax, the expense of a visa, and bureaucratic delays at the border. Coyotes were being used as the professional labor contractors and border-crossing experts that were known often received commissions from U.S. businesses. They began the industry of smuggling people and forging documents and which till this day continues to exist. Most Mexican immigrants settled in the Southwest. A big percentage of Mexican born as a U.S. resident lived in California. They entered nearly every occupation classifying them selves as unskilled or semi-skilled. Chicanos became the bulwark of southwestern agriculture. The men as well as the women were working in the fields. The owners from the fields would at times feel threatened because there weren’t enough labor workers. But all these Mexicans were being worked long hours and were being mistreated. Many factors kept Chicanos in a marginal status. The geographical isolation of employment sites, particularly in railroading, agriculture, and agriculturally related industry, often reduced opportunities for Chicanos to gain familiarity with U.S. society through personal contact. Chicanos also encountered various forms of segregation. These included maintenance of separate Anglo and Mexican public schools, restrictive covenants on residential property, segregated restaurants, separate "white" and "colored" sections in theaters, and special "colored" days in segregated swimming pools. Numerous government agencies, religious groups, and private social service organizations, however, made special efforts to assist in the acculturation of Chicanos by providing instruction in the English language, U.S. culture, and job skills. The dramatic increase in Mexican immigration affected Chicano residential patterns. Thousands settled in older barrios, causing over crowding and generating construction of cheap housing to meet the sudden demand. In some barrios, Mexican immigrants attained such numerical dominance that U.S. born Chicanos became a minority within a minority. Immigrants sometimes formed new barrios adjacent to historical Chicano areas or new colonias in agricultural or railroad labor camps. In conclusion the Chicano history of development into the United States is very interesting. It has been largely based in discrimination and subordination between the Anglo and the Chicano. These relationships and roles are obtained by the experiences the Chicano has always had with the Anglo and presently remains the same.