Monica Personal Reflective Essay on Mexican Americans

Mexican-American family of 4 kids, all still very young, they are the Gonzales’. The Gonzales’ had their couple of suitcases next to them while standing by a bus stop in the middle of the street in California. Where they waited to get picked up from a free transportation organization that head them to Mexico.

This family was being forced to head to Mexico. The father and the oldest son had barely been able to receive a job at the farm and now they were forced to leave the job and move to Mexico, even though they were residents of the United States. While being here in the United States they had to deal with the Great Depression, where everyone was going chaotic and started to blame immigrants, especially Mexicans, for the economic crisis in the decrease of labor. Their idea of resolving the problem was to take all Mexican’s even U.S citizens back to Mexico.

They also had to deal with a lot of discrimination because of race. Discrimination was in various acts such as new papers that portrayed Mexicans as disloyal foreigners, murders, and Zoot suiters. Young Mexican-American males were often killed in L.A. Discrimination by society also existed. Their three other young kids that weren’t working were discriminated from going to school because of their mulatto descent. So in order for them to get their education they had to attend a “Mexican” school. First they tried to enroll their children in a well academic school but the school now had new boundaries that based themselves on Spanish surnames and phenotypes. The youngest child, Alberto, noticed, “there was many signs in various places that read ‘No Mexicans Allowed’”.

This very humble family that had to go through these drastic times of the great depression, were treated absurd. Society does not value them and because of that they go to extremes to make them feel unappreciated. This family took what they could have, but there are many other Mexican-American families that fought for their rights but unfortunately for them it didn’t go so well. Since court was an injustice place for Mexicans-Americans also. Mexican-Americans now became separated with society. A lot of intimidation and discrimination was being forced upon them.

Monica Field Note on Mexican Americans

The last Mexican-American family during the 1930s great depression is standing in what is now called the “Hoovervilles”. They were done gather up their stuff and are now waiting for the bus to be deported back to Mexico.

Monica Field Note on Mexican Americans

Jose Nunez is in front of the bus station waiting for the bus in San Antonio during the 1930s great depression and is having to deal with discrimination from the Ku-Klux-Klan. He was enforced to leave a “white” business and to remain on a farmland or go back to Mexico.

Monica Field Note on Mexican Americans

Juan Hernandez is returning to his home country, Mexico, during the 1930s great depression and is trying to adjust to the having to start his life all over again, it’s emotionally and economically hard for him because Mexico too is facing a depression.

Monica Field Note on Mexican Americans

A Mexican-American family is gathered up in a typical shack at a migrant farm worker, during the 1930s Great Depression. This family had to move seasonal because of the fact to have to follow farm work.

Monica Field Note on Mexican Americans

Roberto Gonzales is a Mexican-American that now, August 17, 1931, lost his job and is going to Route 66 to California in hope to find a job that will help maintain his family for their essential necessities.

Monica group profile on Mexican Americans

Group Profile
It all started with a dramatic crash of the stock market. Nearly 25% of the Nation’s total work force are now unemployed. “No job, no hope”. Unemployment is causing many problems in our nation. Everyone has gone out of their homes in search for jobs.
More than 500,000 Mexican- Americans are being deported to have more jobs available. Before this great depression era Mexican American workers earned 75 cents an hour for picking cantaloupes. Now the wages have dropped to 15 cents an hour. Migrant farm workers of all races lived in temporary camp like this as they moved from farm to farm to follow the seasonal work. Once the government started seeing an economic crisis, Mexican Americans were first to be targeted. Our president, Herbert Hoover raided public and private places from California, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, and Michigan. The purpose was to target Hispanic populations. As a result now we see the “Hoovervilles”, which are abandoned homes. Most of the families had to split up, Men when in search for better jobs and left their kids alone. The overall jobless rate was 25% (1 out of 4 people) with another 25% taking wage cuts or working part time. The families that didn’t result into splitting up traveled west on Route 66 to California. When being deported back to Mexico most families can’t find new jobs because they too are facing the depression. It’s become difficult for them to have to start all over again.
I believe that the Hoover should have invested more in jobs for these Mexican-Americans instead of sending them away thinking that it would solve the problem. I believe its completely unfair to send citizens back to their ancient decent.

Monica picture on Mexican Americans

Immigrants: The Last Time America Sent Her Own Packing Fueled by the Great Depression, an anti-immigrant frenzy engulfed hundreds of thousands of legal American citizens in a drive to ‘repatriate’ Mexicans to their homeland.

Monica picture on Mexican Americans

"American Great Depression"
As
Crisis of Capitalism or Collapse of Collapse

Monica picture on Mexican Americans

Farmers trucked the workers to their farms early in the morning and returned them to the camp at the end of the day's work. Photograph by Pendleton photographer Bus Howdyshell.

Monica picture on Mexican Americans

Each worker would stay on his row until finished, carrying a supply of empty sacks fastened to a picking belt. The 1943 potato harvest in Klamath County was the largest to that time.

Monica picture on Mexican Americans

Mexican Worker Playing Guitar, Hood River County, ca. 1945. The farm labor camps for Mexican nationals had few organized recreational activities. Laborers provided most of their own recreation and entertainment.

Monica picture on Mexican Americans

Mexican Workers Picking Cucumbers Near Scappoose, 1945

Monica quotes on Mexican Americans

"[When] they have finished harvesting my crops, I will kick them out on the country road. My obligation is ended."
- California farmer

Monica quotes on Mexican Americans

"For Mexicans, things were unfair" Emma Tenayuca

Monica quotes on Mexican Americans

“We have real people out of work right now and putting $50 million in the NEA and pretending that’s going to save jobs as opposed to putting $50 million in a road project is disingenuous.”

Monica quotes on Mexican Americans

"I do not want to see the condition arise again when white men who are reared and educated in our schools have got to bend their backs and skin their fingers to pull those little beets…. You can let us have the only class of labor that will do the work, or close the beet factories, because our people will not do it, and I say frankly I do not want them to do it."

Monica quotes on Mexican Americans

"In these unhappy times depression still pursues us;lots of prickly pear is eatenfor lack of other food.No light is seen in the housesnor does water flow from the tap;the people are in tattersand in a deplorable state."

Monica Field Note on Mexican Americans

Mexican American family that were being affected by the great depression during the early 1930s had to deal with job crisis and food shortages along with having to be deported back to Mexico. They are being offered free rides heading to Mexico in San Antonio.