Racial Fault Lines Paper
Vanessa Meza
California has more ethnic history than one would think or would have even known. Racial Fault Lines: The historical origins of white supremacy in California brings forth the ethnic conflicts that took place in California. Tomas Almaguer former dean of the College of Ethnics Studies at San Francisco State University explains the struggles that took place through the different racial experiences of four “non-white” groups; Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, and Japanese. The way the “white” treated the power minorities resulted into America’s racial hierarchy we find in today.
To the European Americans “race and the racialization process in California became the central organizing principle of group life during the state’s formative period of development,” (Almaguer 7). The European American population took it upon themselves to create “new society” in California (Almaguer 45). Part of this “new society” was the Mexican population. The Mexican experience in nineteenth century “Anglo California” differed significantly from other racialized groups (Almaguer 75). The main problem between European Americans and Mexicans was mainly about land. (Almaguer 75). Though Mexicans were here before the U.S. annexation of California, European Americans came with opportunities and saw a chance to take their land. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 offered citizenship as well as other rights to Mexicans. This “protected them from the discriminatory legislation”, since they were more prone to having their “political and legal rights violated with impunity” (Almaguer 46). Mexicans were given land grants under the Treaty and the same “political status” as the European Americans but they still did not recognize them as equal (Almaguer 73).
Upper class Mexicans, known as the “Ranchero elite” or the “people of reason”, were more accepted because they had mixed “European ancestry” but European Americans still did not respect them (Almaguer 46). They were also lighter skinned
California has more ethnic history than one would think or would have even known. Racial Fault Lines: The historical origins of white supremacy in California brings forth the ethnic conflicts that took place in California. Tomas Almaguer former dean of the College of Ethnics Studies at San Francisco State University explains the struggles that took place through the different racial experiences of four “non-white” groups; Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, and Japanese. The way the “white” treated the power minorities resulted into America’s racial hierarchy we find in today.
To the European Americans “race and the racialization process in California became the central organizing principle of group life during the state’s formative period of development,” (Almaguer 7). The European American population took it upon themselves to create “new society” in California (Almaguer 45). Part of this “new society” was the Mexican population. The Mexican experience in nineteenth century “Anglo California” differed significantly from other racialized groups (Almaguer 75). The main problem between European Americans and Mexicans was mainly about land. (Almaguer 75). Though Mexicans were here before the U.S. annexation of California, European Americans came with opportunities and saw a chance to take their land. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 offered citizenship as well as other rights to Mexicans. This “protected them from the discriminatory legislation”, since they were more prone to having their “political and legal rights violated with impunity” (Almaguer 46). Mexicans were given land grants under the Treaty and the same “political status” as the European Americans but they still did not recognize them as equal (Almaguer 73).
Upper class Mexicans, known as the “Ranchero elite” or the “people of reason”, were more accepted because they had mixed “European ancestry” but European Americans still did not respect them (Almaguer 46). They were also lighter skinned