What Is Proposition 187: Racism In 20th Century America?

Proposition 187: Racism in 20th Century America Living in the United States of America we are promised three things, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence sets forth these three unalienable rights, which it argues are given to all human beings and should be protected by the government. While these three things may be protected under American law, there is no doubt that within our society exists a racial hierarchy; one in which whites are at the top and everyone else is below them. Proposition 187 was an initiative which sought to prohibit illegal immigrants from using basic social services such as health care and public education. Through its policies and symbolisms propositions like 187 sought to dehumanize …show more content…
As Kitty Calavita writes in her work The New Politics of Immigration, "A long tradition of research has established that anti-immigrant sentiments often surface during economic downturns or social transformations..."(Calavita 263). This round of nativism was unlike any other instance of U.S. nativism in that it focused almost solely on immigrants' consumption of social services and the burden on taxpayers. This idea was the underlying cause for the proposal of Proposition 187. The concept of balanced-budget conservatism is used to explain the fiscal focus of nativism during this time. This ideology is of balanced-budget conservatism was based in the disdain for the public sector and suspicion of government spending. This concept of balanced-budget conservatism came from the inability of the government to balance its books and the "deficit-mania" which refers to the giant increase in the deficit of the late 20th century. Also helping to explain the fiscal focus was the deindustrialization of America, and the "crisis of Fordism" which were caused by the decline in profitability of corporations in the US. This profitability crisis made it easy for Americans to use immigrants a scapegoat for their economic …show more content…
Through means like theater, radio, music, and the formation of organizations like the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, immigrants promote solidarities and generate hopes of democracy. Although these means may produce personal forms of identity alone, Johnson that, " Taken together, however, they express a political identity, an articulation of spatial entitlements that make unexpected use of space and offer the possibility of peace, justice, and human dignity" (Johnson