Relegated to second class citizens. The Mexicano faced an uncertain future.
After the Mexican American War in 1848, the mexican population of the
southwest continued to struggle against the hardships of discrimination.
They were stripped of economic power and political representation. Living
in barrios. Apart from the anglo population, they face continued
exploitation in agriculture and mining and confronted segregation in
schools and public facilities
in an attempt to counteract these aggressions. The mexicano organized
trade unions and mutual aid societies for economic survival as well as the
preservation and the protection of cultural and civil rights.
Mhm.
Yeah. Mhm.
Mhm. All right. Yeah. Uh huh. Mhm mm
right. Uh huh.
Fear of the Mexicano political domination of the Arizona territory
remained an important theme in Arizona politics. Attempts to make Arizona
territory were forced also, partly because of the large mexican population.
In order to maintain Anglo political control of the territory. Anglos
work to separate Arizona from the New Mexico territory. Before 1863, many
Anglos in Arizona feared that if the overwhelming mexicano majority in new
Mexico were to unite with the Mexicanos in Arizona, they would dominate
the territorial government When Arizona became a territory. Prescott, the
anglo dominated region of central Arizona became the territorial capital
talks on the training center with the largest concentration of Mexicano
population was denied the capital, partly because anglo politicians were
aware that in Tucson, the mexicanos were politically strong.
As a result, Anglos held a firm political grip over Arizona. Throughout
the territorial period, Francisco Leon and Jesus M. Elias who were born in
the territory, we're the only Mexican was elected to the first territorial
legislature in 1864 From 1864 to 1911. No Mexicano served in a significant
administrative territorial office. Anglo political domination of Arizona
was again threatened in 1904 when Congress introduced a bill that would
join the Arizona and New Mexico territories into one large state with
Santa Fe is the state capital. The Arizona territorial legislature
protested it humiliates our pride, violates our tradition and would
subject us to the domination of another commonwealth of different
traditions, customs and aspirations. We would rather remain forever a
territory than accept statehood under such conditions. Mm hmm, 1910,
Congress passed a bill that allowed Arizona and New Mexico to become
separate states. The Arizona Constitutional Convention of 1910 called for
52 delegates to be chosen equitably among 13 counties. Although southern
Arizona was heavily populated with Mexicanos. Carlos Hachemi at Tucson
merchant Was the only Mexicano to be elected to the 1910 Constitutional
Convention. How Arizona. In 1909, the Democratic Party denied the majority
of the Mexican population the right to vote by sponsoring and approving
the literacy law. This law required that a person read the constitution in
the english language and be able to write his name. Territorial governor
Richard Eastland protested this law by stating it is unjust and
undemocratic to include in this discrimination, a large number of
intelligent, respectable law, abiding and patriotic men whose ancestors
lived here long before any american ever visited the territory who know no
other home or country who have property and paid taxes, who are rearing
families here and who by every consideration, are entitled to all the
rights and privileges of citizenship.
Despite Governor Sloan's protest, the anglo american democrats through the
literacy law took a serious step in forestalling whatever impact mexicanos
might have had in the political life of the territory.
In addition, the Democratic Party in anglo american leaders of organized
labor introduced proposition 91 to the Constitutional Convention in
october of that same year. Under the proposition, Arizona, employers would
have been restricted to employing no more than 20% alien workers Backers
of this proposition included mining unions and an organization known as
the immigration restriction League of Arizona. The league warned that
unless steps were soon taken in a few years, Arizona would be a state
populated by an alien race. Proposition 91, if passed, would have closed
down the mines since more than 50% of the miners were Mexican, It would
have also created economic hardships on the Mexican workers, many of whom
have been working in the mines for more than 25 years. Although
proposition 91 failed to pass the Democratic Party and labor unions
successfully passed a similar bill. Several years later, the Mexico minor
was instrumental in the development of the labor movement in the territory
of Arizona. The first local of the Western Federation of Miners to survive
was formed in globe. In 1896. The WFM, as it was known to stay in the
mexican. No minor and claimed that the mexicano labor could not be
organized. The WFM also claimed that the mexican, those were not aware of
the objectives of the movement and drifted from camp to camp, making their
indoctrination almost impossible. In truth, the WFM conveniently ignored
the mexicano minor and use the anti mexican. No feelings of the anglo
american as a basis for union support. A more positive contribution to the
development of the labor movement and to social justice in Arizona was
made in 1903 by the Mexicano miners of the Clifton and Morenci district
ignored by organized labor and discriminated against by management.
Mexicano workers led by Lebron F. SRC go and assess crews closed down the
cliff and Morency district as they sought wages equal to those paid anglo
americans, Racial and economic problems for the Mexicano miners in 1903
date back to 1873 when only 30 Mexicano miners operated the Clift and mine.
By 18 90 the major part of Clifton's population was Mexicano. Yet all the
skilled jobs were held by Anglos employment discrimination and a double
wage standard resulted in social conflict between the Mexicano and anglo
communities. The Arizona Republican on June 8, 1898 reported social
tension between Mexican and Anglo populations in the towns of Clifton's
Morency and metcalf Governor. McCord immediately requested the aid of
three town marshals and the Graham County attorney to maintain the peace.
In addition to the social conflicts, the mining communities also faced
unfriendly law enforcement officials, corporate control legislators passed
laws and developed law enforcement policies for the protection of their
political supporters. Labor unrest and allegations of radical union
activity were repeatedly mishandled by public law enforcement officials
for the purpose of protecting corporate interests. At the same time, the
Arizona Rangers, created by the legislature in 1901 were used as a tool by
the mine owners to break stripes. In 1903, the territorial legislature
passed a new law calling for an eight hour workday. Although the owners
complied with the new law, they also retaliated by cutting the miners
wages by 10%.
On June three of that year, the miners of Clifton's Marenzi walked out in
protest, 80-90% of the men were Mexicano and many of their leaders were
members of the Metropolis. Tas, the mutual aid societies that played a
major role in the strike. By june 5th, the Bisbee daily reported the
strike a complete success. Governor brodie immediately ordered the Arizona
rangers to Clifton and Morenci. Meanwhile, nearly 2000 Mexicano miners
staged a march through the town of Morency as a sign of protest to the
arrival of the Arizona rangers, inevitably the presence of the arrival of
the rangers federal troops and national guardsmen brought a swift end to
the strike. At the same time a disastrous flood caused thousands of
dollars in damage to the community and forced the Mexicans out of their
dwelling. In the process, homes were searched, leaders were arrested,
tried and sentenced to the human territorial prison.
Labor difficulties and racial unrest continued to plague the Clifton
Morenci district with another flare up in the Clinton camp. This time, the
custody of young Children and out wages became a focal issue in the
dispute. On October 1 1904 40 Anglo American orphans from 18 months to
five years of age arrived in Clifton's. They were the wards of the new
york foundling hospital and were accompanied on the train trip by sister
Anna Michelle a bone. Their adoptions had previously been arranged by
Father concert man Dean, a young substitute priests in the catholic parish.
Father Brandon had been assigned to the cliff in Paris during the absence
of the resident priest and had only been in the United States for less
than 10 months having arrived from France, he was not aware of the areas
deep ethnic prejudice. Father Brandon after proper investigation approved
33 of 60 applications for the orphans. Only one angle family applied for
the adoption of any of the Children. The 40 Children arrived in Clifton's
16 Children were placed in Mexican. The homes an act which angered the
Anglos in the community. They were outraged to think that these blonde
blue eyed babies would be allowed to live in the homes of mexican lows.
Father Brandon tried to explain that the Children would be taken care of
would be safe and that they were with families who wanted them. His
explanations were ignored and the anglo americans formed a vigilante
committee at nighttime. They broke into the mexicanos homes and forcibly
kidnapped the Children. The new york foundling hospital brought suit to
recapture possessions of the Children. But in the meantime adoption
proceedings by the anglo american families had already been arranged. The
Supreme Court of Arizona upheld these new adoptions in a decision which
was affirmed by the United States Supreme Court by its ruling. The court
not only awarded the Children to the annual american foster parents, but
also gave legal credence to the anti mexicano prejudice mm. Mexican
migration to the southwest was an important factor in the development of
Arizona's multimillion dollar agricultural industry Between the years of
1910-1929,
Mexicano immigration to Arizona in the southwest created one of the
largest mass movements of people in history. Approximately 1/8 of Mexico's
population shifted north to the US. Mexicanas crossing into Arizona
flocked to the mining camps of Bisbee and jerome as well as the farming
communities of phoenix and Tempe
At the same time in Mexico a social economic and political upheaval
erupted with the revolution of 1910.
Mhm,
Mexico faced overpopulation, a surplus labor pool, lack of farmland, low
wages and an increase in food prices. In contrast, Arizona was enjoying
economic development and expansion in the railroad, mining and
agricultural industries, all of which attracted the mexicano into Arizona
and the Southwest.
The Reclamation Act of 1902 was primarily responsible for this prosperity.
The act provided federal funding for the construction of large scale
reclamation projects in the Southwest. Farming in Arizona, particularly in
the Salt River Valley was now possible through irrigation of large tracts
, an increased demand for vegetables and citrus fruits. The development of
the canning process and the introduction of the refrigerated car brought
thousands of mexican workers into Arizona. More efforts to encourage
immigration followed the United States entry into World War. The draft of
1917 produced a shortage of labor in the mines, railroads and agriculture
in Arizona and the southwest in order to attract Mexico workers into this
area, the literacy law, head tax and prohibition of contract labor were
waived, although mexicanos at first were only allowed to work as farm
laborers. Later, they were allowed to work in non agricultural areas,
miners from chihuahua and Sonora again came to the Arizona mines. The
constant arrival of mexicanos into other employment areas such as farming
and the railroads helped to intensify the anti mexican sentiment prevalent
throughout Arizona. The Democratic Party and labor unions made a second
legislative attempt to exclude Arizona mexicanos from working in Arizona's
industries. By introducing the Claypool Kinney bill in 1915, this bill
would prohibit non citizens from working on public projects and exclude
non english speaking persons from performing hazardous work. This bill was
simply a ploy to deprive mexicano nationals and Arizona mexicanos from
working in the copper mines and prevented the mine operators from
obtaining cheap labor. The Claypool Kinney Bill, also known as the 80% law
, was passed on November 3 1914. This law required employers of five or
more persons to employ at least 80% native born US citizens.
Unsurprisingly, the initiative was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Anglo
Saxon mining communities Victory for the advocates of the 80% law was
short lived. On january 7th 1915, a three judge Circuit Court of Appeals
in san Francisco found that the law was in violation of the equal
protection guarantee of the 14th amendment of the United States
Constitution
In an attempt to circumvent the circuit court of appeals decision
proponents of the 80% law introduced the Claypool Kinney Bill to the
Arizona State Legislature in February of 1915, the bill caused immediate
outrage and brought on demonstrations within the Mexican communities
located throughout the state of Arizona meetings to discuss the bill were
held in mining towns such as Clifton and Ray In what was described as a
monster mass meeting and Ray by the Arizona Republican newspaper, hundreds
of Mexican miners met during the evening of February 6, 1915, in the
Juarez Theatre to plan action against the proposed bill. After speaking
out bitterly against the bill, these miners selected a delegation of
nearly 200 persons from their ranks to travel the following day to Phoenix
to voice their protests, they presented petitions bearing hundreds of
signatures in opposition to the Claypool Kenny bill. Four days later on
February 10, more than 600 Mexicanos gathered at an old skating rink
located in Phoenix where more petitions were signed and subsequently
submitted to the state legislature
via these social political protests, the mexicano mining communities
helped to bring an end to the Claypool Kinney bill. In addition, the
Circuit Court of Appeals Decision on the 80% law was later affirmed on
November 1, 1915 by the United States Supreme Court. One positive result
of the Claypool kidney pill was the establishment of the mutual aid
society by the mexicanos. In Arizona a year earlier in phoenix, mexicanos
formed La liga protect or a Latina. The latin protective league to post
discriminatory activities. The primary purpose of the association was to
educate and protect the mexican population of Arizona and pay for funeral
expenses of its members. Local lodges soon were organized in major cities
in mining towns such as phoenix, Tucson Yuma nogales, Ray, jerome globe,
Miami Clifton's frenzy and superior during the ensuing years, La liga
enjoyed a prominent position in Arizona politics and a sharp increase in
its membership. By 1918, La Liga claimed 3,752 members in the states of
new Mexico California and Arizona. Mhm mm. Mhm.
Hello!
In the mining industry, fear that the mexicano workers with lower wages
and then replace the anglo workers was still a major reason for unrest in
the Clifton and Morenci areas. The Mexicano miners received less pay than
the anglo american miners for the same amount of work. The Arizona Copper
Company, the Detroit copper Company and the Shannon Copper Company
controlled the lives of the miners and pay the lost wages in the industry.
The Mexicano workers became disillusioned and disgusted with their
working conditions and felt a need to organize. In order to protest such
abuse, They staged a strike that was to paralyze the mining camps of
Clifton's Marenzi in 1915 through 1916. The governor of Arizona George W.
P. Hunt then ordered the national guardsmen into the district to put the
strike to an end and to prevent any violence. The strike lasted 4.5 months
and it ended without any bloodshed. Meanwhile, the power of the mining
corporations increased World War intensified the demand for copper,
thereby driving up the prices for the precious or many mine owners,
however, were determined to control wages. On june 24th 1917. Union miners
belonging to the I W. W. Struck at Bisbee in jerome asking for equal pay
for equal work. The cochise county sheriff label the strikers some of whom
were mexicans as subversive and carry out a plan to deport them from
Bisbee. Early in the morning of July 12, 1917, a law and order committee
of 2000 men swept through the streets of Bisbee dragging strikers from
their homes at gunpoint. Every male who could not prove that he was
employed was herded into the downtown Plaza, then to a ballpark where two
machine guns were used to guard the strikers at gunpoint. The 1200
strikers were then herded into boxcars of the El Paso and Southwestern
Railroad, a subsidiary of Phelps, Dodge The train loaded with 186 armed
guards took them into Columbus New Mexico, 173 miles east of Bisbee. The
strikers were forced to stand for hours in the crowded airless cars, some
in cal manure and in the extreme july heat at columbus, the men were
abandoned in the open desert without food or water. The company's broke
the unions during World War, with the Bisbee deportation. Consequently,
there was not much union activity in the mining communities during the
1920s and 1930s.
Mhm mhm
exploitation of Mexican workers continued this time, in the cotton fields
of the Salt River Valley. The war created a sharp demand for long staple
cotton. Agents of the Arizona Cotton Growers Association recruited
thousands of workers in Mexico for work on cotton farms in the Salt River
Valley in May of 1920, a decline of long staple cotton led to the collapse
of the cotton market in Arizona. Although transportation fees have been
deducted from the pay of the mexican workers growers did not give them
return passage. Thousands of mexican workers were left stranded, many
without pay starving and with no means of getting back to their country.
Newspapers throughout Mexico condemned the Arizona cotton growers
association for treating the Mexicano workers like animals, denying them
their pay and forcing thousands of them into starvation. Attempts were
made by the Mexican government in Arizona Governor Campbell to pressure
the Arizona cotton growers association to transport mexicanos to the
border. Subsequently, their demands were ignored efforts to organize
Mexicano cotton laborers in the 19 twenties and 19 thirties along the Salt
River Valley were unsuccessful organizers hired by the unions were
harassed beaten up and arrested by local law enforcement officials. State
Senator Manuel lito pena remembers group gathered at the dam. So I put on
my shine box and I'd go down and see what what was happening now. And I
was looking through the, through holes in the tin, there was a tin
building pull over and I saw a lot of people, place was full and the story
luna was on top of desk talking to two people and at that time it was the
victorian see dance drove up and they just come into the parking area and
people jumped out. They had guns, they had shotguns and machine guns and
they tore the door down the dance song and they went in. It was a sheriff
and his deputies and they arrested a historia luna and took him out and
took him away. Uh He came back uh mm later, some days later, but after he
had been in the hospital because they beat him up pretty bad, the many
months of bad that he was never able to work again. He was also a uh in
agriculture crew boss had his own crew to but he was never able to go back
to work again. And I know this because they were our neighbors and my dad
was
the secretary of the Sydney carton. And I would hear my dad and the other
members talk about what they did to loosen up. Um No, no, no, subsequently
died a few years after that. Yeah. What? But that was one of the efforts
of trying to create a union in the thousands In the 30s prior to World War
II, discrimination and segregation were widespread throughout the
communities of Arizona. There was a lot of discrimination in housing as as
an example, several of the housing neighborhoods say like north of AmB
you're in a they even had in their warranty deeds and and their deeds a
restriction that they couldn't sell to Hispanics or blacks or negroes as
they go as they said. And Filipinos or orientals, there were very few
Hispanic families living north of Van Buren. There were some,
but there was a definite discrimination in housing. There was
discrimination in jobs as an example of the county city state wide, there
weren't very many jobs above the above labor says his truck drivers are or
the bosses or crew foreman or whatever, that just hardly didn't exist. And
then the utilities, such as of course, apps and telephone companies and
this situation was the same outside a very few handful of labor's. Y um
there there wasn't much opportunity for the, for the minority as to ask to
services.
Well, at that time, uh Washington Street was more or less the dividing
line, anything along Washington street where you could get service. But if
you got north of Washington Street, it was doubtful if if you were
hispanic, that was not too dark, you might be served. But if you were too
dark, you you would be turned down for sure. Despite the hardships and
discrimination faced by the mexican workers, there, necessity for work
guaranteed employers, a steady flow of cheap labor into Arizona. By the
1930s, the Mexicano population in Arizona reached a record high of 114,000
, But the economic boom declined and it ended abruptly in the 1929 stock
market crash. The Great Depression which followed lasted nearly a decade.
The effects of this depression were disastrous to the Mexicanos in
Arizona and throughout the Southwest, heavy unemployment generated
hostility and fear. And it was during this time of crisis that the
mexicano became the scapegoats for the failure of the United States
economy.
President Herbert Hoover and other federal officials initiated a system of
repatriation of Mexicano Americanos to Mexico. On january 6th 1931
Secretary of labor, William and doc requested the Congress appropriate
funds for the deportation of illegals from the United States to Mexico
Between 1930 and 1930. For over 400,000 Mexicanos were deported to Mexico
from the southwest. Many were legal residents of Arizona, many more were
native born families were separated homes were disrupted and Mexicanos
were uprooted In all. About one third of those countered in the 1930
senses were deported, about 60% of whom were Children who had been born in
the United States and thus were citizens More than 18,000. Mexicanos and
Mexicano Americanos were deported from various communities in Arizona ray
flores recalls these events in his hometown of Miami, 1932.
I was 10 years old and I remember the incident vividly because it affected
my family closely in the sense that my father was Mexican born and the
coyotes are the people they sent around to try to convince the mexicans to
go back to. Mexico tried to do a selling job on us about the glory of
going back the romance of going back and all that. Uh huh because my
mother was not mexican born. She had been born in New Mexico and had a
mixed heritage of anglo and new Mexico spanish or mexican, she saw through
the a pattern and absolutely refused to let her Children go to Mexico or
for the family to leave. That created some problems. But the constabulary
as I call them, gave in because they didn't have a legal base to put us on
a train to get us out of there. It was tragic because it broke up families
where Children have been born in the United States, one or the other. The
parent would refuse to send the kids back and consequently it would split
up families. My padrino Czar Godparents went back to Mexico and they lost
all their property that they owned up there in that area because logically
there was no one to buy it. Everybody was leaving the few that were
staying, couldn't afford to buy it.
The tragedy was compounded by the fact that the Mexican government was not
prepared to receive these people and survivors of that experience who came
back to the United States tell of the hunger that they experienced down in
Mexico. The yeah one family, my godfather's family had taken a bag of
oranges and for days, all they had was the oranges and the orange peel.
They ate the orange peel just to try to stay alive. Three of the Children
died. They got him down into Mexico and took them off the trains and left
them out in the middle of nowhere. And except for the families that knew
how to survive on cactus leaves and things of that nature, it was a
tragedy.
Despite the Uprooting of families, the continuation of racial animosity
and d feelings of anguish, the mexicanos remained continued to contribute
to the economic growth and cultural heritage of Arizona.
Yeah.
Okay.
Mhm. Uh huh.
Okay.
No.
Mhm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mhm.
Right. Yeah. No. Yeah,
mm hmm.
No.
Yeah. All right.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Uh huh.
Uh huh. Right.
Yeah.
Mhm.
Mhm. Mhm.
Yeah, mm.