xvii Introduction | settled? The early 20th century in fact revealed that the United States’ fate remained closely tied to that of its neighbors to the south. Along the Texas-Mexico border, for example, Tejanos (Mexican Americans) started uprisings and insurgencies against Anglo domination and the violence and brutality of the Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, in Mexico, Mexicans had grown impatient with the 35-year dictator- ship of Porfirio Diaz and were swept up by the stirrings of revolution. Both the Mex- ican Revolution and the Spanish-American War and subsequent political turmoil in the Caribbean set off the first large waves of migration to the mainland United States. These migrations would lay the foundation for later waves of immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico in cities like San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chi- cago, and New York. Great Depression and Repatriation, 1929–1941 Life in the U.S. Southwest proved challenging for Mexican Americans in the early decades of the 20th century, even as they organized themselves into civic groups to challenge discrimination and assert their political rights as Americans. During the Great Depression, however, many Mexican Americans learned that American citi- zenship did not fully protect them. Nearly half a million Mexican immigrants and their U.S.-born children were deported or coercively repatriated to Mexico during the economic crisis. Despite this widespread persecution, however, many Latinos persisted in their new communities. Cubans and Puerto Ricans in New York City created a flourishing cultural renaissance of music, politics, and culture. There, in Tampa, and throughout the Southwest, Latino workers also joined other Americans during the Depression in dramatic efforts to defend labor rights. In Puerto Rico, those who longed for independence and an end to colonial rule launched a nation- alist campaign that would challenge the United States’ authority. World War II and Postwar Migrations, 1941–1959 World War II brought a new set of opportunities and challenges as Latinos went off to war, served on the home front, or gained access to highly paid defense jobs. Moreover, the United States’ dependence on labor from Latin Amer i ca also became apparent at this time. American officials enlisted both the Mexican and Puerto Rican governments to recruit thousands of workers during World War II to work the nation’s agricultural fields, canning factories, and railroads, to help keep the nation running smoothly in the effort to defeat the Axis powers. Still, Mexican Americans were particularly disappointed to learn, when they came home, that prejudice and discrimination against them persisted in the Southwest. Thus, they turned to the courts to challenge segregation in public schools and discrimination on juries.
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