viii Preface
communities formed by Latinas and Latinos. This shared Latina/o history
framework also allows us to see some broader trends in U.S. history, such as
the unevenness of citizenship and belonging, the middle area that so many
people in the past and in the present have occupied between exclusion, on
the one hand, and full inclusion and membership in the nation, on the other.
Each of the following chapters will cover a critical period in Latina/o his-
tory, beginning in the 1500s and ending in the first two decades of the 21st
century. Chapters will also include short profiles of important Latinas and
Latinos as well as a glossary that explains significant terms and concepts.
Sidebars in each chapter will offer more in-depth coverage of particular top-
ics, and there is also a section of primary source material drawn from each
chapter’s particular time period. For readers interested in further reading on
topics in Latina/o history, the book provides references at the end of each
chapter and a comprehensive reference section at the end of the book.
Understanding Latino History is organized around several prominent
themes. First, the book points to the deep links that exist between different
Latina/o groups. Whether subject to Spanish colonialism in the Americas,
forming merchant communities in U.S. East Coast cities in the 1800s, or
leading contemporary Latina/o civil rights organizations, Latina/os have
shared neighborhoods, food and culture (including, of course, the Spanish
language and the Catholic religion), and political battles, creating bonds and
intimate connections across communities.
Second, the book will pay close attention to the experiences of women in
Latina/o history. Latinas have played a pivotal, though at times unacknowl-
edged, role in all aspects of life in the Latina/o past, including joining in
Spanish colonizing efforts in Native American lands; forging bonds, intimate
and business alike, with Anglo-American newcomers; challenging U.S. and
Spanish imperialism; building new communities across the nation; leading
labor unions and strikes to improve the often miserable work conditions fac-
ing Latina/o laborers; taking charge of social justice organizations; and serv-
ing on the U.S. Supreme Court. Many of the chapter profiles will also be
devoted to prominent Latina individuals in U.S. history.
Finally, the book bears witness to the endurance and resilience of Latina/o
communities in the United States, which have faced persistent rhetorical
attacks that questioned and ridiculed their ability to become proper U.S. citi-
zens. These attacks in both mainstream and right-wing media outlets have
often portrayed Latina/os as sexually deviant, prone to violence, and intel-
lectually and culturally inferior. Latina/os have also suffered acts of violence
on individual and community levels. Despite these continued physical and
rhetorical attacks, Latina/os have refused to concede their rights as citizens
and full members of the United States. Their struggles and triumphs are at
the heart of this book.
