Mexican-Americans in United States and Politics Essay

Mexican-Americans in United States and Politics We need a Mexican but it’s more important that he be American This quote, taken from the play Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez, well illustrates the ambivalence and hypocrisy Anglos have projected towards Mexicans for the last two centuries. Specifically, this quote refers to the United States government needing a brown face in the crowd at one of their meetings to showcase their supposed support and inclusion of Mexican-Americans in the U.S. However, it is more important that the brown face act American, or embody Anglo characteristics deemed to be more reputable and civilized. Valdez’s play showcases an important theme in Mexican-American history and still today which, as the title†¦show more content†¦Ms. Geeminez (who denounced her true Mexican last name in favor of appearing more American) commented that Indians are much too dark. Here we see an example of the black-white continuum, as expressed by Peter Wade, but more importantly the idea that to be darker is to be equated with a low position in the social hierarchy (Oboler, 35 ). Beginning in the nineteenth century, despite significantly high proportions of native Americans, African Americans, Asians, Caribbean, and Latin Americans in the United States, the term American became envisioned as Anglo-Saxon and white. Therefore, based solely on skin color, non-whites were not considered Americans and thus did not enjoy equal rights and privileges. This superiority complex was, to some extent, the result of John O’Sullivan’s idea of manifest destiny in 1845 which called for expansion into Mexico, but more implicitly, the justification of expansion and the subsequent exclusion of foreign Mexicans from the way the national community was imagined. (Oboler, 43). In the twentieth century, even with citizenship status, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans were considered and consequentially treated as outsiders or intruders (Oboler, 32). It is not surprising that at the end of Valdez’s play, the whitest model is most desirable to the Anglo government. Each character, despite his/her place in history, possessed characteristics in line with theShow MoreRelated Hispanic American Diversity Essay1207 Words   |  5 PagesHispanic American Diversity Hispanic groups of all origins have a profound interest when relocating to the United States. Hispanic groups such as Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and Central and South Americans share the same common interest of prosperity and a future for their families. Language of these groups is commonly Spanish speaking and they relish with religion of the Roman Catholics and Protestant faith. 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