Latinos in Twentieth Century California: National Register of Historic Places Context Statement

From introduction: "This context statement documents the history of Latinos in twentieth century California and provides a framework for the nomination of associated properties to the National Register of Historic Places. The term Latino generally refers to anyone of Latin American origin. It emerged in the twentieth century as immigration from Central and South America grew. It is differentiated from the term Hispanic, which refers mostly to persons of Spanish-speaking ancestry, including Spain. The term Latino was used in this document instead of Hispanic to emphasize the shared history of people from the Americas rather than Europe. While the Latino population in California is diverse, it has historically been dominated by Mexican Americans. Despite the fact that California was settled by the Spanish in the eighteenth century and governed by Mexico during part of the nineteenth century, the Mexican American population of California remained relatively small until the twentieth century. When California joined the union in 1850, the existing Mexican population became American citizens. Los Angeles immediately became the largest Mexican American city in the United States. Mexican Americans throughout California lost land, status, and power over the subsequent decades. They were also quickly outnumbered by a surge of migrants from the Midwest and East Coast. Mexican immigration to California began to increase at the beginning of the twentieth century as large numbers arrived to escape the violence of the Mexican Revolution. Despite changes to U.S. immigration policies in 1917, 1921, and again in 1924, the U.S.- Mexican border remained relatively porous and the demand for labor in the U.S. fueled Mexican immigration. Soon Latinos comprised the backbone of the state’s workforce and permanent Mexican neighborhoods began to form. The formation of Latino neighborhoods, most often referred to as barrios in urban areas and colonias in rural areas, fostered the development of community activities, churches, mutual aid societies, sports teams, and small businesses. During the Great Depression, Latinos became the scapegoats for the economic hardships faced by millions of Americans. Regardless of their citizenship, they were viewed as unwelcome competitors for employment and government assistance programs. As a result, both individual states and the U.S. government began to pass laws to discourage hiring of Mexican workers and to encourage their deportation. Despite the distrust that Latinos developed for the U.S. government and law enforcement during this period, they responded to the call to serve their country during World War II in large numbers. The industrial expansion brought about during the war allowed Latinos to gain entry to occupations that had been closed to them in the past." Funding was provided in part by a 2014 Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the California State Historic Preservation Office (project number CA-14-031, grant number P14AF00134) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Latinos in Twentieth Century California: National Register of Historic Places Context Statement

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