Takaki Chapter 12

1.) The Mexican population began migrating to the southwest of the United States in the beginning of the 1900s. The Mexicans were not forced, but rather migrated by choice. There was a Mexican Civil War going on during this time, and many Mexicans did not feel safe. They crossed the border for fear of their lives and were motivated to keep safe and out of harms way. The Mexicans would only return if peace was made.
2.) The significance to the title “El Norte: The Borderland of Chicano America” was that was the name the Mexicans referred to the United States. The called the United States “El Norte” because the United States is north of the Mexico border. The Borderland of Chicano America was significant because it was the border of the United States, however that part of the United States was made up of a majority of Mexicans.
3.) Mechanisms of social construction would be how the Mexicans attempted to make it on their own in the United States. Crossing the border for fear of their lives, they tried to adapt to the United States and receive a job.
4.) The Mexicans resisted discrimination by actively participating in labor struggles, especially during the Great Depression. They also supported strikes led by trade unions such as the Confedeacion de Uniones de Obretas Mexicanas.
5.) One example of race in Takaki was how the Mexicans were discriminated against in the labor field. They were discriminated because their race was a different color skin compared to everyone else. One example of ethnicity in Takaki was when Mexican-Americans were criticized for not recognizing their ethnicity and heritage on the sixteenth of September.