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Mexican American history, or the history of American residents of Mexican descent, largely begins after the annexation of Northern Mexico in 1848, when the nearly 80,000 Mexican citizens of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico became U.S. citizens.
Mexican America. The ancestors of Mexican Americans are many—railroad workers from Jalisco, Afro-Mexican founders of Los Angeles, Hispanos from Northern New Mexico, part-German Tejanos, indigenous Californians, and Spanish settlers from the Canary Islands, to name just a few.
Early Latino History. Latino history in the Americas stretches back for many centuries before the arrival of European colonizers. The long, rich, and complex history begins with the diverse Indigenous populations, such as the Inca civilization.
- Early Spanish Explorers Reach America
- Los Angeles Founded, First Hispanic Congressman Elected
- Battle of The Alamo, Mexican-American War
- Mexico Revolution Drives Immigration to Us
- Puerto Ricans Granted Us Citizenship
- First Hispanic Senator Sworn in
- Contributions During World War II
- Supreme Court Prohibits Segregation For Mexican-American Students
- Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Cesar Chavez Leads Delano Grape Strike
April 2, 1513 Searching for the "Fountain of Youth," Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leonlands along the Florida coast, claiming the territory in the name of the Spanish crown. He would return in 1521 to establish a colony, but his party, attacked by Native Americans, were forced to retreat to Cuba, where he died. Sept. 8, 1565 Spanish admiral and e...
Aug. 24, 1821 The Treaty of Cordobaestablishes Mexico's independence from Spain. Devastated post-war, Mexico begins inviting select anglo settlers to its state of Texas, who were impressed by the availability of inexpensive land. Sept. 30, 1822 Joseph Marion Hernandez becomes the first Hispanic member of Congress, serving during the 17th Congress u...
March 6, 1836 After 13 days of siege, Mexico President and General Antonio Lopez Santa Anna, with 1,000-plus Mexican soldiers, storm the The Alamo, killing most of the Texan soldiers inside, who include now-famous heroes Davy Crockett, James Bowie and Lt. Col. William Travis, even those who had surrendered. "Remember the Alamo!" becomes a battle cr...
1910-1917 The long and violent Mexican Revolution causes a surge of Mexicans to cross the U.S. border, with El Paso, Texas, serving as "Mexican Ellis Island," according to the Library of Congress. The U.S. census finds Mexican immigrants to have tripled in population between 1910 and 1930, from 200,000 to 600,000. Feb. 5, 1917 Congress overrides a ...
March 2, 1917 President Wilson signs the Jones-Shafroth Act, granting U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans and creating a bicameral legislature in the island territory. With the United States about to enter World War I, it also gives America a stronghold and allows Puerto Ricans to join the U.S. Army. Eventually, 20,000 Puerto Ricans are drafted to se...
Dec. 7, 1928 Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazoloof New Mexico is sworn in as the country's first Hispanic senator. The Republican attorney, born in Mexico, immigrated to the United States when he was a boy. He served one term as governor of New Mexico and later was elected twice to the state House of Representatives before running for the U.S. Senate. But...
Dec. 7, 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, drawing the U.S. into World War II. More than 500,000 Mexican Americans serve in the American military during the conflict, with 13 Medals of Honor awarded to Latinos. The 158th Regimental Combat Team, largely composed of Latino and Native American soldiers who fought in the Philippines and New Guinea, is ca...
April 14, 1947 The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals makes a landmark ruling prohibiting segregation in California public schools in Mendez v. Westminster School District. In the case, the family of Sylvia Mendez, then 9, and others sued four school districts for being denied entrance to Westminster Elementary School because they were Mexican. The rulin...
July 2, 1964 The landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 becomes law, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and outlawing discrimination based on race, sex, religion, color or national origin. The act also creates the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissionto enforce federal job discrimination laws. One immediate effect of the act: an end to segregated ...
March 17, 1966 Cesar Chavez, general director of the National Farm Workers Association, leads 75 Latino and Filipino farm workers on a historic 340-mile march from Delano, California to the state capitol in Sacramento. Drawing attention to the demands of grape growers, the march, held at the onset of a strike that would last five years, lasts 25 da...
History. Mexican America. The ancestors of Mexican Americans are many—railroad workers from Jalisco, Afro-Mexican founders of Los Angeles, Hispanos from Northern New Mexico, part-German Tejanos, indigenous Californians, and Spanish settlers from the Canary Islands, to name just a few.
The multicultural inheritance of Mexican Americans is rich and complex. It reflects the influences of Spain, Mexico, and indigenous cultures, and has been shaped by hundreds of years of survival and adaptation in the crucible of North American history.
3 days ago · Today’s Mexican Americans trace their history to a development that began more than four centuries ago, when Spain conquered Mexico and made it a colony. Before that the territory was inhabited exclusively by American Indians.
