Mexican Americans Are Not “White”
The belief that Mexicans are white has been held ever the since the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. According to research, the issue of “whiteness” came up at the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1845: “The debate centered on whether the qualifying adjective ‘white’ should be retained in the constitutional provisions that described the voters of the state.”’ This implied that Mexicans could be considered sort of white without actually being identified as such. Some Tejanos, that could trace their ethnic origins to Spain, divorced themselves of Black or Arab Moorish ancestry and made claims to “whiteness.” After the Treaty of Hildalgo, many Mexican Americans lost their land via swindling by all white judges and juries. Even prior to the loss of their land Mexicans faced a loss of social, political and economic status as a result of Texas Independence. Anglo policies, sought to either remove Mexicans or to confer “white status” upon them.
Between 1853 and 1854 Frederick Law Olmsted visited Texas and wrote “A Journey Through Texas.” Olmsted remarked: “From several counties they have been driven out altogether. At Austin, in the spring of 1853, a meeting was held, at which the citizens resolved, on the plea that Mexicans were horse-thieves, that they must quit the county. About twenty families were thus driven from their homes, and dispersed over western counties….” and were described as vermin, to be exterminated.
Related: From Moors to Malcolm
The Idea of “Pure Blooded People”
The idea that there are “pure blooded people” is fiction. Spain was conquered and occupied by the Moors for over 700 years. The Moors were Black or Brown Africans who actually contributed to Spanish culture. After Spain removed the Moors, Spanish surnames, such as Medina were stripped of their Arab connections (Medina, like many Spanish surnames is Arabic, not Spanish in origin). From the very beginnings of Texas history there has been attempts to describe the Mexican inhabitants of Texas as kind of “White.” Eventually, large numbers of racially minded Whites moved to Texas with racist customs. Racist discrimination applied not just to Blacks, but to Mexican Americans as well, but it would be tempered by attempts to make Mexicans “White.” Racist discrimination followed them in the form of inferior education, being forced to speak English, not being allowed into white restaurants, and even denied burial in White cemeteries.
”Allowing Them to be White on a Temporary Basis”
According to researcher Laura Gomez, the Dred Scott decision (1857) made Blacks non-citizens and played an enormous role in the expansion of slavery. Manifest Destiny (supposedly God inspired), was used to steal Mexican lands. At times, Mexicans, were stripped of their ethnic identity and categorized as “White.” However, Mexicans were not considered “White” by many because of African, Spanish, Moorish, and Indigenous roots, but allowing them to be “White,” on a temporary basis, created a puzzle. According to Gomez, after the Treaty of Guadalupe, Mexicans were granted a “white legal status.” This was because the Texas border was moved over the Mexicans still living in Texas and other parts.
When the border crossed over the Mexican population, they became “White” in certain counties and not so White in other counties. Gomez also cites the Ricardo Rodriguez Case (1890s) as crucial to understand the ethnic identification of Mexican Americans. According to Gomez, the result of this case was that Mexicans were White enough, yet non-white White.” Mexican Americans became what Gomez terms “off-white.” However, in the case of Hernandez v. Texas (1954), the court said Mexicans were not “White,” but this did not stop hospitals from writing “White” on birth certificates for political purposes.
