Mexican Migration to the United States

”Prehistory (Background)” of Mexican Migration to the United

States

Tuesday, February 1st, 2022.

 The objective of this class:
To provide students with a general background (origins) of Mexican
migration to the United States, before discussing the actual history of
Mexican migration to the United States.
As such, this will help us:
1. Understand the profile of Mexican migration to the United States (Why
the patterns were/are the way they are), and;
2. Do a brief review/overview of the first part of Ramón A. Gutiérrez´s
article History of Mexican Migration to the United States,
3. Note: It is important to keep in mind that most scholars explain Mexican
Migration to the United States through phases - all of which we will talk
about in the next few lectures. But the background that gave way to
these phases is important too, all for context.
 A few general facts before we start with the background of
Mexican Migration to the U.S.
1. What is the usual/common profile of Mexican Migrants that have
gone/go to the United States? Note: It is now more diversified.
2. In an upside and downside, Mexican labour has always been
cheap and unskilled; that is why it has always been popular in the
U.S.
3. According to most scholars, Mexican migration to the U.S. semi
officially began in 1848. What happened in 1848?
4. It is semi official because many scholars say migration was not
very significant from 1848 to 1876. Officially, Mexican Migration
to the United States started in 1876. You will learn why 1876 is
the official start date of Mexican Migration to the U.S.
 Mexico after independence (1821)
1. We know Mexico achieved its independence
in 1821, and that Mexican territory included the
U.S. border states of California, Arizona, New
Mexico and Texas as well as Guatemala,
Honduras, El Salvador and parts of Nicaragua.

2. Mexico´s Northern Territory was sparsely

populated. Americans started to settle in this
territory - Mexico´s Imperial Colonization Law
of 1823.

3. So what happened once American settlers

began moving to Mexican Northern territory?
Let´s talk about Texas.

4. Texas started to push for independence and

declared itself independent from Mexico in 1836.
It then wanted to become part of the USA.
 What happened after the independence of Texas?
1. In 1844, James K. Polk was elected president of the United
States.
2. Polk was an strong supporter of Manifest Destinty. What is
Manifest Destiny?
3. A year after Polk was elected (1845), the U.S. Congress
accepted Texas´ petition to become part of the United States.
Afterwards, Polk sent U.S. tropps to safeguard Texas from
Mexico.
4. Polk also sent John Sidel to Mexico City to try and purchase
California and New Mexico. With Texas being independent and
once Sidel was deported, trouble was setting in for Mexico.
 Mexican-American War:
1. From 1846 to 1848, Mexico and the United States were at war.
2. In a nusthell, Polk found very little resistance in New Mexico, California,
and Mexico City. Mexico was still ravaged by the war of independence.
3. As such, Mexico and the U.S. signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in
1848. What did this treaty mean?
4. Among other things, the treaty said that Mexicans who lived in the newly
annexed territories had one year to move back to Mexico if they wanted.
If they decided not to move, they would automatically become U.S.
citizens.
5. According to Gutiérrez´s article, close to 31,000 Mexicans left the newly
annexed territories and moved back to Mexico, and 86,000 Mexicans
stayed and became US citizens.
 Mexican-American War continued…
1. Several U.S Congressmen declared the Mexican-American
War unjustifiable – Senator Charles Sunmer from
Massachusetts declared:
“Mexico might justly charge our citizens with disgraceful
robbery, while, in seeking extension of slavery, our own
citizens denied the great truths of American freedom”.
2. In the end, the US was simply driven by annexationist designs
because they wanted and needed additional lands and resources
to expand their economic power (as said by Gutierrez in his
article).
 1848, Semi-official beginning of Mexican migration to the US:
1. W ith the US-Mexico border now formally established in 1848
(which is what it looks like today), a wave of Mexican migration to
the U.S. started. Mexicans (among other nationalities) went to work
in California´s mining sector. Why did they migrate? – Gold Rush.
2. Why is it considered semi-official? Because the numbers of
Mexicans emigrating were not so meaningful yet.
3. What is known is that, alongside the Gold Rush, more Mexicans
also started to head towards the U.S. because of the 1856 aproval
of the Ley Lerdo in Mexico. What is the Ley Lerdo (Lerdo Law) of
1856?
 1876, Porfirio Díaz becomes Mexico´s President:
Mexican Migration to the U.S. officially begins.
1. General Porfirio Díaz is elected president of Mexico in
1876.
2. What is generally said about Porfirio Diaz? Besides his
being President for 30 years?. What was he like? – Pax
Porfiriana.
3. So, what happened with Mexican migration to the United
States? Did Mexican migration increase or decrease
during Porfirio Diaz´s presidency?
Northern Pass/El Paso del Norte
Numbers of Mexican migrants in the U.S over
the first years of official migration (Gutiérrez).
1880 – 78,000 Mexicans.
1890 – 103,000 Mexicans.
1910 – 222,000 Mexicans.
1920 – 486,000 Mexicans.
1930 – 641,000 Mexicans.
General pragmatic facts about the official beginning of
Mexican migration to the U.S. :
1. When railroads were expanded with Porfirio Diaz´s presidency,
(Paso del Norte/Northern Pass), workers could travel far more
easily to the United States starting in 1876. That is why this is
considered the official beginning of Mexican Migration to the
U.S.
2. Since we are at the official starting point of Mexican Migration
to the U.S, let´s continue talking about migration in the 19th
century and a little bit in the 20th century. We will talk more
about this in the next lectures, but let´s look a little bit at this
today.
 After 1876 and into the 20th Century:
1. The US needed a lot of workers, and Mexicans not only needed jobs,
but luckily, Mexicans were under no restrictions to go to the United
States, unlike people from Asian countries:
- Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Due to the Opium Wars) and;
- Japanese Gentleman´s Agreement of 1907.
- In summary, there was an “Asiatic Barred Zone” - made up of
India, Indochina, Afghanistan, and smaller Asian countries. Citizens from
these countries were completely banned from entering the US.
2. So yes, there was a lot of work for Mexicans. But this does not mean
things were great for Mexican workers, and we will see why once we
start studying the phases of Mexican Migration to the U.S.
 After 1876 and into the 20th Century:
3. Approval of the Immigration Act of 1924 (also known as
Johnson-Reed Act).
4. But still, economic power in the US far exceeded political power
(and it arguably exceeds political power until today).
5. Mexican Presidents often called on Mexicans not to leave for the
U.S.
6 . Mexicans used to pay their own way to the US. This changed, and
American employers started to “pay” Mexicans to go to the US. That is
where Mexican migration officially started and it is the first relevant
phase of Mexican migration to the US: Indentured migration phase.