Did all Americans have a chance at the American Dream? The Other America Did all Americans have a chance at the American Dream?

Decaying Inner City Technology creates new manufacturing jobs & GATT eliminates tariffs to help trade, many business leave for suburbs “White flight” causes cities lose tax base, jobs, and consumers. Poverty increases in the inner city (urban decay) Urban Renewal Govt creates Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to fix cities HUD clears out run down areas replaces them with businesses Ex: Mexican-Ams forced out of an LA “barrio” Chavez Ravine for housing project

The Battle of Chavez Ravine Chavez Ravine housing project cancelled during “Red Scare” Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley wants new stadium in Brooklyn, City of NY offers him land in Queens – he refuses O’Malley wants land in Los Angeles, he buys LA Angels stadium in S. LA, trades it for Chavez Ravine Chavez Ravine residents removed to build Dodger Stadium

Mexicans Seek Employment To pay less wages many businesses bypass bracero program and encourage undocumented Mexicans to enter US Resentment begins to grow against Mexicans in US Ex: “Operation Wetback” – mass deportations, 88 die Ex: Longoria Incident - undertaker in Texas refuses to bury Mex-American war hero, Mex-Ams outraged at discrimination Native Americans Nat-Ams form Congress of American Indians to improve lives Termination Policy: US announces it will no longer give federal economic support to tribes (due to CAI), policy fails

Jim Crow South Till whistles at a white women in Bryant’s Grocery Store Roy Bryant & JW Milam kidnap Till from uncle’s house, kill him and sink his body to bottom of a river 1955: Emmett Till, a fourteen year old African-American from Chicago heads to Mississippi to visit relatives Both men arrested but found not guilty by an all-white jury, northern blacks & whites finally realize how bad South is