1. Course Introduction & Definition of Key Terms
Mexican Americans and Politics
Class 1
January 10, 2006

2. Introductions Louis DeSipio Christopher Stout, TA
Office hours Tuesdays, 11:15 – 1:00, SSPB 5283
Christopher Stout, TA
Office hours Wednesdays, 12:30 – 2:30 SST 734
The Website --

3. Course Objectives
How do Mexican Americans organize to make demands on political institutions?
Is it accurate to speak of a Mexican American political community?
What are the opportunities and barriers to Mexican American participation?
How do institutions respond to these demands?
How have institutions changed over time?
Are there opportunities for political alliances with other racial/ethnic groups?

4. Course Structure Foundations Community and electoral mobilization
Destruction and rebirth
Civil rights and contemporary Mexican American empowerment
Community and electoral mobilization
Community organization and influence
Barriers and resources to overcome barriers
Public policy
Immigration and naturalization
Coalitional politics

5. Resources Two books Reading packet from Anteater Publishing
David Gutierrez Walls and Mirrors: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants and the Politics of Ethnicity.
Louis DeSipio Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate.
Reading packet from Anteater Publishing
Most readings available on reserve

6. Evaluation Essays – Due February 2, February 23, and March 14
Students must complete two of three essays assigned
Each worth 25 percent of final grade
Midterm Exam – March 2
Worth 40 percent of final grade
Quiz on Reading Theses/Methods – March 16
Worth 10 percent of final grade

7. Why Study Mexican American Politics?

8. Politics
Demography
Numbers shape opportunities and expectations
Demography isn’t destiny (see essay #2)
Party competition, particularly Republican competition
Concentration in a handful of states and dispersion to new destinations
Local politics in many areas will depend on Latino role

9. Political Science Past exclusion and neglect
What are the long-term political effects of denial of rights (see essay #1)?
Mexican American contribution to Latino politics
Is Latino politics a durable cohesive politics that will grow in the 21st Century (see essay #3)?
Mexican American/Latino role in coalitional politics
Mexican Americans and national notions of equal opportunity

10. Definitions

11. Mexican American Identity based on national origin or ancestry
An immigrant from Mexico who arrived yesterday
A descendant of a Spanish migrant to New Mexico in 1650 who passed through Mexico
Should not assume a common political agenda or culture among all Mexican Americans – cleavages
Distinct from a pan-ethnic identity
Latino/Hispanics – Individuals in the United States who trace their ancestry or origin to the Spanish-speaking nations of Latin America or the Caribbean
Mexican Americans may identify as Latino, or may not

12. Politics The authoritative allocation of resources and values
Who gets what when, where, and how?
However you define politics:
At its core it creates winners and losers, and
There are predictable patterns based on individual and group characteristics
For our purposes
Efforts by individuals and groups to shape the allocation of resources
Elections are one example, but not the only one

13. Contemporary Examples
Demand making and community organizing
SB 670 – California apologizes for 1930s repatriations
Mexican government efforts to organize émigrés
Electoral
Bustamante candidacy for California Governor
Bill Richardson’s tentative 2008 presidential campaign
Policy
Driver’s licenses for unauthorized immigrants
Changing rules for naturalization
Border walls, guest workers, and/or a new legalization

14. For Next Time Readings: Questions to keep in mind:
Gutierrez, introduction and Chapter 1
** Griswold del Castillo, Richard. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: A Legacy of Conflict, chaps 3 and 5.
Questions to keep in mind:
What guarantees did the Treaty offer the former Mexican subjects in the new U.S. Southwest?
Why did these guarantees become largely meaningless?