1. Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement Fighting for Political Power

2. Political Issues  Political under-representation, local and national  Poll taxes: requiring voters to pay for the right to vote  Literacy tests: requiring voters to show their ability to read  Political bossism: the practice of buying and manipulating Mexican/Chicano voters  Gerrymandering: diluting the Chicano vote when districts are drawn  Voter intimidation and repression  Democratic Party

3. Los Cinco  Five Chicanos that successfully ran for local office in Crystal City, Texas, 1963  Upset the Anglo establishment  Some faced job loss, pay cuts, indictment for a bounced check  Some observers learned from the episode of Los Cinco: Jose Angel Gutierrez

4. Other Political Movements  1929, LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), Fought against voting barriers, educational barriers and employment discriminationFought against voting barriers, educational barriers and employment discrimination Conservative politicallyConservative politically Citizens onlyCitizens only LULAC founding assembly, 1929

5. American G. I. Forum  Formed by Dr. Hector Garcia  To protect the rights of Chicano war veterans

6. American G. I. Forum  Received national notoriety in the defense of Felix Longoria  Longoria: a young Chicano veteran of World War II that was refused burial rights in Three Rivers, Texas  Lyndon Baines Johnson intervenes to get Longoria buried at Arlington National Cemetery  Symbolized grievances and discrimination against Chicanos Felix Longoria

7. Viva Kennedy Clubs  Formed to support John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election  Partly responsible for a 10 to 1 support for his candidacy in two pivotal states: California and Texas

8. Jose Angel Gutierrez  An early observer of the Los Cinco episode  Supported students in a Dec. 9, 1969 school walk-out in Crystal City, Texas due to discrimination for cheer squads  Major force behind the formation of LRUP (La Raza Unida Party)

9. La Raza Unida Party  An independent Chicano political party  1972 national convention in El Paso, Texas  Positions: immediate withdrawal of American troops from Viet Nam, support for Mexican land grants, gun control, police controls, support for none of the presidential candidates  Ramsey Muniz for Governor of Texas: received almost 7% of the vote: over 250,000 votes—almost denied the election of the Democrat Dolph Briscoe  LRUP spread to 16 states

10. Other Major Figures  Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez- Colorado  Raul Ruiz-California  Willie Velazquez: SWVERP (Southwest Voter and Educational Registration Project) registered 2 million voters in 1974  Carlos Munoz Jr. student and community leader Rdolfo “Corky” Gonzales Dr. Carlos Munoz Jr.

11. MALDEF  Mexican American Legal, Defense and Educational Fund  Supported law suits to end racial and educational discrimination  Won in White v. Register, 1972: challenge to at-large elections Invalidated at-large elections when it can be demonstrated that this practice discriminates against or dilutes the Latino voteInvalidated at-large elections when it can be demonstrated that this practice discriminates against or dilutes the Latino vote