chapter 7 Takaki

“So began the revolt to wrest California from Mexico and establish what would be called the Bear Flag Republic ( 167)”. I took this quote because it pretty much establishes what this first section is about. In chapter seven of Takaki it goes in detail to explain what happened wit h the Irish and Mexicans during the Manifest Destiny in the Southwest. He then goes on to explain the change in distinguishing Californians and Mexicans, and saying how “Americans” were struggling with inter-mixing relationships. But this looses me in who is considered American at this time and who is not. Once the Anglos had an upper hand they began to establish state legislature aimed at the Mexican Americans. For example on page 178 it explains they had an act referred to as the Greaser Act. This act said all persons who are commonly known as greasers or not peaceable and quiet persons. A foreign miner’s tax of twenty dollars took fees mainly from Spanish-speaking miners, including American citizens of Mexican ancestors. Before they knew it many Mexicans found themselves stung into a system similar to the caste system. It gives examples on page 186 explaining how the Anglo’s would own a ranch in a place like Texas, and the cow hands were then Mexican. Finally around the early nineteen hundreds they began to go on strike for their rights wit h their fellow laborers of the Japanese descent. “Abajo los gerents” This was supposedly a good line taken from the Mexican at this time which interprets to down with the bosses. This is around the time when the mutualistas were formed. These were laborers as well as shopkeepers and professionals such as lawyers, newspaper editors, and doctors. These assoc. helped people cover emergency situations with loans and etc. “They were a dispelled myth of the Mexicans as a quite, siesta loving, sombrero people (190).”
When reading this section, a lot of different things came across my mind. First off, in the middle of this section it was saying that they were making the Mexicans pay extra and treating them like dirt. But who were they to honestly determine who was American and who wasn’t? I’m honestly surprised by how long it took the Mexicans to rebel against them in the first place. Looking through history there was power in numbers and no one seemed to realize that until they were at their last straw. For example, the Irish and the indentured slavery, the African American slavery that turned into a war. The Mexicans turned into a dangerous and invigorating rebellion and a war.