I need you to revive and check one of the essays that’s been done and do another
I need you to revive and check one of the essays that’s been done and do another
I need you to revive and check one of the essays that’s been done and do another essay.
First essay that needs to be done
BOOK REVIEW ASSIGNMENT
Both books for this assignment, Mendez v. Westminster: School Desegregation and Mexican-American Rights and The Sleepy Lagoon Murder Case: Race Discrimination and Mexican-American Rights, deal with the place of Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans in American society, particularly in Southern California, in the 1940s. While much of Anglo society racialized those of Mexican descent, in the eyes of the law Mexicans and Mexican-Americans were classified as “white.”
This assignment asks you to reflect on the ways that those of Mexican descent were affected by this racialization and the ways in which they and their allies fought to attain equal status in society and particularly in the law, within the context of Southern California.
1) What marked Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as a separately defined group in the eyes of Anglos? In what ways did Mexicans/Mexican-Americans resist this separate definition? Did Mexicans/Mexican-Americans themselves seek to be seen as a separately defined group, and if so how, why, and to what ends? In responding to these questions, detail the circumstances (around the 1930s-40s and prior to this time) found in California (or Southern California) that affected how Anglos viewed Mexicans/Mexican-Americans, and how Mexicans/Mexican-Americans viewed themselves.
2) How was the law/legal system/criminal justice system used by some Anglos in California to treat Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as less than full members of society or as second-class citizens, particularly with regard to the case/time period detailed in your book? Who treated Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as less than? What appeared to motivate these people?
3) How were Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, and their allies from other groups, ultimately able to use the law/legal system/criminal justice system to gain equal rights, with regard to the case/time period detailed in your book? Who did they hire to represent them? What legal arguments/strategies did they use?
4) Were Anglos ultimately successful in using the law/legal system/criminal justice system to racialize Mexicans and Mexican-Americans and to treat them as less than full members of American and Californian society at the time? How did longer-term changes in law, society, and circumstances in Southern California impact the efforts of those of Mexican descent (U.S. citizens and non-citizens) to be treated as full members of American society?
Assignment Guidelines
1. Double spaced, one inch margins all around, 12 pt font. Put your name, date and e-mail address in the upper right corner (single-spaced). Number the pages.
2. Essay page limit is 8 pages of text. You may include a general introduction/conclusion but are not required to do so. Minimum page limit: 5 pages.
3. You must primarily use the Mendez or Sleepy Lagoon book, and secondarily other course material, for this assignment. Outside material can be used to supplement your essay, but it is unlikely that you will need it. Cite to all materials relied upon, including page number(s). Essays without citation to course material will not be accepted. Use parenthetical citations along with a Works Cites page, or footnotes. Cite to your chosen book by using the name of the author and the page number (for example, Weitz, 23). You should have at least one citation per paragraph unless the paragraph is a general introduction, conclusion, or purely your opinion. For outside sources, provide a full citation.
4. Number the response to each of the four questions.
I’ll send the one that needs to be checked