A Different Mirror Analysis

Ronald Takaki examines the struggles Mexicans faced in obtaining equal rights in his book, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. According to Takaki, the American people and government affected Mexican lifestyles through encroachment on their rights, starting just before the Mexican-American War. Takaki posits that “political restrictions” made it difficult for Mexicans to secure their “rights as citizens” and maintain their “rights as landowners” (167). Takaki explains that Mexicans encountered monumental change in solidifying rights in terms of treatment as citizens and property ownership. Firstly, Takaki examines the Mexicans’ struggle for proper treatment through American rights. He explains that America “enacted laws aimed at Mexicans” and this political action was often deemed unfavorable in regards to democratic rights (165). For example, many American counties established a “poll tax” and other methods used to “disenfranchise Mexicans” and decrease political
He explains how the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the addition of California served as an American “conquest” for Mexican land because the total land acquired “amounted to one-half of Mexico” (163). This shows how American ideas, like Manifest Destiny, justified expansionism and the annexation of land that previously belonged to Mexico. Thus, American expansion violated individual land rights and resulted in a major loss of property for Mexico. Takaki also elaborated upon the difficulty of validating land claims when measurements were “loosely marked” and courts required “accurate boundaries and proof of legitimate titles” (167). Mexicans often had difficulty providing such evidence and many resorted to biased lawyers, risky loans, or selling their land. Therefore, because this policy disproportionately affected Mexicans, it was an encroachment on their property