Us Mexico Capitalism
A major theme of this course has been how the U.S. operates as an Capitalist power. One of the factors that makes the United States an Capitalist power is the displacement and marginalization of people for economic gain. The uprooting of people has been occurring throughout the duration of American relations with Mexico. From the early 20th century with railroads and mines to post NAFTA, a cycle of displacement has become embedded into U.S.-Mexico relations. Throughout the readings of the class and the short documentaries we’ve watched, it is apparent that the Mexican American community has been a chief source of the expansion of America.
The first major uprooting of Mexican labor began at the onset of the 20th century when the U.S. built railroads into Mexico. The U.S. had become an ally of Dictator Porfirio Diaz who allowed the expansion of railroads to occur within the outskirts of Mexico. With the building of railroads came the uprooting of thousands of peasants who would later work for the same railroads, which had displaced them. With the expansion of railroads, came the profitable of mines. The United States needed cheap labor to make the most amount of profit possible from these enterprises and displaced Mexican peasants were the prime suppliers of this need. Juan Gonzales in Harvest of Empire additionally captures the importance of the Mexican population to the U.S. economy.
Mexican workers were the primary source of income to American companies. Using an industrialist method the U.S has created a system where the continual uprooting of Mexican workers would solidify their core value to the U.S. economy. As depicted in many of the PowerPoint pictures presented in class, Mexican immigrants have played a vital role of the creation of America. Marginalization has been used as a tool to integrate migrant workers into the American economy. America as an imperialist power has always required high maintenance at a low cost and that is where the Latin
The first major uprooting of Mexican labor began at the onset of the 20th century when the U.S. built railroads into Mexico. The U.S. had become an ally of Dictator Porfirio Diaz who allowed the expansion of railroads to occur within the outskirts of Mexico. With the building of railroads came the uprooting of thousands of peasants who would later work for the same railroads, which had displaced them. With the expansion of railroads, came the profitable of mines. The United States needed cheap labor to make the most amount of profit possible from these enterprises and displaced Mexican peasants were the prime suppliers of this need. Juan Gonzales in Harvest of Empire additionally captures the importance of the Mexican population to the U.S. economy.
Mexican workers were the primary source of income to American companies. Using an industrialist method the U.S has created a system where the continual uprooting of Mexican workers would solidify their core value to the U.S. economy. As depicted in many of the PowerPoint pictures presented in class, Mexican immigrants have played a vital role of the creation of America. Marginalization has been used as a tool to integrate migrant workers into the American economy. America as an imperialist power has always required high maintenance at a low cost and that is where the Latin
Cited: Gilbert Gonzalez, “Hiding Modern Slavery” in Paul Lopez, Que Fronteras?: Mexican Braceros and a Re-examination of the Legacy of Migration. Kendall Hunt, 2010.* Zaragosa Vargas, Crucible of Struggle: A History of Mexican Americans from Colonial Times to the Present Era, Oxford University Press, 2011. “Mexican Labor Migration, 1870-1924” in Mark Overmeyer-Velazquez, Beyond the Border, Oxford University Press (2010)