Post World War II: Civil Rights Research Paper

The Native American and Mexican American Civil Rights Movements: Bold Desires,
Courageous Struggles, Different Outcomes

Ibarra, Daniel

Honors American History 11 (P.2), Semester 2

Mr. Luko
7 April, 2013

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The Civil Rights Movements of all races altered the lives of its people then and
throughout its subsequent years. Following World War II, minorities who contributed in the bold
goals of the United States, made some bold goals of their own. Ranging from a variety of desires,
outcast groups such as the Native Americans and Mexican Americans had good reason to appeal
compensation succeeding their courageous assistance to the United States. One could say they
had good reason for compensation even before World War II, so long as they retained the title of
citizen of the United States and therefore reserved protection under the 14th amendment. Native
Americans and Mexican Americans sought the same goal in equality after World War II, however
their methods of protest varied greatly, resulting in the greater success of Mexican Americans.
The two minorities underwent an array of discriminations despite performing actions
worthy enough of fair treatment. The issue of inequality was bitterly shared by both the Native
American and Mexican American peoples, along with the rest of the races involved in their own
Civil Rights Movement as well. Housing, unemployment, police exploitation, poverty, broken
treaties, and court system injustices were battled by the Native Americans in particular (Marlyce
Miner, The American Indian Movement). Carnell Locklear, a Native American who lived
during the Civil Rights Movement, recalls Well, I remember when I went to Red Springs, and
the woman told me, when I was a kid. Said now, we can give you an ice cream, son, but you've
got to eat it outside. You can't be here, an event he experienced growing up in the sorrow of the
1960s as a result of the burden inherited because of his race (Carnell Locklear,
www.docsouth.unc.edu). Similar in hardships, Mexican Americans faced issues such as
unemployment, poverty, education reform, restoration of land grants, and poor working

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conditions for farm workers (Francisco A. Rosales, Chicano! The History of the Mexican
American Civil Rights Movement). They too lived paying the price they were charged with at
birth. With so many issues facing these groups, valiant efforts were made toward there
correction.
The Native American and Mexican American societies realized that if change would not
occur through contribution, it would have to occur through revolution. It is the method of
revolution however, that ultimately separated the amount of progress and success achieved by the
two overwhelmed groups. In an attempt to achieve their civil rights, militant groups founded the
American Indian Movement. Among the members were Dennis Banks, Vernon and Clyde
Bellecourt, Carter Camp, John Trudell, Leonard Peltier, Anna Mae Aquash, and most importantly
Russell Means. Out of all who have contributed to the American Indian Movement, Russell
Means is known to be the most influential and committed to the cause. He is responsible for the
organization of many protests established by the American Indian Movement and has always
been dedicatedly involved (Marlyce Miner, The American Indian Movement).
Native American action toward civil rights demonstrated the impatience of its people. In
the Alcatraz Occupation, Indians forcibly overtook Alcatraz Island in San Francisco for nineteen
months claiming possession over the property based on a treaty. In the Wounded Knee
Occupation, American Indian Movement members and later Indians from around the world took
control of a church and trading post at Wounded Knee South Dakota that turned into a seventyone day conflict between the Native American organization and the United States Government.
In the Trail of Broken Treaties, a group of American Indian Movement members traveled from

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the West Coast over to Washington D.C. where after canceling the initial plan of overtaking the
White House in protest of the breaking of Native American treaty rights, the members overtook
the BIA building instead, leaving with possession over numerous stolen US documents and files.
An agreement between President Nixon and the AIM was made where the twenty point treaty the
Native Americans came into Washington with would be considered as long as all stolen items
were returned. At the conclusion of this disastrous event, none of the twenty points were
accepted (Marlyce Miner, The American Indian Movement).
While Native Americans took a more demanding approach, Mexican Americans decided
to protest non-violently. After witnessing the success upheld by African Americans in their
struggle for civil rights, activist Cesar Chavez decided it would be most effective to go about
their own movement in the same manner. In one of his most famous speeches, Cesar Chavez
claims The men who rule this country today never learned the lessons of Dr. King, they never
learned that non-violence is the only way to peace and justice (Cesar Chavez, Lessons of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.). Chavez founded the United Farm Workers Association in hopes of
improving the working conditions and pay of Mexican American farm workers. Through the
UFWA, he organized a boycott of grapes to gain support. Chavez further proved his dedication to
the cause when he decided to fast for three weeks in order to increase awareness of the issues
confronting Mexican Americans. Dee, a female who lived during the Mexican American Civil
Rights Movement, confirms the issues Chavez worked toward when reminiscing My Dad was a
migrant worker/field supervisor. His peers were white. However, he was not allowed to eat at the
same lunch counter, drink from the same fountain nor use the same bathroom as his peers, even
though he worked side by side with them in the fields (Dee,

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www.immigrationmexicanamerican.blogspot.com). Beside Cesar Chavezs United Farm Workers
Association, stood other nonviolent Mexican American organizations pursuing the same
recognition and change for their causes.
Everyone envisions a leader as someone whos already experienced a majority of life.
During the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, that image had changed with the creation
of student organizations such as the United Mexican American Students, the Mexican American
Youth Association, and the Brown Berets. These groups staged walk-outs from their schools in
protest to the lack of multicultural and bilingual programs in schools (Francisco A. Rosales,
Chicano! The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement).
The results of both the Native American and Mexican American movements varied
immensely. As a result of the violent marches and protests made by the Native Americans, many
activists were arrested. American Indian Movement members were consequently tried in court
cases such as the Custer Courthouse Riots, the FBI Shooting trial, the Wounded Knee Trials, and
the Anna Mae Aquash trial (James S. Olson, Mark Baxter, Jason M. Tetzloff, Darren Pierson,
Encyclopedia of American Indian Civil Rights). With only very few of their demands met, the
Native American Civil Rights movement ultimately brought more harm to its people than
progress toward better lives. The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement however had a
slightly happier ending. With a patient struggle toward and impatient cause, most requests were
eventually granted to the proud Mexican American people. In the case Mendez v. Westminister
Supreme Court, segregating White children from Latino children was declared to be against the
law. Also, in the case Hernandez v. Texas, Mexican Americans finally received the justice they

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believed they had under the 14th amendment all along- equal protection for all race groups, not
just Blacks and Whites. Thanks to the hard work of young Chicano activists, it was declared
unlawful to detain students from obtaining an education for unjust reasons such as not speaking
English. In addition, the Equal Opportunity Act of 1974 added more bilingual education
programs to schools across the country. (Francisco A. Rosales, Chicano! The History of the
Mexican American Civil Rights Movement).
Native Americans and Mexican Americans demonstrated that a dog could only be
mistreated so long until it too decides to bite back. The Native Americans seemed to be the more
aggressive of the two dogs, biting hard and refusing to let go while the Mexican Americans
ability to maintain its temper and bite back as if only to evoke awareness of its frustration,
resulted in a greater understanding of their cause. In conclusion, the Native American and
Mexican American Civil Rights Movements were catalyzed by similar issues of poverty and
unemployment however, there methods in pursuing equality to the rest of those living in the
United States rewarded the Mexican Americans with the advantage of a better recognition and
reason to receive civil rights. While they nonviolently demonstrated their worth for equality, the
Native Americans demonstrated poor behavior encouraging no US official to vote toward their
cause. It is important to know history exactly for situations like these. When someone achieves
something you hope to achieve someday as well, follow their method, not try the complete
opposite.

Works Cited:
1) Locklear, Carnell. "Documenting the American South: Oral Histories of the American
South." Interview by Malinda Maynor and Willie Lowery. Documenting the American
South: Oral Histories of the American South. University Library, 24 Feb. 2004. Web. 7
Apr. 2013. <http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/U-0007/excerpts/excerpt_1806.html>.
2) Dee. "Living through the Civil Rights Movement. Is There HOPE for the Future?" Web
log post. Immigration Talk with a Mexican American. N.p., 20 Mar. 2009. Web. 7 Apr.
2013. <http://immigrationmexicanamerican.blogspot.com/2009/03/living-through-civilrights-movement-is.html>.
3) Chavez, Cesar. "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." Cesar Chavez Foundation. N.p.,
12 Jan. 1990. Web. 7 Apr. 2013.
4) Rosales, Francisco A. Chicano!: The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights
Movement. Houston, TX: Arte Publico, 1996. Print.
5) Olson, James Stuart, Mark Baxter, Jason M. Tetzloff, and Darren Pierson. Encyclopedia
of American Indian Civil Rights. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1997. Print.
6) Miner, Marlyce. "The American Indian Movement." N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2013.

<http://moh.tie.net/content/docs/AIM.pdf>.