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the great migration 1900–1930 5 the dominant theme of Mexican American history in the twentieth century was immigration. With the one exception of the 1930s, every decade witnessed a substantial increase in the number of Mexican immigrants entering the United states, and there is little reason to believe that this movement will be stemmed in the near future. the first major push of immigrants occurred during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Although statistics pertaining to immigration from the south are highly unreliable, it appears that over one million Mexicans entered the country at this time, joining the half million already in residence. Most settled down in the southwest, though Mexican colonies began to appear in other sections of the country as well. Given the magnitude and impact, chicano historians have labeled this transnational movement “the Great Migration.”1 MotiVes for MexicAn iMMiGrAtion it is entirely possible, as some students of American immigration suggest, that more Mexicans have immigrated into the United states than any other single national group, including both Germans and italians. one observer recently went so far as to conclude that Mexican movement north constitutes “the greatest migration of people in the history of humanity.”2 this statement appears rather grandiose, but Mexicans may indeed rank first among peoples who have made the United states their home. it is a claim, however, which is hard to substantiate, given inadequate statistics relating to the Mexican population. As hard as recordkeeping is today, it was even more difficult prior to 1930.3 the primary problem, then as now, was the surreptitious nature of much of the exodus. in fact, probably most Mexican immigrants in 1900–1930 entered the United states illegally, or at least through irregular channels. uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu mexicanos 114 during and immediately after the first World War, a series of laws were passed, culminating in the reed-Johnson immigration Act of 1924, regulating immigration into this country. While this legislation was aimed primarily at stemming the massive wave of southern and eastern europeans, immigration from the Western Hemisphere was also affected by literacy requirements and entry fees. However, given the labor needs in the country during the economic boom of the war and postwar periods, there was no serious attempt to enforce these laws as they applied to Mexicans, who were only too glad to bypass the bureaucratic red tape. consequently, many of them entered the country without official authorization, a trend that continues today. the best way to look at Mexican immigration in 1900–1930 is still, as carey McWilliams did in his pioneering work on Mexican Americans, as a movement motivated by a push-pull process; that is to say, there were certain factors in Mexico forcing citizens to leave the country, and simultaneously there were other factors in the United states, specifically the southwest, attracting them.4 tHe MexicAn reVoLUtion Let us look at Mexico first. recent interpretations of the Mexicano experience in this country have tended to accentuate the problems encountered in American society. there can be no denying that incoming Mexicans have faced severe problems, more than most immigrant groups, including racial prejudice and discrimination . yet the fact remains that since the turn of the century, Mexicans have willingly entered the United states in huge numbers, as they continue to do even today, when they are under no illusions about what life holds in store as they head north; and many have opted to remain in this alien environment, so far from the psychological security of their native villages and cities. Why have they come? Why do they continue to do so? An impartial observer must recognize, at the very least, that with all the problems they encounter, the United states still offers immigrants significant advantages over the old country. it would seem, life in Mexico is even more oppressive than life in the United states. certainly, this was the case in the first decades of the twentieth century, a period of Mexican history dominated by the revolution, a conflict which in itself indicated massive discontent among the populace. in contrast to a purely political uprising, a true revolution impacts every aspect of life—politics, economics, culture, society itself. the upheaval that Mexico experienced in 1910–1920 qualified in every respect; it was one of the few true revolutions of the twentieth century. its origins were rather modest. it began as a protest movement initiated by francisco i. Madero, a bespectacled intellectual and member of the landholding [3.145.77...

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