Arnoldo De Leon

Texans in World War II offers an informative look at the challenges and changes faced by Texans on the home front during the Second World War. This collection of essays by leading scholars of Texas history covers topics from the African American and Tejano experience to organized labor, from the expanding opportunities for women to the importance of oil and agriculture. Texans in World War II makes local the frequently studied social history of wartime, bringing it home to Texas. An eye-opening read for Texans eager to learn more about this defining era in their state's history, this book will also prove deeply informative for scholars, students, and general readers seeking detailed, definitive information about World War II and its implications for daily life, economic growth, and social and political change in the Lone Star State.

Just as the time of the vaquero is near to running its course, the days of the full-time sheep and goat shearers—tasinques—are coming to a close. So asserts author Robert Aguero, son and grandson of tasinques and recipient of the proud tradition of those who labored with their hands in the dusty corrals of the Nueces River Valley and the Edwards Plateau, harvesting the wool and mohair that fueled the industry known by the shearers and their families as la trasquila. Aguero, himself a veteran of the shearing sheds, offers stories and perspectives gleaned both from personal experience and interviews with dozens of individuals intimately connected with the Central Texas wool and mohair industry. From the docienteros—virtuosos able to shear 200 animals or more per day—to the rancheros—the owners of the ranches who hired the shearing crews, year after year—Aguero has captured the essence of a way of life that is rapidly passing into history. The work opens with a foreword by esteemed historian Arnoldo De LeÓn. A host of photographs accompanies the narrative, capturing visually the dust, sweat, and noise of the atajo—the shearing pen—along with the pride in accomplishment that characterizes the tasinque tradition. Robert Aguero’s Shearing Sheep and Angora Goats the Texas Way: A Legacy of Pride both documents and pays homage to an honored way of life and livelihood that is disappearing from the region.

Mexican Americans in West Texas is an essential work investigating the human geography of a key Texas region. Its scope gives primary attention to the counties generally encompassed by the Edwards Plateau and the Trans-Pecos region, which extends from just past the Hill Country counties of Mason, Gillespie, Kerr, and Bandera, to approximately the Pecos River but also embracing the conterminous subregion that geographers identify as the Permian Basin. This book honours the conventional definition of the Trans-Pecos region, treating it as beginning at the Pecos River and heading west to Hudspeth County, the farthest reach of this endeavour. A reliance on secondary works very much dictated the time parameters of the study. For the most part, the many county histories, the several collections of essays, and the numerous articles from venues such as the Journal of Big Bend Studies, the West Texas Historical Association Year Book, and the Southwestern Historical Quarterly decreased their coverage of historical occurrences in the region somewhere around the last decades of the twentieth century. Considered broadly, the book may be deemed a synthesis of published accounts that capture the course of events and the flow of historical currents that transpired in the vast expanse west of the 100th meridian. Mexican Americans in West Texas speaks to the existence of many disparate and disunified secondary sources on West Texas, a region that has been too long overlooked in the history of the Lone Star State.

The most comprehensive, best-illustrated survey of the Lone Star State—the new, updated edition of the classic text The History of Texas offers a sweeping exploration of the Lone Star State, covering its history from the pre-Columbian period, to the era of Spanish control, to nineteenth century watershed events, through the 1900s and into the new millennium. This engaging, student-friendly textbook looks at how people of diverse politics, identity, class, ethnicity, and race shaped the state’s past and continue to influence its present. Recent knowledge on the political, social, and cultural history of Texas provides insights on the celebrated figures, unsung heroes, and ordinary people of the state’s past. The sixth edition of this classic text has been revised and updated to reflect the latest scholarship in all fields of Texas history, among them New Indian History and cultural and gender studies. The text offers fresh perspectives on Texas history, including discussions of the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, the Second World War and post-war modernization, and the state’s transition during the 1960s and into the 1980s. Revised chapters provide wide-ranging coverage of Texas in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including recent statewide and national elections and political debates. This textbook: Connects events in post-World War II Texas to the larger U. S. historical narrativeOffers substantial coverage of events occurring from 1900 to 2018Uses a chronological approach to divide chapters into easily identifiable erasIncludes engaging illustrations, maps, and tables, an appendix, and inclusive lists of recommended readingsFeatures online resources for students and instructors, including a test bank, maps, presentation slides, and more Effectively organized to better meet the needs of instructors, The History of Texas is the ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate courses in Texas history at colleges and universities across both the state and the nation.

Leaders of the Mexican American Generation explores the lives of a wide range of influential members of the US Mexican American community between 1920 and 1965 who paved the way for major changes in their social, political, and economic status within the United States. Including feminist Alice Dickerson Montemayor, to San Antonio attorney Gus García, and labor activist and scholar Ernesto Galarza, the subjects of these biographies include some of the most prominent idealists and actors of the time. Whether debating in a court of law, writing for a major newspaper, producing reports for governmental agencies, organizing workers, holding public office, or otherwise shaping space for the Mexican American identity in the United States, these subjects embody the core values and diversity of their generation. More than a chronicle of personalities who left their mark on Mexican American history, Leaders of the Mexican American Generation cements these individuals as major players in the history of activism and civil rights in the United States. It is a rich collection of historical biographies that will enlighten and enliven our understanding of Mexican American history.

Latinos in U. S. Sport: A History of Isolation, Cultural Identity, and Acceptance is the first comprehensive exploration of Latino culture and its relationship to sport in what is now the United States. Spanning a period of 500 years from the 16th century to the present and discussing a wide range of Latino communities, regions, and sports, Latinos in U. S. Sport offers an accessible examination of the Latino sporting experience in the United States by covering topics ranging from cultural issues to economics. Using newspaper accounts and primary sources as well as dissertations and scholarly articles from history, education, sport business, and other disciplines, the authors provide a thorough and enlightening account of this population’s role in U. S. sport history. The text details the experiences of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and others as it chronicles the community, school-based, and professional influences of Latinos within a variety of sports and sport contexts. The authors discuss the evolution of sport, games, and physical activity. They also examine the shifting perceptions both within and outside of the Latino community and the outcomes of these changes. The timeline within the text gives readers a visual presentation of the key events and figures in this culture’s history. The book highlights Latino athletes and teams who overcame great odds to succeed at the local, high school, collegiate, and professional levels and details the early participation of such individuals in international athletic competitions, such as the Olympics and Pan-American Games. In addition to examining well-known figures such as Nancy López, Chi Chi Rodríguez, Pancho González, and Roberto Clemente, special Unknown Heroes sidebars introduce readers to many lesser-known but influential athletes and coaches. Latinos in U. S. Sport begins by detailing the games and diversions particular to the Spanish conquistadors, various Native American groups, and the integrated culture of the mestizo, and it traces the ways in which American influence moved into these regions. Moving ahead to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the text describes how European Americans used baseball as part of their attempt to bring “civilization” to the areas of the Caribbean and the Southwest. The text also discusses how the success of Cubans and other Latin Americans within Major League and Negro League Baseball helped to challenge the perception of Spanish speakers among the broader U. S. population. The final section of the book discusses the increasing presence of Latinos in all fields of sport competition, their growing presence in management and ownership of sport franchises, and their increasing economic power as consumers of athletic events. Latinos in U. S. Sport presents a long-overdue look at the history of Latino participation in multiple facets of American sport and provides a balanced and more complete history of the contribution of Spanish-speaking people to the history of U. S. sport. The text aims to generate discussion and inspire further recognition of the influence of Latinos in the U. S. sport world.

The 3rd edition of this ground-breaking publication, the first survey of Tejanos, has been completely updated to present a concise political, cultural, and social history of Mexican Americans in Texas from the Spanish colonial era to the present day, a time when people of Mexican descent are poised to become the demographic majority in the Lone Star. Writing specifically for the college-level student and careful to include a consensus of the latest literature in this strong and continually growing field, Professor De Leon portrays Tejanos as active subjects, not merely objects, in the ongoing Texas story. Complemented by a stunning photographic essay and a helpful glossary, and featuring new biographical vignettes that now introduce and set the context for each chapter, this third edition of our well-loved text is certain to be even more engaging and relevant to readers of all levels. While the book targets a wide reading audience, it is ideally fit for classroom use. Professors teaching courses in Texas, western, and borderlands history will find it an ideal complement to their class lectures and other outside reading assignments. Of particular interest to students will be discussions describing the survival techniques Tejanos developed to withstand poverty and disadvantage, the process of assimilation over many generations, the changes engendered by the Chicano Movement of the 1960s, the role of political figures such as Jose Antonio Navarro, J T Canales, Alonso Perales, Hector P Garcia, or Irma Rangel, or the impact of court cases like which Hernandez v. Texas or Plyler v. Doe that changed the direction of Mexican American history.

Contemporary observers often quip that the American Southwest has become “Mexicanized,” but this view ignores the history of the region as well as the social reality. Mexican people and their culture have been continuously present in the territory for the past four hundred years, and Mexican Americans were actors in United States history long before the national media began to focus on them—even long before an international border existed between the United States and Mexico. North to Aztlán, an inclusive, readable, and affordable survey history, explores the Indian roots, culture, society, lifestyles, politics, and art of Mexican Americans and the contributions of the people to and their influence on American history and the mainstream culture. Though cognizant of changing interpretations that divide scholars, Drs. De León and Griswold del Castillo provide a holistic vision of the development of Mexican American society, one that attributes great importance to immigration (before and after 1900) and the ongoing influence of new arrivals on the evolving identity of Mexican Americans. Also showcased is the role of gender in shaping the cultural and political history of La Raza, as exemplified by the stories of outstanding Mexicana and Chicana leaders as well as those of largely unsung female heros, among them ranch and business owners and managers, labor leaders, community activists, and artists and writers. In short, readers will come away from this extensively revised and completely up-to-date second edition with a new understanding of the lives of a people who currently compose the largest minority in the nation. Completely revised, re-edited, and redesigned, featuring a great many new photographs and maps, North to Aztlán is certain to take its rightful place as the best college-level survey text of Americans of Mexican descent on the market today.

Most writing about Mexican Americans deals only with the twentieth century. This book provides the much-needed historical perspective that is essential for a full understanding of the present. Dozens of selections from firsthand accounts, introduced by David J Weber's essays, capture the essence of the Mexican-American experience in the Southwest from the time the first pioneers came north from Mexico. PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION: The first edition was selected as a Choice 'Outstanding Academic Book of the Year' and received the following accolades: ""An excellent job of illuminating the early historical experience of Mexicans living in the United States..."" - Western Historical Quarterly. ""Weber...has done more than compile a first-rate anthology...he has done much to put the selected accounts into a meaningful historical framework. This coupled with excellent documentary choices and extensive notes makes it the single best volume for understanding the Mexican American experience in the nineteenth-century Southwest..."" - Choice.

Once neglected, racial minorities are now the focus of intense interest among historians of the American West, who have come to recognise the roles of African American, Chinese, and Mexican people in shaping the frontier. Racial Frontiers is both a highly original work, particularly in its emphasis on racial minority women, and a masterful synthesis of the literature in this young field. De Leon depicts a US West populated by settlers anticipating opportunities for upward mobility, jockeying for position as they adapted to new surroundings, and adjusting to new political and economic systems. Minority groups discarded unworkable political traditions that had followed them from their homelands and sought to participate in a democracy that they trusted would see to their well-being. Many embraced capitalism in preference to the economic systems they had left behind but refused to give up their cultural traditions. The result was a US West of many colours. Known as a skilled writer, De Leon tells countless stories of the lives of men and women to guide the readers through his narrative. Personal histories and revealing quotations illustrate the struggles and victories of the newcomers, enriching our understanding of the settlement of the trans-Mississippi West since the middle of the nineteenth century.

A century after the first wave of Hispanic settlement in Houston, the city has come to be known as the ""Hispanic mecca of Texas."" Arnoldo De Leon's classic study of Hispanic Houston, now updated to cover recent developments and encompass a decade of additional scholarship, showcases the urban experience for Sunbelt Mexican Americans. De Leon focuses on the development of the barrios in Texas' largest city from the 1920s to the present. Following the generational model, he explores issues of acculturation and identity formation across political and social eras. This contribution to community studies, urban history, and ethnic studies was originally published in 1989 by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston. With the Center's cooperation, it is now available again for a new generation of scholars.

Tension between Anglos and Tejanos has existed in the Lone Star State since the earliest settlements. Such antagonism has produced friction between the two peoples, and whites have expressed their hostility toward Mexican Americans unabashedly and at times violently. This seminal work in the historical literature of race relations in Texas examines the attitudes of whites toward Mexicans in nineteenth-century Texas. For some, it will be disturbing reading. But its unpleasant revelations are based on extensive and thoughtful research into Texas' past. The result is important reading not merely for historians but for all who are concerned with the history of ethnic relations in our state. They Called Them Greasers argues forcefully that many who have written about Texas's past-including such luminaries as Walter Prescott Webb, Eugene C. Barker, and Rupert N. Richardson-have exhibited, in fact and interpretation, both deficiencies of research and detectable bias when their work has dealt with Anglo-Mexican relations. De LeÓn asserts that these historians overlooled an austere Anglo moral code which saw the morality of Tejanos as "defective" and that they described without censure a society that permitted traditional violence to continue because that violence allowed Anglos to keep ethnic minorities "in their place." De LeÓn's approach is psychohistorical. Many Anglos in nineteenth-century Texas saw Tejanos as lazy, lewd, un-American, subhuman. In De LeÓn's view, these attitudes were the product of a conviction that dark-skinned people were racially and culturally inferior, of a desire to see in others qualities that Anglos preferred not to see in themselves, and of a need to associate Mexicans with disorder so as to justify their continued subjugation.