Zoot Suit Riots Analysis

It is without a doubt that World War II had a great impact on our nation as a whole. This is because the war required changes and sacrifices for most individuals and was viewed as one’s patriotic duty. As with any life changing event, there were bad and good consequences that were a direct result of World War II. Significant changes took place during World War II that directly affected Mexicans in the United States. Although there were some positive effects on a national level, most remembered are the negative ones that impacted the Mexican communities in Los Angeles, California. It is what became to be known as the Zoot Suit Riots. To understand the Mexican community’s point of view of their treatment during the riots, one first needs to
One contributing factor was the pro war posters placed for all to view. The posters encouraged community effort to support the war through gardening, carpooling, rationing and purchasing bonds. The people portrayed in these posters appeared to be of Caucasian descent while the enemies were portrayed with color and black hair. Suspicion of who to trust was also put in the public’s mind with a poster illustrating a woman with dark hair and eyes that had a grim stare. No doubt the color of people illustrated on the posters guided the public’s mind to believe that people of any color other than white were the enemy (Prater 2014). In addition, while the country was at war there was a constant fear and talk of spies and traitors among civilians. This fear led to the suspicion that secret agents of the enemy had successfully influenced the Mexican-American youth making them traitors. Of course signs posted at various locations around town stating things such as “No Mexicans” and “No Dogs, Mexicans, Negros” not only served as a reminder to Mexicans on how they were viewed, but also made the White people feel justified in their prejudice towards