The Zoot Suit Riots

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Introduction

The Zoot Suit riots are among one of the most important and significant events to happen not only in Los Angeles but also in the United States, because it showed the underlying racism that was prevalent in the nation at the time. They happened at a time when the United States was at war, in 1943, and the nation had gained a lot through its war industry. It was a time when many Mexicans had chosen to immigrate to the United States so that they would be able to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that were available in the country. While this may have been the case, the presence of so many Mexicans in the country, especially in Los Angeles, led to the rise of resentment amongst the local, mainly white, population. This was due to the fact that the Mexican immigrants were perceived as a direct threat to the lives of Americans, since they were often implicated in matters concerning crime and gang violence. Despite the wrongfulness of the American stereotype of the local Hispanic population, the fact that they were present in the United States and that they had made a life for themselves in their adopted country against all odds that were set against them put local public opinion in opposition to them.

The fact that members of the American navy, many of whom had never set foot in Los Angeles, chose to attack members of the Hispanic population in the city, with wide public support is among some of the worst racist incidents to happen in the United States. It is possible that the feeling of losing control had become almost unbearable for the white population because of the growing confidence of Mexican Americans in their new environment. The Mexican Americans had come to the United States with barely anything to their names but by the 1940s, they were becoming an increasingly prosperous people, since they took advantage of almost every opportunity that came their way to make it in their adopted country. For quite a large number of them, their coming to America and starting their lives anew, away from the poverty prevalent in their home country was indeed the achievement of the American dream. The growing prosperity and presence of Mexican Americans in Los Angeles, as well as in other parts of the United States may have been behind the motivation of the American servicemen to attack these people in what became known as the zoot suit riots.

Literature Review

For an entire week in 1943, during the Second World War, white American servicemen moved about the streets of Los Angeles, attacking anyone whom they found to be wearing the then fashionable zoot suit. This type of clothing was most common among the Mexican American men and these incidents seem to have been aimed