Repatriation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans

Being a U.S. citizen at the time of the Great Depression must have been very tough; but being a Mexican immigrant at the time was even tougher. Mexican immigrants had to work hard to barely support themselves, while at the same time trying not to get deported. Even though the U.S. was not stable at the time, Mexico was a worse place to be. Mexican immigrants came to America in search to live the "American Dream". In return, these people were being payed very little or were unemployed. Since many unemployed Americans were upset that illegal immigrants were working instead of them, Americans would deport the immigrants. In the reading, it even said that people who looked like they were Mexican would get deported due to how angry some unemployed people were. Imagine working one day and somebody thinking you were Mexican got you deported and you got sent to a country that you didn't even speak their language. From all the different groups of people that I have read about during the time of the depression, I would say Mexican Americans had it the hardest.

Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression (1970)

After reading about Arthur A. Robertson, I realized that not everyone in the U.S. was in poverty at the time of the Great Depression.  Before reading this interview, the only stories that I heard about in class were about people in the U.S. that were hurt by the depression. Robertson on the other hand, was able to maintain his wealth. When it came to stocks, Robertson was a successful gambler. In my mind, his way of being successful was very smart. He said, “…I was known as a scavenger. I used to buy broken-down businesses that banks took over” (Terkel 100, 101). Robertson would take advantage of failed businesses and buy them and bring the business back up on its feet until he could sell it for a higher price. He had very smart tactics and knew when to stop. Other people did not know when to stop, such as Jesse Livermore. At times, Livermore was worth millions of dollars. However, he would never quit and take the money. He went bankrupt several times and later killed himself to end his misery. Robertson described Livermore’s situation as, “The poor fellow had lost everything he could lay his hands on. He asked for a $5,000 loan, which, of course, I gave him. Three days later, Jesse had gone to eat breakfast in the Sherry-Netherlands, went to the lavatory and shot himself” (Terkel 103). Livermore could have stopped and live a wealthy life, but he was too greedy just like the majority of the people at the time and gambled it all away.

When I read about Ed Paulson and his memories during the depression, I was stunned. I knew that times were rough but some things he said were jaw dropping. When Paulson was talking about trying to find work, I felt very upset. He said, “I’d get up at five in the morning and head for the waterfront. Outside the Spreckles Sugar Refinery, outside the gates, there would be a thousand men. You knew dang well there’s only three or four jobs” (Terkel 92). Out of one thousand men trying to get a job that pays very little, only four men would be given the job. 996 people would have to move on to find another poor job. The worst part was that this was occurring in towns all over the country. Thousands of people would be fighting for limited jobs. After not getting a job, Paulson talked about his mishaps on the freight trains. He said, “We grab the midnight freight and get off at Phoenix… We make an orange freight… Clear to Kansas City…” (Terkel 96). Paulson would go on freights to look for jobs in other towns knowing that the odds of finding a job were very slim. I feel very bad for people unemployed during the time of the Great Depression because it was very hard to support a family, and also very hard to find work.

Blog 1: American Dreams Lost and Found

C.P. Ellis can be described as a Ku Klux Klan member, a union man, and many more things. Even though Ellis was a Klansman, that does not necessarily mean that he is a bad person. At first, when I started reading about Ellis, I did not think much of him. I thought of him as another Klansman that did not see the good in anyone or anything. As I kept reading on, I realized he is actually a decent man. He was a poor white man that worked hard seven days a week in order to barely support his family. He was angry at his life and had to blame it on somebody so he decided to blame it on the blacks. He joined the Klan but later realized what he was doing was wrong. Talking about the blacks, he said, “I found out they’re people just like me. They cried, they cussed, they prayed, they had desires. Just like myself” (68). Ellis realized that despite skin color, there was no difference between the whites and blacks. This connects to the March on Selma. When thousands of whites saw how brutal people were treating blacks, they realized that blacks should be treated with the same respect as white because they are people just like whites. The one thing I was confused about was why would people nominate Ellis to be chairman of a committee that works to fix racial problems if Ellis himself was a Klansman at the time? Besides that, I gained respect for Ellis because he changed his thoughts on racism. The second story I read was about Leonel I. Castillo, the former director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. When reading this, I felt an immediate connection to the illegal immigration discussions taking place as we speak. Castillo opened my eyes even more about the topic of immigration. Talking about an illegal immigrant, Castillo said, “He works as a busboy all night long. They pay him minimum or less, and work him hard. He’ll never complain” (78). Illegal immigrants come to the U.S. to live a better life. In reality, they are being given low incomes and long work hours. What I wonder from this is why? Why does our country reward some of our hardest workers with very little?