The notion that California, and by extension the entirety of the American Southwest, was “stolen” from Mexico has been repeated with such frequency and moral certainty that in many quarters it now passes for established historical fact.
A fine deconstruction of the mythology that has been aggressively pushed throughout California since the 1970s. It's this type of essay, the sort that moves the reader along at a consistent pace that's not too breezy but certainly not trudging all while hitting the factual hallmarks to present his argument in a manner that withstands scrutiny and challenge, that is very much needed in the discourse today. Chad's definitely a must-read writer and we should thank him for it. I just did, I subscribed. ~ Mark
Nice to see my 'homeland' get some love on the dissident Right, for all of its faults (and there are many of them) California is a beautiful state, a sort of Paradise Lost when viewed at the right angle. However, we should not glamorize pre-1965 California as some sort of White paradise, for it, just as it does today, epitomizes the worst of Western bourgeois decadent materialism. The rampant degeneracy of San Francisco has always been a characteristic of the city, going back to the gold rush days when the city was rife with brothels and opium dens. Hollywood has always been a communist institution, going back to all of those 'patriotic' WW2 films about defeating those evil Germans. Copy+paste suburban sprawl is a blight on the state's unique and beautiful rugged wilderness, from its endangered oak savannahs to the yuppie ski resorts high in the Sierra Nevada. In the 1970's serial killers ran rampant, many of whom explicitly targeted Whites.
That isn't to say that all hope is lost. We talk a lot on the dissident Right about cultural reinvigoration and renaissance; one of the biggest mistakes we can make is idolizing the 'Surfin U.S.A.' California and its hedonistic boomers who to this day run the state into the ground. California, like every worthwhile place in the Western world, should be seen as a canvas for a new type of Right-futurism, one that goes beyond the conservative utopia of America as one giant Woolworth's.
When I started school in 1960 in North Texas it was during segregation. There was one Mexican girl in our class. I don't think there were enough Mexican students to justify separate schools if segregation were in force. I've read that 25% of Texas students now require English language instruction.
👏👏👏 A phenomenal and essential piece, Mr. Crowley! The American Southwest was never really part of Mexico in any significant way. California was sparsely populated by Mexicans and Mexican authority out there was fragmented and weak. It was white Americans who came in and built up California, developed it and founded the cities and towns where hundreds of thousands if not millions live today. This is not to ignore the Mexicans and Native Americans who lived in the area at the time or to say they played no part in the state’s history. But it was the white settlers both from other states and from immigrant stock who made California what it would become. Today it has one of the wealthiest and biggest economies on Earth.
In Texas, there was a Tejano population but again it was small and sparse. Not to mention the Comanches were always attacking it and Mexican government authority out there was once again, weak and feeble and not able to assert itself. That’s why the Mexican authorities invited in white American settlers to come live in Texas. They could serve as a buffer and a shield against constant Comanche and other hostile tribes raiding. Increasing their population and strengthening their hold on the territory in turn.
As they did in California, the Anglo settlers along with their Tejano neighbors and black slaves, built up, economically developed and made thrive the new territory. Was slavery a big part of that? Yes. But two things: 1) Slaves picking cotton was far from the only way Texas generated wealth. You also had: Cattle ranching, timber, oil, and railroads and transportation. Not every Anglo was a mustache twirling evil villain who tyrannized over black people. 2) Tejanos also held slaves as well. Brave Anglos and Tejanos seeking full independence for themselves from Mexico City defeated Mexico in the Texas War of Independence in 1836 and a decade later was annexed by the United States.
Then came the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. The United States tried to buy the Southwest Territories from Mexico but the Mexicans wouldn’t budge. While also this was going on American and Mexican troops had a small skirmish on disputed territory in the Rio Grande that would ultimately trigger the war that followed. The United States would defeat Mexico pretty swiftly and in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo would acquire the Southwest Territories. The United States didn’t “steal” the Southwest from Mexico, they conquered them fair and square in the war.
Were the Tejanos and others of Mexican descent treated as second-class citizens after the territory became part of the United States? Yes. That was wrong and I’m not defending it. But the territory rightfully belongs to the United States of America. American blood was shed to get us this land. Mexican blood was also shed yes and it is not my purpose to degrade the courage of the Mexican soldiers who died defending these territories and their country, in the Mexican-American War. But that our soldiers gave everything so America could be a nation from sea to shining sea. Never forget that! These La Raza people need to read a history book and stop being a public nuisance. You guys are Americans NOT Mexicans!
America owes Mexico absolutely nothing! We didn’t steal anything from them. None of this is to justify or dismiss, that Mexicans, blacks and Native Americans were second-class citizens in the American Southwest for a long time or to say the Anglo settlers in the Southwest didn’t get up to their fair share of scummy stuff. But those Anglo settlers and European immigrants made these states the thriving bastions of prosperity, innovation, culture, and commerce they are today.
A fine deconstruction of the mythology that has been aggressively pushed throughout California since the 1970s. It's this type of essay, the sort that moves the reader along at a consistent pace that's not too breezy but certainly not trudging all while hitting the factual hallmarks to present his argument in a manner that withstands scrutiny and challenge, that is very much needed in the discourse today. Chad's definitely a must-read writer and we should thank him for it. I just did, I subscribed. ~ Mark
Mark, thank you for your kind words and your generous patronage. I’m deeply honored.
So many Mexicans I know believe that they are native Americans and call California Mexico. We need to dispel this myth!
Nice to see my 'homeland' get some love on the dissident Right, for all of its faults (and there are many of them) California is a beautiful state, a sort of Paradise Lost when viewed at the right angle. However, we should not glamorize pre-1965 California as some sort of White paradise, for it, just as it does today, epitomizes the worst of Western bourgeois decadent materialism. The rampant degeneracy of San Francisco has always been a characteristic of the city, going back to the gold rush days when the city was rife with brothels and opium dens. Hollywood has always been a communist institution, going back to all of those 'patriotic' WW2 films about defeating those evil Germans. Copy+paste suburban sprawl is a blight on the state's unique and beautiful rugged wilderness, from its endangered oak savannahs to the yuppie ski resorts high in the Sierra Nevada. In the 1970's serial killers ran rampant, many of whom explicitly targeted Whites.
That isn't to say that all hope is lost. We talk a lot on the dissident Right about cultural reinvigoration and renaissance; one of the biggest mistakes we can make is idolizing the 'Surfin U.S.A.' California and its hedonistic boomers who to this day run the state into the ground. California, like every worthwhile place in the Western world, should be seen as a canvas for a new type of Right-futurism, one that goes beyond the conservative utopia of America as one giant Woolworth's.
Excellent article, as usual.
Thank you!
Excellent work, brother.
When I started school in 1960 in North Texas it was during segregation. There was one Mexican girl in our class. I don't think there were enough Mexican students to justify separate schools if segregation were in force. I've read that 25% of Texas students now require English language instruction.
👏👏👏 A phenomenal and essential piece, Mr. Crowley! The American Southwest was never really part of Mexico in any significant way. California was sparsely populated by Mexicans and Mexican authority out there was fragmented and weak. It was white Americans who came in and built up California, developed it and founded the cities and towns where hundreds of thousands if not millions live today. This is not to ignore the Mexicans and Native Americans who lived in the area at the time or to say they played no part in the state’s history. But it was the white settlers both from other states and from immigrant stock who made California what it would become. Today it has one of the wealthiest and biggest economies on Earth.
In Texas, there was a Tejano population but again it was small and sparse. Not to mention the Comanches were always attacking it and Mexican government authority out there was once again, weak and feeble and not able to assert itself. That’s why the Mexican authorities invited in white American settlers to come live in Texas. They could serve as a buffer and a shield against constant Comanche and other hostile tribes raiding. Increasing their population and strengthening their hold on the territory in turn.
As they did in California, the Anglo settlers along with their Tejano neighbors and black slaves, built up, economically developed and made thrive the new territory. Was slavery a big part of that? Yes. But two things: 1) Slaves picking cotton was far from the only way Texas generated wealth. You also had: Cattle ranching, timber, oil, and railroads and transportation. Not every Anglo was a mustache twirling evil villain who tyrannized over black people. 2) Tejanos also held slaves as well. Brave Anglos and Tejanos seeking full independence for themselves from Mexico City defeated Mexico in the Texas War of Independence in 1836 and a decade later was annexed by the United States.
Then came the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. The United States tried to buy the Southwest Territories from Mexico but the Mexicans wouldn’t budge. While also this was going on American and Mexican troops had a small skirmish on disputed territory in the Rio Grande that would ultimately trigger the war that followed. The United States would defeat Mexico pretty swiftly and in the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo would acquire the Southwest Territories. The United States didn’t “steal” the Southwest from Mexico, they conquered them fair and square in the war.
Were the Tejanos and others of Mexican descent treated as second-class citizens after the territory became part of the United States? Yes. That was wrong and I’m not defending it. But the territory rightfully belongs to the United States of America. American blood was shed to get us this land. Mexican blood was also shed yes and it is not my purpose to degrade the courage of the Mexican soldiers who died defending these territories and their country, in the Mexican-American War. But that our soldiers gave everything so America could be a nation from sea to shining sea. Never forget that! These La Raza people need to read a history book and stop being a public nuisance. You guys are Americans NOT Mexicans!
America owes Mexico absolutely nothing! We didn’t steal anything from them. None of this is to justify or dismiss, that Mexicans, blacks and Native Americans were second-class citizens in the American Southwest for a long time or to say the Anglo settlers in the Southwest didn’t get up to their fair share of scummy stuff. But those Anglo settlers and European immigrants made these states the thriving bastions of prosperity, innovation, culture, and commerce they are today.
Same for Hawaii, is it?