The topic I chose for my online presentation was the Zoot Suit Riots. The reason why I chose the zoot suits is because it shows that racial tensions go far beyond African Americans, Whites or any other race. While most textbooks and history lessons oversee the struggles that Latinos have had to face.
In the early 1940s, many young Latino males wore the Zoot Suits as a statement of their generation. The Zoot Suit are men’s suits that consisted of large high-waisted balloon pants, peg-legged trousers, a long dangling chain, a long baggy coat, and sometimes a wide-brimmed hat. Young Latino males that wore these suits were called the “Zoot-Suits”. The Zoot suits referred to themselves as pachucos, this word meant punk. The Pachucos were seen as being too different, foreign, dangerous and as criminals. The media played a big part in people seeing them in this way, it was always very negative. …show more content…
The riots began on the night of June 3, 1943, a group of sailors stated that they had been jumped and beaten by a group of Mexican American zoot-suiters. After this incident about 200 sailors hired cabs and headed into the Mexican American communities in East Los Angeles seeking out the zoot suiters. The sailors then stripped the zoot-suiters on the spot and then beat and burned or urinated on their clothes. In the news the servicemen were being portrayed as heroes, which they were fighting against the Mexican American violent and rebellious
In the early 1940s, many young Latino males wore the Zoot Suits as a statement of their generation. The Zoot Suit are men’s suits that consisted of large high-waisted balloon pants, peg-legged trousers, a long dangling chain, a long baggy coat, and sometimes a wide-brimmed hat. Young Latino males that wore these suits were called the “Zoot-Suits”. The Zoot suits referred to themselves as pachucos, this word meant punk. The Pachucos were seen as being too different, foreign, dangerous and as criminals. The media played a big part in people seeing them in this way, it was always very negative. …show more content…
The riots began on the night of June 3, 1943, a group of sailors stated that they had been jumped and beaten by a group of Mexican American zoot-suiters. After this incident about 200 sailors hired cabs and headed into the Mexican American communities in East Los Angeles seeking out the zoot suiters. The sailors then stripped the zoot-suiters on the spot and then beat and burned or urinated on their clothes. In the news the servicemen were being portrayed as heroes, which they were fighting against the Mexican American violent and rebellious