In the early 1940’s inhabitants of Los Angeles experience widespread tension and conflict that ultimately led to the Zoot Suit riots. During WWII, Southern California was a vital military outpost with stations scattered from San Diego through Los Angeles, resulting in thousands of active servicemen deployed in the area. Along with these social tensions come the influence of jazz music that developed into a rich culture that flourished throughout Los Angeles area (PBS). Big band and swing music were popular during this time period but it was the growth of Jazz music that led all these different ethnicities such as Mexican, Filipino, Irish, and African American citizens to wear “Zoot Suits”. This symbolic attire defined the subculture that embodied ethnic life in 1940s Los Angeles. Analyzing the movie Zoot Suits, we are able to depict a detailed picture of the 1940’s atmosphere based off of the play’s
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Men were sent off to fight in the war while women were sent to work in industrial factories to produce goods and machinery for Allies. Because of this, citizens left behind were resented and were seen as running away from war. This caused much of the conflict and friction between servicemen and Latino zoot-suiters as while “Americans” were being shipped off and dying in order to protect the homeland, they felt as if it was unfair that these ethnic groups did not contribute to the United States. In my opinion, this was an extremely large driving factor to widespread discrimination. On the other hand, It did however strengthen the Latino culture allowing it to be passed on in my family, all the way down to my grandchildren. Racial and class separation in the 1940s heavily influenced cultural retention(Sanchez). We did not do this as an act of resistance but it was a by product and a condition of the sentiments during the
Men were sent off to fight in the war while women were sent to work in industrial factories to produce goods and machinery for Allies. Because of this, citizens left behind were resented and were seen as running away from war. This caused much of the conflict and friction between servicemen and Latino zoot-suiters as while “Americans” were being shipped off and dying in order to protect the homeland, they felt as if it was unfair that these ethnic groups did not contribute to the United States. In my opinion, this was an extremely large driving factor to widespread discrimination. On the other hand, It did however strengthen the Latino culture allowing it to be passed on in my family, all the way down to my grandchildren. Racial and class separation in the 1940s heavily influenced cultural retention(Sanchez). We did not do this as an act of resistance but it was a by product and a condition of the sentiments during the