Essay On The Zoot Suit Riots

In the United States, prior to the World War II, the large influx of Latino population to some states brought the fear to local residents from foreigners. In the Los Angeles area the large numbers of US soldiers were stationed during the War, and soon the conflicts between them and Latino youth broke out. One of the conflicts that were important for the recognition of Mexican-Americans in the United States was the “Zoot Suit Riots”, which is known as a series of attacks, in June 1943, by white American servicemen against Mexican-American youth. It had a significant effect on ethnic consciousness among young Mexican-Americans and for the recognition of their identity within American culture. The creation of the zoot suit traces to Harlem in the mid to late 1930s, when tailors began making them out of wool or colorful varieties of rayon. “Although its exact origin is unknown, the term “zoot suit” appears to have come from the rhyming slang, or jive, spoken in the African-American community at the time” (Peiss, K, 2011). Even the suits differed in color they all looked similar and symbolized a unit among the ostracized group. It is believed that
In August 1942, the young man, Jose Diaz, was found dead in the southeast of LA, and the case became known as Sleepy Lagoon Murder. Young men, Mexican-Americans, who belonged to the 38th street club were put on trial and charged with murder. The two years later the district court of appeals canceled the decision of the lower court that found them the guilty, and stated that most of the decision to convict them was based on prejudice. The Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial was just one of the steps towards the fight for civil rights of