Mexicans Are Classified as White

After the Mexican American war 1846 through 1848, Mexicans were classified as white after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to make them eligible for U.S. citizenship, which was legally restricted to free white persons at the time. The treaty granted citizenship to Mexicans who stayed in the annexed territories, which was considered a form of naturalization through treaty. However, this legal classification of white did not guarantee social equality or protect against discrimination, and they were often still subject to segregation and violence. To become U.S. citizens, Mexicans were given legal whiteness because the Naturalization Act of 1790 explicitly limited citizenship to white persons. The treaty allowed for Mexicans to become citizens by treaty, effectively making them white by law. This legal status did not translate into social equality. Mexicans faced ongoing discrimination and segregation, with many signs and policies that created a system of segregation. Despite being legally white, their racial identity was often complex and fluid. They were frequently treated as a separate, non white category, and some were able to pass as white, while others were officially categorized as non white on the U.S. Census. #mexican #mexicanamerican #american #census #classification #documents #records #white #america #latino #latina #hispanic #culture #cultura #heritage #media #news #citizenship #citizens #treaty #system #status #history #usa #americanhistory #mexico #chicano #americanindian #nativeamerican #native #indigenous #aboriginal #brown #civilrightsmovement #struggle #strategy #court #case #law #rules #files #spanish #europe #european #spain