Significant to Whom?: Mexican Americans and the History of the American West

Abstract

In this period in which we mark both the quincentenary of Columbus's voyages and the centennial of FrederickJackson Turner's ruminations on the significance of the frontier to American history, it has become fashionable to pose questions about the contributions and significance of various groups of minority people to the pluralistic culture of the United States. While most of the institutions sponsoring such observances appear to be well-intentioned, too few seem to recognize that framing these questions in this manner (once again) encourages a reproduction of modes of analysis which virtually guarantee that the categories minority and majority-and the asymmetrical relationships of power that they imply-will continue to persist, and be reinforced. When we ask questions in this manner, at some level we accept the premise that the significance of one group of people must be explained with reference to some other group. This is not to assert, however, that thinking about the relationship of minority peoples to the history of the West cannot provide useful insights. On the contrary, in considering Mexican American history one might argue that the debate about the significance or importance of ethnic Mexican people in the West has reflected the central themes of the social and political history of the region. Whether one considers initial Mexican resistance to American exploration of the Mexican Northwest (a territory now encompassing the five southwestern states plus Nevada and Utah); Mexicans' active resistance to American imperialism during the Mexican American War; or ethnic Mexicans' subsequent campaigns to achieve the full