The Interconnectedness of Mexico and the United States: Analyzing Changes and Continuities

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:

In Undocumented Lives: The Untold Story of Mexican Migration, Ana Raquel Minian provides a groundbreaking history of undocumented migration between Mexico and the United States in the period following the termination of the Bracero Program. A strength of her study is her nuanced reconstruction of the experiences of migrants themselves, who by the 1970s found themselves pushed by family members and quietly encouraged by the Mexican state to engage in circular migration. This phenomenon transformed notions of community and belonging for migrants while building on existing practices of migration established before, during, and following the Bracero Program. It also led to new ways by which migrants contributed to their communities. By also documenting how Mexican and US policies on migration changed over time, Minian then explains why circular migration increased and then largely came to an end, leading to what migrants describe as the “jaula de oro” or cage of gold, the sense of feeling trapped in the United States, unable to return to Mexico.
Undocumented Lives can be read not just as a history of undocumented migration, but also as a contribution to the long history of relations between Mexico and the United States, one that emphasizes the interconnectedness of these two countries. It can also be read as adding to historical scholarship on the Mexican state’s relationship with its citizens. As such, it engages two themes that have been central to this course.
Using BOTH Ana Raquel Minian’s Undocumented Lives AND lecture and course materials, please write a well-organized, thoughtful final exam paper of at least five pages in which you present a historical analysis and argument. Your work should take a position in response to ONE of the following TWO questions:
1. Has the relationship between Mexico and the United States changed substantially since the 1820s, or has it largely remained the same? If you decide to argue that it has changed substantially, in what ways has this been the case? If you decide to argue that it has largely remained the same, what are the continuities that span the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries?
2. Did the Mexican Revolution fundamentally transform the relationship between the Mexican state and its citizens, or did that relationship largely remain the same over time? If you decide to argue that it fundamentally transformed that relationship, in what ways has this been the case? If you decide to argue that the relationship largely remained the same, what are the continuities that span the periods before and following the revolution? Using BOTH Ana Raquel Minian’s Undocumented Lives AND lecture and course materials, please write a well-organized, thoughtful final exam paper of at least five pages in which you present a historical analysis and argument. Your work should take a position in response to ONE of the following TWO questions:
In answering either of these two questions, please be aware that the argument you develop may suggest that change took place in certain ways, but not in others. In other words, the Mexican state may have tried to engage its citizens in novel ways in, say, the 1930 and the 1960s, but certain underlying continuities in its treatment of ordinary people endured. Alternatively, the United States may have sought to build a different kind of relationship with Mexico at particular moments, but underlying those efforts were practices that continued over time. It is good to recognize and discuss these nuances and make them part of your argument.
As with the first and second midterm papers, you may wish to emphasize particular periods or themes in developing your answer to the prompt. For example, you may find that discussing the Mexican-American War, the Porfiriato, the Cárdenas administration, and the 1970s proves especially helpful for developing an argument about relations between the United States and Mexico. Similarly, focusing on the 1850s, the Porfiriato, the Cárdenas administration, the Mexican Miracle, and the 1990s could be valuable for developing an argument about relations between the Mexican state and its citizens. Themes of Indigenous survivance, rural life, modernization, and activist movements may also prove useful here. As part of your answer, be sure to discuss the theme of migration and draw on Ana Raquel Minian’s work.
Please keep in mind that this is not an exercise in simply summarizing and repeating the analyses I have offered in lectures, the content of Minian’s work, and the argument she presents. You should engage these materials, but this is ultimately an exercise in historical interpretation and an opportunity for you to take a position of your own about Mexico’s history since independence. At the same time, in the absence of a standard final exam, this final exam paper is also a chance for you to convey your grasp of these course materials. Please draw on them to develop your argument, including quotes as well as paraphrasing content with citations. Additionally, you may bring in some of the materials we have examined online to support your work. For example, you may find the murals in the exhibition “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945” valuable in answering either of the questions above.
Please check the rubric and follow it.

HOW TO WORK ON THIS ASSIGNMENT (EXAMPLE ESSAY / DRAFT)

Introduction: The history of Mexico-US relations and the Mexican state’s relationship with its citizens has been a topic of interest among scholars for many years. In her book, Undocumented Lives: The Untold Story of Mexican Migration, Ana Raquel Minian examines the experiences of undocumented migrants between Mexico and the United States. Minian provides a nuanced reconstruction of the experiences of migrants, highlighting the transformative effect of circular migration on notions of community and belonging for migrants. This paper will argue that the relationship between Mexico and the United States has changed substantially since the 1820s and that the Mexican Revolution fundamentally transformed the relationship between the Mexican state and its citizens. This argument will draw on course materials, including the murals in the exhibition “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945” and Minian’s book.

Body: The relationship between Mexico and the United States has changed substantially since the 1820s. Before the Mexican-American War, the United States had little interest in Mexico. However, after the war, the United States acquired a significant amount of Mexican territory, leading to tensions between the two countries. The United States intervention in Mexican affairs continued throughout the twentieth century, as the US supported various factions in the Mexican Revolution and backed military regimes that were hostile to democratic movements in Mexico.

The Mexican Revolution fundamentally transformed the relationship between the Mexican state and its citizens. The Revolution marked the beginning of a new era in which the Mexican state sought to engage its citizens in novel ways. For example, the Cárdenas administration implemented land reforms and other policies aimed at improving the lives of ordinary Mexicans. These policies were largely successful, as they helped to reduce poverty and improve living conditions for many Mexicans.

Minian’s book emphasizes the transformative effect of circular migration on notions of community and belonging for migrants. Circular migration allowed migrants to maintain ties with their communities of origin while also contributing to their communities in the United States. This phenomenon transformed notions of community and belonging for migrants, building on existing practices of migration established before, during, and following the Bracero Program. However, circular migration came to an end, leading to what migrants describe as the “jaula de oro” or cage of gold, the sense of feeling trapped in the United States, unable to return to Mexico.

The murals in the exhibition “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945” also provide valuable insight into Mexico’s history since independence. The murals reflect the social, political, and cultural changes that took place in Mexico during this period. The murals highlight the struggles of ordinary Mexicans and celebrate the country’s rich cultural heritage. They also emphasize the importance of education, social justice, and democracy.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the relationship between Mexico and the United States has changed substantially since the 1820s, and the Mexican Revolution fundamentally transformed the relationship between the Mexican state and its citizens. The transformative effect of circular migration on notions of community and belonging for migrants, as highlighted in Minian’s book, also contributes to our understanding of Mexico’s history since independence. The murals in the exhibition “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945” provide valuable insight into Mexico’s social, political, and cultural changes during the early twentieth century. By drawing on course materials, this paper has presented a historical analysis and argument that takes a position on the relationship between Mexico and the United States and the Mexican state’s relationship with its citizens.