Democratizing Texas Politics: Race, Identity, and Mexican American Empowerment, 1945-2002 (Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life, and Culture)

Winner, Outstanding Book Award, NACCS Tejas Foco Award for Non-Fiction, National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Tejas, 2015 By the beginning of the twenty-first century, Texas led the nation in the number of Latino officeholders, despite the state's violent history of racial conflict. Exploring this and other seemingly contradictory realities of Texas's political landscape since World War II, Democratizing Texas Politics captures powerful, interrelated forces that drive intriguing legislative dynamics. These factors include the long history of Mexican American activism; population growth among Mexican American citizens of voting age; increased participation among women and minorities at state and national levels in the Democratic Party, beginning in the 1960s; the emergence of the Republican Party as a viable alternative for Southern conservatives; civil rights legislation; and the transition to a more representative two-party system thanks to liberal coalitions. Culling extensive archival research, including party records and those of both Latino activists and Anglo elected officials, as well as numerous interviews with leading figures and collected letters of some of Texas's most prominent voices, Benjamin Márquez traces the slow and difficult departure from a racially uniform political class to a diverse one. As Texas transitioned to a more representative two-party system, the threat of racial tension and political exclusion spurred Mexican Americans to launch remarkably successful movements to ensure their incorporation. The resulting success and dilemmas of racially based electoral mobilization, embodied in pivotal leaders such as Henry B. Gonzalez and Tony Sanchez, is vividly explored in Democratizing Texas Politics . In 1940 There Were Virtually No Mexican American Elected Officials In Texas At Any Level Of Government. By The Turn Of The Century That Was No Longer True. In Fact, Mexican Americans In Texas Had Effectively Reached Parity With Their White Counterparts In Elected Office. This Book Tells The Story Of This Dramatic Transition In Texas Politics And Seeks To Explain It Utilizing Original Archival Research, Hours Of Interviews With Leading Figures, And The Collected Letters Of Some Of Texas' Most Important Politicians And Activists. The Departure From A Racially Uniform Political Class In Texas To Incorporate Mexican Americans Was Slow And Difficult. Mexican Americans Rarely Won Easy Victories And The Concessions They Received Were Often Yielded With Reluctance. Threatened With Racial Tension, Minority Status And Political Exclusion, It Is Perhaps Surprising That Mexican Americans Were So Successfully Incorporated. I Argue That Their Incorporation Was The Culmination Of Six Interrelated Political Processes: The Long History Of Political Organization Among Mexican Americans In Texas That Had Established An Effective Corps Of Leaders, An Increasing Proportion Of The Voting-age Population, New Democratic Party Policies Developed To Increase The Representation Of Women And Minorities, A Reinvigorated Republican Party That Absorbed Conservative Voters And Weakened Resistance To Racial Reform In The Democratic Party, The Civil Rights Legislation Of The 1960s, And Finally, An Alliance With Anglo Liberals That Facilitated The Transition To A More Representative Two-party System In Texas-- Mexican Americans And Social Change -- The 1950s: A Decade In Flux -- The Dilemmas Of Ethnic Solidarity -- The Quiet Revolution -- A Two-party State -- Tony Sánchez For Governor -- The Long And Grinding Road. By Benjamin Márquez. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 179-241) And Index. "In 1940 there were virtually no Mexican American elected officials in Texas at any level of government. By the turn of the century that was no longer true. In fact, Mexican Americans in Texas had effectively reached parity with their white counterparts in elected office. This book tells the story of this dramatic transition in Texas politics and seeks to explain it utilizing original archival research, hours of interviews with leading figures, and the collected letters of some of Texas' most important politicians and activists. The departure from a racially uniform political class in Texas to incorporate Mexican Americans was slow and difficult. Mexican Americans rarely won easy victories and the concessions they received were often yielded with reluctance. Threatened with racial tension, minority status and political exclusion, it is perhaps surprising that Mexican Americans were so successfully incorporated. I argue that their incorporation was the culmination of six interrelated political processes: the long history of political organization among Mexican Americans in Texas that had established an effective corps of leaders, an increasing proportion of the voting-age population, new Democratic Party policies developed to increase the representation of women and minorities, a reinvigorated Republican Party that absorbed conservative voters and weakened resistance to racial reform in the Democratic Party, the civil rights legislation of the 1960s, and finally, an alliance with Anglo liberals that facilitated the transition to a more representative two-party system in Texas"-- Provided by publisher