The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was validated on February 2, 1848, the treaty ended the Mexican-American War. This war lasted about two years and was based on some disputes between the United States and Mexico. Mexican Americans have had difficulty obtaining first-class citizenship. Not only did they fight for citizenship, but Mexican Americans also resorted to legal remedies as part of their fight for equality under the law. In different situations, Mexicans have faced legal challenges related to segregation and discrimination, disparities in social and public services, and exclusion from juries. They also used the 14th Amendment to defend their civil rights at the national and state levels. Court cases like Re Rodriguez, Alvarez v. Lemon Grove, Mendez v. Westminster, Plyler v. Doe, and Hernandez v. Texas have made a difference for Mexican Americans to face challenges. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay During May 1896, a civil rights case took place against a Mexican American named Ricardo Rodriguez. The Ricardo Rodriguez naturalization case that took place in 1897. Which explains how the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo informed the court's decision. White people had more privileges, rights and responsibilities as citizens than others. The case of Ricardo Rodriguez explains how a landmark civil rights case began when Ricardo Rodríguez, a Mexican of modest means who had resided in San Antonio for 10 years, was brought before Judge Thomas S. Maxey's federal district court . In May 1896, Judge Thomas S. Maxey requested final approval of her application for U.S. citizenship, which would naturally grant her the right to vote. His case explains how Ricardo can be classified as a “copper-colored or red-colored man” since he has dark eyes, hair and high cheekbones. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was immediately notified of the court's decision authorizing the granting of U.S. citizenship to Mexicans who continued to live in the territory ceded after the Mexican War, if they did not declare their desire to become Mexican citizens. Between the relationship between race and citizenship, Justice Maxey stated that the Fourteenth Amendment grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, regardless of color or race. He noted: “We have freely welcomed immigrants from all nations and invested them with the rights of citizens. » Ricardo Rodriguez wanted to become a citizen of the United States because he wanted to have privileges and he also thought he had the right to become a citizen. Acosta states: “In his testimony in court, Ricardo Rodriguez acknowledged his interest in becoming a citizen. resides in his long residence in Texas. » The right to become a naturalized citizen is very important because it means you have more privileges than others. It can also mean that you have more advantages, for example you have “the historical advantages of whiteness”. must have access to wages, land grants, better education, jobs, loans, etc. ". Mexican-American students were separated from schools simply because of their race and color, but it was illegal to do such a thing. case in the 1930s which was the Lemon v Grove incident: the first legal case ofsuccessful desegregation in the country. This case was about a school that should not matter what race someone is, all students are welcome to receive an education. Mexican students were going to be able to attend this school too, but the students and parents were wrong. On the first day of school, Mexican students were required to attend classes at Lemon Grove. The principle was to only accept white students. The idea was to send the Mexican students to another building out of the way and let them know that this was the building in which they would attend school. The district agreed to build a separate building specifically for Mexican students because they did not want to have them in the same school as all the white students. On the first day back from school, the parents of these Mexican students were expected to hear some good news from their children about how their first day of school was going. Parents were expected to hear wonderful things about the school. Their children were upset and immediately informed their parents about what was happening at their school. Parents were embarrassed and also upset by the segregation of their children, even though they said the opposite. Later, parents and students realized that everything had been planned, but the school did not inform parents of what the first day of school would actually be like. The parents of these students were aware that it was very unfair for their children to attend a different school because of their origin or simply because of their race and the fact that they were Mexican. Very unhappy parents came together to organize demonstrations and committees. The parents' protests grew bigger and bigger as more people began to become aware of what was happening at the school. The protests were so big that they were published in newspapers. The parents and students who participated in protests and organizing were not going to give up until their students could attend the same school as the white children they attended. The matter was then taken to court. On March 30, 1931, the court ruled in favor of the Mexicans and won their case. So their children were able to attend the school they wanted without being punished because of their race or background. In a report, Robert R. Alvarez cited that "the report considers all persons of Mexican origin to be Mexican nationals and makes no distinction between Mexicans born in Mexico and U.S. citizens of Mexican origin." » There was another school case in the 1940s that was called Mendez v. Westminster School District. This case also focused on the fact that it was illegal to practice school segregation, but that it persisted in schools. Frederick P. Aguirre's family members as well as his father also experienced segregation when they were young even though they were born in the United States. They were still segregated by skin color and the light-skinned children of the family were accepted into white schools and the dark-skinned children of the family were sent to Mexican schools. It was learned that southern school districts were still experiencing segregation in schools for Mexican and white children, without anyone realizing it. Mendez was surprised to discover, when he sent his children with his sister to enroll them in school, that his children were not accepted. The Mendez children were not accepted into school because of their academic performance, but it was really because of their skin color and last name. Their name.