Mexican American History Quiz

Answers are at the bottom of this page.

1. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican War,

A. Made approximately 80,000 Mexicans American citizens.
B. Resulted in the United States acquiring approximately one-third of Mexico.
C. Provided guarantees of the land rights of Mexican landowners.
D. All of the above.
E. None of the above.

2. The bandido is most accurately described as

A. A border outlaw
B. A Robin Hood figure who fought against land loss, legal discrimination, and vigilante violence
C. A smuggler or cattle rustler

3. During the Great Depression of the 1930s,

A. Approximately 400,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans were forcibly or voluntarily repatriated in Mexico.
B. Only undocumented workers and non-citizens were repatriated to Mexico.
C. Mexican Americans received welfare benefits equal to those given to non-Hispanic whites.

4. Under the Bracero Program, from 1947 to 1964,

A. The United States imported hundreds of thousands of Mexican farm laborers as short-term contract workers.
B. The United States deported hundreds of thousands of undocumented Mexican farm workers.
C. The United States launched a program of free trade with Mexico.

5. Under Operation Wetback, between 1950 and 1955

A. The United States imported 3.8 million farm workers from Mexico
B. The United States expelled 3.8 million undocumented Mexican and Mexican American workers.
C. The United States erected a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.

6. What is the name given to the events that took place in Los Angeles in May and June 1943 when police stood by while several thousand U.S. servicemen beat up Mexican American youths?

A. The Zoot Suit Riots
B. Sleepy Lagoon Affair
C. The Haymarket Affair

7. This 1947 Appeals Court decision barred school districts from segregating students on the basis of Mexican American background.

A. Brown v. Board of Education
B. Méndez et al. v. Westminster School District
C. Tinker v. Des Moines

8. Cinco de Mayo commemorates

A. Mexican independence from Spain
B. Mexico's Battle of Pueblo fought against France on May 5, 1862
C. the battle of the Alamo

9. What percentage of cowboys were Mexican Americans?

A. 1 percent
B. 5 percent
C. 20 percent

10. Which of the following statements about Mexican Americans today is FALSE?

A. Mexican Americans are the nation's fastest growing ethnic group.
B. Mexican Americans are the country's youngest ethnic group.
C. Mexican Americans are the America's most rural ethnic group.

Answers

1. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican War.

D. All of the folowing:

A. Made approximately 80,000 Mexicans American citizens.
B. Resulted in the United States acquiring approximately one-third of Mexico.
C. Provided guarantees of the land rights of Mexican landowners.

2. The bandido is most accurately described as

B. A Robin Hood figure who fought against land loss, legal discrimination, and vigilante violence.

3. During the Great Depression of the 1930s,

A. Approximately 400,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans were forcibly or voluntarily repatriated in Mexico.

4. Under the Bracero Program, from 1947 to 1964,

A. The United States imported hundreds of thousands of Mexican farm laborers as short-term contract workers.

5. Under Operation Wetback, between 1950 and 1955

B. The United States expelled 3.8 million undocumented Mexican and Mexican American workers.

6. What is the name given to the events that took place in Los Angeles in May and June 1943 when police stood by while several thousand U.S. servicemen beat up Mexican American youths?

A. The Zoot Suit Riots

7. This 1947 Appeals Court decision barred school districts from segregating students on the basis of Mexican American background.

B. Méndez et al. v. Westminster School District

8. Cinco de Mayo commemorates

B. Mexico's Battle of Pueblo fought against France on May 5, 1862.

9. What percentage of cowboys were Mexican Americans?

C. 20 percent

10. Which of the following statements about Mexican Americans today is FALSE?

C. Mexican Americans are the America's most rural ethnic group. THIS IS FALSE.

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