As the progressive era reached the United States, so did the wave of media that filled the minds of what it means to be a non white. In An African American and Latinx History of the United States, Paul Ortiz gives a new perspective to American history through stories from Blacks and Latinos. Specifically in chapter six, “Forgotten Workers of America,” Ortiz highlights the hardships that immigrants had to face and their struggle to reach a higher status in society in the 1890s to 1940s. Ortiz argues that “class conflict was a pervasive fact of American life” (Ortiz 109) and that many of minority stories have gone untold or twisted by the media. This thesis seems reasonable and historically grounded because the media can often implement racial stereotypes and avoid sharing stories from non-whites. Thus, many of the immigrants dealt with unnecessary laws and punishments due to society’s beliefs. Additionally, this book fits into the larger historical topic as it doesn’t just focus on the historical perspective of white people. Ortiz is adding the mark of Blacks and Latinos to the story of the United States of America. These untold stories are important for second generational children to learn about the history of their ancestors, something that they most likely won’t learn in school.
Ortiz breaks the chapter into 4 parts: “Race Riots and Repatriation,” “The Great Depression,” “The Forgotten New Deal” and “The Unfulfilled New Deal.” Ortiz uses a multitude of primary sources including a variety of newspapers and non-white workers which are effective for the readers to truly understand the opinions of workers. Ortiz’s most effective use of primary sources is when he uses it to contrast the stark viewpoints between the Blacks and the whites. One example of this is when Ortiz quotes W.E.B. Du Bois, a well known advocate for gaining equality for Blacks, about how whites reacted to Blacks when they gained land ownership. Du Bois explains that the whites purposely prohibited Blacks from “benefiting from the new economic development in the South” (Ortiz 113). Ortiz goes further to quote the Negro World, a newspaper that targeted the audience of Blacks. Ortiz proves that this newspaper used their following to convince Blacks to give up their business, quit their job and abandon their land in order to improve the relationship with white people (Ortiz 113). Ortiz effectively demonstrates the irony that was occurring during this time on the different beliefs that people believed in how to integrate Blacks into society with whites. Additionally, Ortiz effectively describes how the Black people’s efforts were hindered with harsh setbacks from the press, a piece of evidence that further augments his argument. Ortiz quotes the Miami Herald, a newspaper that cautioned its white readers in all capital letters that “white supremacy is being assaulted in our midst. . .” (Ortiz 119). Ortiz shows first handedly how whites used the press to spread the message that they are still superior. Thus, these ideas will ring in the minds of millions of readers and affect the laws that are implemented to target Blacks. Lastly, Ortiz does not just reveal the newspapers that went against the Blacks, he also provides readers with other newspapers that used journalism to tell the untold story of Blacks. One example is when Ortiz quotes the Pittsburgh Courier that reports how wrongly Blacks have been treated by sheriffs (Ortiz 120). This primary source is effective in depicting how newspapers should have utilized the press: to report these incidents. He also uses this source to provide evidence in how many police investigations went nowhere due to the people involved being Black.
Ortiz solely uses a historian’s perspective as secondary sources. He specifically uses historians to elaborate on his argument and prove that other historians shared similar beliefs as him. This idea proves to the audience that his argument is not radical. One example of this is when Ortiz explains historian Carey McWilliams discovery of concentration camps that were used to imprison union activists. On the other hand, I think it would have been beneficial to have additional secondary sources such as other textbooks, scholarly articles, or biographies to give more perspectives on these issues to further support his perspective. Additionally, Ortiz could have analyzed more of his evidence to further support his argument about the drastic wages between Blacks and whites. One example of this is when he simply stated, “the paper also quoted supposed economic experts in the South who argued that if the federal government raised industrial wages, then Black farmworkers would refuse to work for white farmers” (Ortiz 124-125). Instead, Ortiz should have specifically quoted what the article stated in order for readers to truly believe his argument. This makes the reader question if this statement is believable or not if there is no evidence to support his argument. Towards the end of the chapter, he mainly uses one newspaper, the News and Courier to prove how manipulative the paper can be against Blacks. With the continuous quotes from this newspaper, the readers are forced to wonder if this is the only newspaper that supports his viewpoint. Ortiz should have found other newspapers to support his argument, so the readers can identify that this was a common theme for newspapers to embed ideas of status into the minds of people. Compared to other textbooks, The American Pageant by Lizabeth Cohen and David M. Kennedy described the red scare as a “nationwide crusade against left-wingers whose Americanism was suspect” (729). On the contrary, Ortiz describes the red scare as a term that was “designed to undermine the immigrant working-class and Black militancy” (117). Cohen and Kennedy don’t specifically name the people that were affected by the red scare; they just call them “left-wingers whose Americanism was suspect.” Ortiz specifically points out that the term greatly affected immigrants and Blacks.
In conclusion, An African American and Latinx History of the United States reveals a new side to American history from the perspectives of non-whites. He, along with other historians who share the experiences of non-whites in America, fit into the larger discussion of this topic by bringing up the harsh reality that many non-whites had to face due to America’s actions and beliefs. He successfully uses primary and secondary sources to describe how minorities were wrongly treated. He provides perspectives from both the whites and non-whites to support his argument. Ortiz leaves the reader wondering what other untold stories exist and how little we know about the stories of non-whites.
Works Cited
Kennedy, David M., et al. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.
Ortiz, Paul. An African American and Latinx History of the United States. Beacon Press Boston.
Dos Mundos Juntos 