The American G.I. Forum and the Longoria Affair

Learn about the American G.I. Forum and the Longoria Affair's fight for civil rights.

President Truman Presenting the Medal of Honor to Macario Garcia Many Mexican Americans and African Americans had fought bravely for their country in the war. Macario Garcia of Sugarland received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the war. In September 1945, one month after receiving the Medal of Honor from President Truman, Garcia went to a restaurant near Houston. The restaurant refused to serve him because he was Mexican American. Garcia was so angry that a fight broke out between him and the owner of the restaurant, and Garcia was arrested. Even though discrimination against Mexican Americans and African Americans was very common in Texas in the early 20th century, this incident soon made national headlines.Why do you think the treatment of Macario Garcia at the restaurant became a major national story? (Write 1 Complete Sentence) Felix Longoria (Pictured Above) In 1948, 700 Mexican American veterans under the leadership of Hector P. Garcia of Mercedes, Texas, founded the American G.I. forum, a civil rights organization devoted to securing equal rights for Hispanic Americans. A year later another case of discrimination would involve Garcia and a young senator, Lyndon B. Johnson, who later become president of the United States. Watch the Video and Read the information in the Links below. You will need them to answer the questions that follow. The Longoria Affair: "Because the Whites Wouldn't Like It" In Texas after World War II, a funeral home refuses to care for a dead Mexican American soldier's body "because the whites wouldn't like it," sparking nationwide outrage and helping to launch a civil rights movement. The Longoria Affair Read the 3 short articles:1. The Longoria Incident2. Letter to LBJ3. Telegram from LBJ The Longoria IncidentHector P. Garcia: A Texas Legend Explain in your own words what the Longoria Affair was, and why it was important. (Write 3 complete sentences using all the information that you have looked over.) A national newspaper reporting on the Longoria Affair stated:“The state of Texas, which looms so large on the map, looks mighty small tonight…”Explain the message of this quote. (Write 1 complete sentence) Changes back in Texas after WWII The Texas economy was permanently changed by World War II. At the beginning of the war most Texans lived on farms or in small towns. Only 1 out of 10 Texans finished high school. Between 1940 and 1943, 450,000 workers moved from rural areas to cities in order to work in the factories building military equipment, such as ships and airplane. After the war some businesses that had made war items began to make consumer goods such as refrigerators and cars. As businesses grew, so did the number of jobs and the average income. These jobs attracted more people to the state and the Texas population grew rapidly. By the end of the war, Texas farming had become more mechanized, or equipped with machines, and therefore required fewer workers. By 1950 for the first time in the state’s history, more Texans lived in the city than in the country. Returning military personnel benefited from the G.I. Bill, which was passed in 1944. A key provision of the law paid veterans to attend college. As a result, university enrollment in Texas increased. The increase in college graduates in Texas helped provide large numbers of well-educated people to drive the economy of the 1950s and 60s. Dr. Hector P. Garcia “The denial was a direct contradiction of those same principles for which this American soldier made the supreme sacrifice in giving his life for his country, and for the same people who deny him his last funeral rites deserving of any American hero regardless of his origin.”- Hector Garcia The quote above is from Hector Garcia, who was describing the incident in which a Texas funeral director refused to let the family of Felix Longoria use its chapel for the funeral of their relative who was killed in World War II. Explain the meaning of the quote in your own words.What “principles” do you think Garcia is referring to?Why do you think this event was important in the growing civil rights movement for Mexican Americans in Texas? (Write 3-5 Complete Sentences) What did the G.I. Bill mean for Texas? It paid for veterans to attend college, and as a result university enrollment increased. It paid for land for veterans so they could buy farms. It paid for veterans to continue to work for the armed forces after the war. It paid to convert war factories into factories to produce consumer goods. How did World War II contribute to a growing awareness of civil rights for minorities? Minorities were not allowed to fight in the war. Many minorities fled to Mexico to avoid fighting in the war. Minorities fought to defend America but were not treated equally at home. Minority soldiers were treated badly by foreigners in Europe and Asia. Vocabulary Match the word to the definition. G.I Bill created to help veterans of World War II. It established hospitals, made low-interest mortgages available and granted stipends covering tuition and expenses for veterans attending college or trade schools. American G.I. Forum a civil-rights organization devoted to securing equal rights for Hispanic Americans by fighting for educational and medical benefits, and later, against poll taxes and school segregation. Héctor P. García Physician and pioneering activist who founded the American GI Forum. Felix Longoria A WWII soldier whose burial some 60 years ago became a symbol of Mexican-American civil rights.