Project Work

Rhiannon Pinson

English 205

March 10, 2019

Project 1 Submission

In reading “The Squatter and the Don” we get a first-hand look at history through the eyes of someone experiencing the injustices of racism and broken promises from the United States.  Through her experience and writing, we can better learn from the mistakes in our past and better ourselves for the future.

                At the age of 16, Maria and her mother are moved to Monterey, California after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1869.  When this treaty was signed, all citizens were given the option for citizenship to the United States of to Mexico.  Those who chose the United States were moved farther North to Monterey and its surrounding areas.  Maria and her mother were some of the 480 Baja Californians that were relocated as a condition of this Treaty.  The Treaty guaranteed all citizens a fair representation under the law and an opportunity to own land.  We find that in “The Squatter and the Don” that Maria sheds light on the reality of this false claim.

                Maria’s novel published in 1885 was the first novel by a Mexican American woman.  This expose presents the reader with the injustices Mexican Americans faced as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.  She exposes the hypocrisy of the land laws that clearly favor the rights of the squatter’s as they believe the land, they are claiming stake to, belongs to the United States and is therefore, theirs for the taking.  During the times where these men are claiming land as their own, it is shown that this land actually belongs to the Mexican Americans but the developed “land commissions” require that the Mexican American citizens further prove that the land is truly theirs while also allowing the squatters to kill cattle without consequences and develop on land while the rightful owners continue to pay taxes on it.  With the laws and odds stacked against them, it is not doubt disheartening and discouraging to the Mexican Americans who rightfully own this land and have been promised equal rights under American law.

                During this time, Maria paints a picture of how a proud man and father can lose hope.  We see that he acknowledges that the laws are unfair but that he is powerless to change them.  This speaks to the strength of his character but also speaks to the overwhelming power of unjust laws.  He and his family have built a life for themselves on a ranch sustaining cattle and the land.  The unfairness of laws built to further the privilege of a few while disparaging another purely based on race is unfortunately something we see repeatedly through our history books.  However, the stories we are taught in schools, are often told from the perspective of the oppressors and not the oppressed.  This leads to a one sided and biased story.  With Maria’s account, we get a rare glimpse of the story from another perspective.  This perspective is exactly why Maria’s story can be considered an artifact of history.

Maria paints a picture of her story from the opposite perspective of how history lessons are typically taught.  Hard subject matters are often glazed over to paint the United States in a better light.  We are not taught about how violent missionaries were when taking over areas and forcing religion upon them.  We are not taught about all the broken promises of treaties established with Native Americans and Mexican Americans.  We are not taught about how often the United States created laws to intentionally disadvantage a group of people based on race.  It is imperative that we read stories like this one presented by Maria in order to give readers the full picture.  Without different perspectives, it would be impossible to look at history without bias.  Without learning from our history, it would be impossible not to repeat our mistakes.