RACE RELATIONS IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

This paper examines the evolution of race relations in San Antonio, Texas from 1930 through 1970. The examination emphasizes the effects of change in racial relations on the city's African American community. The structure of San Antonio's population dictates that an examination of race relations in the city must consider the role of population segments in addition to African Americans.

Since 1930, San Antonio has been the third largest city in Texas. The city has a diverse multicultural population, with Anglos and Hispanics (predominately Mexican American ù 94 percent) as the largest population groups. Anglos remained the largest ethnic population segment until the mid-1950s, when the Hispanics surpassed them. In 1930, Anglos comprised approximately 62 percent of San Antonio's population, while Hispanics accounted for approximately 30 percent. By 1970, Hispanics accounted for approximately 51 percent of the city's population, while Anglos accounted for approximately 41 percent. Throughout the period from 1930 to 1970, African Americans accounted for approximately seven-percent of the city's population, with other racial and ethnic groups accounting for 1.5 percent.

Biologically, neither Hispanics generally nor Mexican Americans specifically are a race apart. Sociologically in Texas,

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tantial proportion of the general population in the United States does not want a full assimilation of racial and ethnic minority populations into the country's population majority. The opposite pole of the assimilation-cultural pluralism continuum ù cultural pluralism ù was often opposed on the grounds that its successful practice would lead to a balkanization of the United States. What the majority population segment in the United States really wanted, thus, was for racial and ethnic population groups to learn to get along in American society, but to (1) not try to become a part of that society, and (2) not create any foreign cultural islands within the United States. The foregoing discussion traced the background of racial attitudes among the majority population in the United States as those attitudes developed before 1930. These attitudes remained strong in 1930. Development of Racial Attitudes in Texas Most histories of Texas portray the early American settlers in the region as near saints and certain heroes. What these settlements are not usually characterized as are as components of the broader American expansionist movement of Manifest Destiny. Rather, the creation of the Republic of Texas is more often character
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4329
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)