The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 91, July 1987 - April, 1988 Page: 560
619 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
lying those movements, and evaluates the impact such efforts had on
public-education policies. Historically, San Miguel argues, Mexican
Americans have had specific goals and objectives in mind with respect
to public education, have chosen particular strategies to increase edu-
cational opportunities for the community, and have been somewhat
successful in accomplishing their goals.
In articulating his argument, San Miguel divides his study into three
historical eras; each part is composed of three chapters. The first sec-
tion, covering the period 1910-1940, explains early policies and prac-
tices developed by state and local officials to teach Mexican American
children and relates how the League of United Latin American Citi-
zens (LULAC) struggled in the 193os against discriminatory treatment
by public-school officials. Part 2 (1940-1965) traces Mexican American
efforts to influence educational policies, end the pattern of separate
and unequal schools, and bring about self-instruction, particularly
through LULAC's Little Schools of the 400. The last section (19g65-
1981) studies recent campaigns by the Mexican American Legal De-
fense and Education Fund, which have challenged continued segrega-
tion and questioned the appropriateness of educational curricula in
predominantly Mexican American school districts. This section also ex-
plores the role Mexican Americans played in the evolution of bilingual-
education policy from 1965 to 1981.
This is a significant book in many ways. First, it treats a topic gener-
ally neglected by historians. Also, "Let All of Them Take Heed" is in step
with the literature of the i g980s, which portrays Mexican Americans as
subjects and not objects; this is in contradistinction to the "victim-
oppressor" view that influenced the scholarship of the early 1970os. In
this same vein, the book refurbishes the image of activists from the
1930s through the 195os; in the wake of the militant Chicano move-
ment of the ig6os, the Mexican American generation of LULACers
and G.I. Forumers was depicted as being inclined to appeasement
rather than struggle. Furthermore, the book presents a wealth of new
information; topics explored at length for the first time include, to
name just a few, the interest that educators took in Mexican Americans
in the g192os, the role that George I. Sanchez and other educators
played in efforts to upgrade education for Mexicanitos in the 1940s,
and the legal campaign waged by MALDEF since 1968.
In compiling this useful work, San Miguel has delved deeply into
previously untapped archives (such as the Texas Education Agency ar-
chives), used numerous government documents, and studied a score
of court cases. The author's skillful presentation of his research has re-560
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 91, July 1987 - April, 1988, periodical, 1987/1988; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101211/m1/632/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.