They Called Them Greasers by Arnoldo De Leon

            The cultural climate of Texas in the 1800s contained a generalized distaste for diverse peoples, and racist attitudes and actions were exceedingly prevalent. In the novel, "They Called Them Greasers," Arnoldo De Leon forcefully illustrates the segregation and ferocious treatment of Mexican Americans by Anglo-Americans during the nineteenth century. This xenophobic treatment of Mexican Americans was not only violent in regard to the Anglos internal feelings, but also in their actions. De Leon examines the perspectives held by the whites, the roots of these insolences, and the expression, as well as the implications, of these prejudiced attitudes. .
             De Leon establishes, primarily through the use of historical newspapers and magazines, the perspectives held by the whites in respect to Tejanos, during the nineteenth century. He suggests that although capitalist exploitation and colonial expansion were root causes of the prejudice towards Mexican Americans, their cultural background played a significant role. Upon their arrival to Texas, during their journey toward westward expansion, Anglo-Americans, as cultural heirs to Queen Elizabeth and the Puritans, "felt a compelling need to control all that was beastly- sexuality, vice, nature, and colored peoples (De Leon, 1). They ventured to affirm their superiority over not only the land they encountered, but the people as well. When the Anglos travelled into foreign land that was uncivilized, they came upon the unrefined Tejanos who inhabited it. Anglos made it their mission to "civilize" these subservient peoples, incapable of living up to their Christian standards. The initial impressions the whites established towards this coarse, "colored" culture began to perpetuate a widespread racist ideology and incite general Anglo claims of superiority.
             In organizing his novel, De Leon utilizes specific chapter titles to portray examples of the whites' fixed attitudes towards Mexican Americans.