Longoria’s Wake by Patrick Carroll

Pages:

3

Academic Level:

High School

Paper Type:

Case Study

Discipline:

English

You will write a minim three-page paper that examines Patrick Caroll's Felix Longoria Incident.
This paper you will analyze the book and discuss if the author proved his thesis.
Provide a basic overview of the book but the majority of this paper should focus on the thesis and discussing if, in your opinion, the author convinced you and why.
A simplier way of thinking of this assignment is that you are grading the book.
Here are some ways to think about this assignment, answer the following questions
What is the author's thesis?
Does the brook successfully prove this argument? Are you convinced, what evidence convinced you?
Does the author use primary resources? Do they use enough?
Formatting
Heading:
Your Name. Longoria Review Texas Hist
12 pt Times New Roman
Double Space

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Longoria’s Wake by Patrick Carroll

The author discusses the events after Private Longoria's death in this non-fictional book, Felix Longoria's Wake: Bereavement, Racism and the Rise of Mexican American Activism. Longoria was an army member who died heroically in the Philippines when the Second World War was almost ending. A sniper killed him while flushing out Japanese soldiers on Luzon Island. The military recognized his victory and awarded him several medals. The main idea in the book is the activities that happened after Longoria's death and the misunderstandings that occurred during his funeral arrangement due to racial discrimination. The book also includes the event's aftermath, such as Lyndon Johnson's and civil rights movements' involvement and their effects.

The book is informative because it includes information on Longoria’s background and the prevalence of white supremacy, which contributed to the controversy after his death. Longoria came from Texas, where white occupancy and American nationalism were common. However, regardless of his military service being regarded as honorary, his town's funeral parlor, the only one at his time, did not want his funeral service to take place at the location. Instead, the funeral home offered to bury him in the Mexican area of the cemetery, which was segregated through barbed wire (Phillips 126). The reason for the refusal was that holding such as public event would upset the white people living in Three Rivers. This was an inhumane decision because the American government took four years to bring his body back home. This decision left Longoria’s wife confused and devastated. After repeatedly requesting for the funeral parlor to adjust their policies and hold her husband's funeral and being rejected, she went to an activist for human rights, Dr. Hector Garcia. Unfortunately, Garcia was also unsuccessful in requesting the funeral parlor to change its policies.

According to Carroll, Mexican-American activism in America began due to the discrimination people experienced due to their skin color. The local Mexican-American community was tired of being discriminated against,  leading to them aligning with the activist Hector Garcia. Garcia became the chair of his newly established organization for civil rights, which still fights for the rights of Mexican American soldiers and veterans (Carroll 98). Garcia wrote letters and telegrams to local and state officials, condemning the discrimination against Mexican-Americans, especially the soldier who had died serving his country. Carroll emphasizes the hard work of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement, showing their determination to fight against the injustices that were holding back their freedom. The movement mobilized many Mexican Americans while revealing the high prevalence of discrimination in America.

Carroll's book extensively discusses the main activities that resulted from the Longoria controversy, further emphasizing the discrimination and hatred between white supremacists and Mexican Americans. Finally, after too much activism and the fight for civil rights surrounding the events of Longoria's funeral, it became a national matter. The funeral became public when Lyndon Johnson, a senator at the time, decided to honor Longoria at the Arlington National Cemetery, where it was held (Carroll 132). In the modern world, the grave is an important memorial site for the veteran and all Mexican-American soldiers in America.

The discrimination was not limited to Mexican- Americans but everyone who supported them in their fight for civil rights. After Lyndon Johnson decided to honor Longoria, his career was left at risk because the whites and other conservative voters withdrew their support for him (Phillips 136). This was because Johnson arranged for Longoria’s funeral with all military honors. White people did not appreciate the freedom and opportunities Lyndon Johnson was opening up for the Mexican Americans, withdrawing their support for him. Regardless of the white supremacists rejecting him, Lyndon was connected to minority groups and other organizations advocating racial equality.

Carroll also includes images showing the grounds for Longoria’s burial and the activities the rights movements engaged in. The visual representations are proof of Carroll’s complete research on the death of one man and its impact on identity politics in the minority group of Mexican-Americans. In his analysis, Carroll offers insight into the ongoing aftermath of the initial controversy between Hispanics and Americans, still visible at the Southern border.

In summary, Carroll proved his argument about the conflict between Mexican Americans and the Americans. The book's content convinced me because of the events surrounding the controversy, which showed the discrimination against African Americans. The book also clarifies the beginning of the lifelong conflicting understanding of the nature of bereavement, emotion, and reason between the Mexican and American cultures. Regardless of the fight that Longoria had won for America, racism made it challenging for Americans to appreciate him. He claimed that a state funeral and using the funeral parlor reserved for them at the Three Rivers town would cause too much noise. Carroll's thesis about the hatred and discrimination after the events of Longoria's death is justified because he provides adequate proof from the images of Longoria's state funeral, the rejection of Lyndon's leadership by the whites, and the current conflict between Americans and Mexicans.

 

 

Works Cited

Carroll, Patrick J. Felix Longoria's wake: Bereavement, racism, and the rise of Mexican American activism. University of Texas Press, 2010. 1-270

Phillips, Michael. "6. White like me." White Metropolis. University of Texas Press, 2021. 121–148.