The Mexican Revolution Migrates to Chicago

This chapter examines the Mexican immigrant liberal movement of Chicago. Mexican liberals were Mexican nationalists, and they subscribed to a democratic, reformist, anticlerical, and activist political culture informed by their participation in the Mexican Revolution. In Chicago, the liberals created a community and a reform movement that revolved around social welfare, educational, and criminal justice projects. Liberals were well-educated individuals who believed that education could empower Mexican immigrants and facilitate their upward mobility in the United States while allowing immigrants to retain their Mexican citizenship. As the liberal movement grew in size and influence, it succeeded in discouraging many Mexican immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens, and it imbued the Mexican population with a more sophisticated understanding of Mexican nationalism.