Robber Barons and Wretched Refuse explores the connection between the so-called robber barons who led American big businesses during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era and the immigrants who comprised many of their workforces. As Robert F. Zeidel argues, attribution of industrial-era class conflict to an "alien" presence supplements nativism--a sociocultural negativity towards foreign-born residents--as a reason for Americans' dislike and distrust of immigrants. And in the era of American industrialization, employers both relied on imigrants to meet their growing labor needs and blamed them for the frequently violent workplace contention of the time.
Through a sweeping narrative of the time, Zeidel uncovers the connection of immigrants to radical "isms" that gave rise to widespread notions of alien subversives whose presence threatened America's domestic tranquility and the well-being of its residents. Employers, rather than looking at their own practices for causes of workplace conflict, wontedly attributed strikes and other unrest to aliens who either spread pernicious "foreign" doctrines or fell victim to their siren messages. These characterizations transcended nationality or ethnic group, applying at different times to all foreign-born workers.
Zeidel concludes that, ironically, stigmatizing immigrants as subversives contributed to the passage of the Quota Acts, which effectively stemmed the flow of wanted foreign workers. Post-war employers argued for preserving America's traditional open door, but the negativity which they had assigned to foreign workers contributed to its closing.
Conquistador General Don Diego de Vargas led hundreds of Spanish pioneers to resettle New Mexico after the 1680 Indian Revolt. This little-known colonial period brought peace and prosperity to settlers and Native Americans in what later became northern New Mexico and parts of surrounding states. Spanish Royalty awarded many faithful soldiers and settlers with grants of land to establish farms, ranches, and ultimately to populate villas that became cities such as Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos.
U.S. Navy Master Chief of 30 years, Elmer Eugene Maestas set sail on a serious study of his family's roots after his late brother's trip through Spain years earlier had failed to turn up even one Maestas. Learning his Maestas surname was originally spelled Mestas, Elmer found his ancestors had come from Spain with General de Vargas -- and that he was a 10th generation Spanish descendant whose forefathers had been awarded not one, but two land grants He and his family knew nothing about them and, not much more about New Mexico's "stormy" history.
Could your family have a fascinating history or maybe a land grant or two? Answer these questions:
Does your surname sound Spanish?
Do you have relatives in northern New Mexico, southern Colorado and beyond?
Does someone you care about have these family traits?
Do you know about New Mexico's "stormy" history?
This book takes you on a trip through the ages in the Land of Enchantment, and reveals the names of many early Spanish settlers and soldiers. Even if you don't discover your land grant (which you might wish you hadn't), you will learn much about the fascinating history of the great state of New Mexico.
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