From the end of the war between the United States and Mexico in 1848 until the 1890s, there was very little immigration from Mexico to the United States. Indeed, after the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, there was significant movement in the other direction. Mexican citizens left the newly annexed US territories of Texas, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington, and Oregon and parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana. They were headed for territory still under the jurisdiction of Mexico.

This state of affairs would change radically in late 1890s and, especially, after 1910. By 1880 rail lines in Mexico were linked to their counterparts the United States. This linkage made traveling to the United States from Mexico relatively cheap and easy. In addition, in the late nineteenth century, Mexico was experiencing increased poverty and unemployment. Even the worst-paying jobs in the United States offered wages about six times higher than those in Mexico.

In 1910, the Mexican Revolution erupted. Battles would be fought for ten years, and US military forces even intervened south of the border in 1917. Over 200,000 migrants would race northward in the 1910s, seeking escape from the violence and political upheaval. While immigration from Europe dropped off during World War I (1914-1918), immigration from Mexico increased because of the need for cheap labor.

Mexican workers were recruited in large numbers by the mining and agriculture industries. For example, by 1920, the Great Western Sugar Company was using Spanish-language recruiters to secure over 13,000 Mexican workers a year to tend its beet fields in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Because of this constant need for farm labor, Mexicans wouldn't be included in the 1924 immigration quotas, which capped immigrants from Europe at 350,000 per year.

How well do you understand the key points on this page, regarding Mexican immigration to the U.S.? Use the activity below to test your knowledge.