Compare the reasons Native Americans and Hispanic Americans were discriminated against?

Discrimination was more of a factor for the discrimination against Hispanics than Native Americans. The Hispanics suffered worse discrimination due to rivalry over jobs etc, but the Native Americans were also victims of this type of discrimination.

MILITANCY

Militancy by the minorities was known to antagonise whites and increase the discrimination. Both Native Americans and Hispanic Americans suffered from discrimination due to their attempts at militancy in order to get what they wanted. The militant actions of Native American Groups such as the American Indian Movement (AIM) not only drew attention to the plight of Native Americans, but alienated whites as well, which in turn increased the discrimination they suffered. On the 9th November 1969, 78 Indians occupied Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. More joined and in the end there were nearly 600 Native Americans living on Alcatraz. This display of militancy resulted in increased co-operation from the government but increased hostility from the whites. In 1972, an AIM backed march on Washington, know as the Trail of Broken Treaties ended in the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices. This was a bad move in that it again alienated white people. They showed that they didn’t want to be integrated thus, making whites more hostile towards them. The Mexican Americans were less militant and preferred to opt for the peaceful tactics such as boycotts and pickets led by Cesar Chávez. However, the few attempts at militancy by the Mexican Americans did increase the level of discrimination. Brown Power, also known as the Red Berets was the Hispanic American group modelled on the Black Panthers led by David Sanchez. Their acts consistent of ‘camp-ins’ when Forest Service Land was attacked and set on fire and various disturbances in Los Angeles high schools and streets. This did little to help their cause and proved more of a hindrance as it irritated white people and police. Some young Mexican Americans also contributed to the maintenance of racist feeling when gang warfare started in LA during the war years. Of course, this gave the white people more of a reason to be hostile, thus resulting in discrimination.

Although both groups suffered from discrimination due to their militant actions, it seems that the Native Americans got a better treatment by both whites and the government as people could sympathise with their cause. The militant actions although, raised awareness for their plight, proved to be more of a hindrance than a help and it just increased white hostility.