Greaser Act facts for kids

The Anti-Vagrancy Act, also known as the Greaser Act, was a law made in California in 1855. This law made it legal to arrest people who were thought to be "vagrants." A vagrant was someone who didn't have a job or a place to live.

The law was sometimes called the Greaser Act because it used the word "Greaser" in its second section. This word was a mean term for people of "Spanish and Indian blood."

A Look Back: Why This Law Was Made

The Mexican–American War ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty meant that Mexico gave a large area of land to the United States. This land included California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

After this, many Euro-Americans wanted to gain power in these new lands. They started to create new laws and economic systems. California grew very fast in the late 1840s and early 1850s. This was especially true because of the Gold Rush from 1840 to 1855.

During this time, some people felt that newcomers were a threat. This feeling, called nativism, meant favoring people born in the country. Tensions grew, leading to unfair treatment and laws against minority groups. This was done to protect the interests of Euro-Americans.

The Greaser Act was one of many laws that discriminated against certain groups. Other examples include the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Foreign Miners' Tax. The Foreign Miners' Tax of 1850 made non-European miners pay a tax to work. This was a way to control and use workers from other countries.

Before the Greaser Act, a law called "An Act for the Government and Protection of Indians" was passed in 1850. This law targeted Native Americans in California. It pretended to stop vagrancy and promote training. But it actually removed California Indians from their lands. It also separated children and adults from their families and cultures. Many Native American children and adults were forced to work for white people. The Anti-Vagrancy Act of 1855 then extended these vagrancy rules to non-Native Americans, though in a less harsh way.

What the Anti-Vagrancy Act Said

The original name of the act was "To punish Vagrants, Vagabonds, and Dangerous and Suspicious Persons." It had six short sections. These sections explained the punishment for a first offense. They also described how to disarm "greasers." The law also covered what happened after a second conviction. It talked about ways for vagrants to find work and how they could be released.

The law said a vagrant was anyone who didn't have a job or refused to work. These people could be put in jail for up to 90 days. During this time, they could be forced to do "hard labor."

Section 2 of the law named specific groups of people. It referred to "all persons who are commonly known as 'Greasers' or the issue of Spanish and Indian blood." It also mentioned those "who go armed and are not peaceable and quiet persons." The word "greaser" was a very insulting term. It came from the Mexican-American War. It was used to describe Mexicans and Mexican Americans. The term was linked to their skin color or ideas about their cleanliness.

How the Act Affected California

The laws passed in California in the 1850s, like the Greaser Act, limited minority groups. These laws made everyday actions seem like crimes. They also put racist language into California law. This was a way for Anglo-Americans to control the new economy.

The Anti-Vagrancy Act and other laws, like the Foreign Miners' Tax, kept minority groups out of the growing mining industry. These laws controlled the labor of minorities. They claimed that hard work would "fix" people who were seen as lazy. Some experts say this act was like "internal colonialism." This means it was an attempt to bring back a system where people were forced to work for very little pay. This system had existed in California before many Anglo-Americans arrived.

The difference between "native" and "foreigner" was very important. Being called a "foreigner" hurt the chances of minority groups to succeed. This discrimination affected many people. This included Mexicans/Mexican Americans, Asians/Asian Americans, and Native Americans. However, these laws did not affect African Americans. They were seen as "native" to American society. So, they were not subject to the Foreign Miners' Tax or the Greaser Act. Even so, African Americans faced many other unfair laws. This shows how race and citizenship made discrimination even more complex.

The Greaser Act was similar to other violent actions against minorities at that time. The law allowed local groups to scare Mexican communities. It also let Anglos take Mexican property. It even allowed Anglos to harm "difficult individuals" without punishment. People continued to lose their land. Newcomers used violence and laws to take lands that Mexicans or other native groups had owned.

The law also played a part in how Mexicans were seen. They went from being a nationality to being seen as a race. This happened because of many social forces. It was shaped by common beliefs, economic interests, and other needs.

Changes to the Act

The Greaser Act of 1855 was changed a year after it began. However, the law was still used against U.S. citizens of Mexican background, Mexican nationals, and other foreign groups. The change removed the word "Greaser" from the law's text. But it was still used to target Mexicans.

Over time, things changed. But the unfair actions of the 1800s harmed Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Today, laws against profiling stop police from using a person's background as a reason to stop or search them. This includes their ethnicity, color, national origin, or language. The Anti-Vagrancy Act is part of a longer history in California. This history involves immigration, nativism, and race relations, both before and after the act was removed.