“the work of incorporating new nationalities into modern racial categories did change in the post-World War II period with the implementation of policies encouraging migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland, and after 1965, with the lifting of some immigration restrictions.”
The Movie/Musical West Side Story pits rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks against each other in a gang war. In the midst of all this conflict a former gang member of the Jets named Tony falls for Maria a Puerto Rican girl who is the sister of the head of the Sharks. This act is what is said to initiate the gang war but it is made clear that their were tensions that existed prior to the act between these two groups. There were preexisting tensions due to the Puerto Ricans being newcomers in America and at the time it was a common occurrence for groups of people entering into the Americas to face discrimination and throughout the movie their are even hints at how they are stereotyped. Through the song “America” some of these concerns about the stereotyping and discrimination that occurs such as the racial slurs and the stage looks that they receive. But the other side of the argument is also expressed in which Anita speaks about all the opportunities in America and how much better the living conditions are.
The influx of Puerto Ricans into America is explained by the legislation passed which made it significantly easier to immigrate into America. This action was taken in order to make Puerto Rico into a model for democratic nations in post WWII America where they were attempting to make an example of what a democratic nation under America could look like. These new immigrants who came in did not have much and this is exactly where these stereotypes stemmed from. Just as many other peoples of different nationalities had come into the country where they sought opportunity.
I also thought that this song was a good summary of the relationship between latinos and Americans at this time. Though many people felt as if America was a land of opportunity there was still a belief from the Latino community that they were still at a disadvantage. In the song the males speak about the racism that they suffer from and this can be seen in the interactions between the police officers and the boys. The police officers clearly have a bias towards the Americans and feel like the Puerto Ricans are a rowdy group