Carmelita Torres and the Bath Riots: Historical Context and Impact

Introduction

• Carmelita Torres: A 17-year-old who led an anti-American protest in 1917.
• Historical significance: Highlighted American paranoia at the border and discriminatory practices.

Context

• 1917 Events:
  • Mexican Revolution ongoing.
  • U.S. entering World War I.
  • Heightened war hysteria and fear of German invasion from Mexico.

Eugenics Movement

• Based on pseudoscience aimed to create a superior population.
• Stricter immigration controls.
• Mexican stereotypes as inferior and unclean.

El Paso and Sanitation Campaign

• Mayor Tom Lee:
  • Obsession with cleanliness as political platform.
  • Fear of typhus led to invasive and harmful inspections.

Measures Implemented

• Inspections in Mexican neighborhoods.
• Forced vinegar and kerosene baths, head shaving, and clothing burning.
• Jail Holocaust: 27 prisoners burned to death due to kerosene bathing and accidental ignition.
• Fumigation plant at the border: Use of toxic pesticides and humiliating inspections.

The Bath Riots

• Event: January 28, 1917, led by Carmelita Torres.
• Protest details:
  • Large participation, especially women.
  • Resistance to delousing procedures.
  • U.S. officers faced with violent resistance and blockades.
• Outcome:
  • Many protesters arrested or executed.
  • Continued fumigation practices.

Consequences and Legacy

• Immigration Law of 1917: Increased rigidity at the border.
• Use of Zyklon B at the U.S. border influenced Nazi practices.

Bracero Program

• Labor agreement: Continued disinfection practices.
• Use of DDT: Sprayed on workers as a pesticide.
• Ended in the 1960s with acknowledgment of chemical dangers.

Modern Parallels

• Continuation of dehumanizing practices and rhetoric at the border.
• Current issues of detentions and health fears.

Closing Thought

• 1918 Spanish Flu: Brought by American soldiers, not from Mexico, highlighting the irony of health hysteria.

Resources and More Information

• David Bravo's research and books for deeper understanding.