In an era when violence is becoming a more frequent response of minority groups to their unique legal problems, Professor Knowlton probes the causes of a violent incident involving Spanish-Americans in New Mexico in 1967. He discusses, from the perspective of a sociologist, the numerous and complex causes of the historical conflict between Anglo-Americans and Spanish Americans. More specifically, he discusses the various ways in which the Spanish Americans have been deprived of their land and the failure of the legal system to adequately protect their rights. He describes how racial prejudice, violence, corruption, a dearth of legislative imagination, and an unfamiliar legal system have combined to deprive Spanish Americans of millions of acres of land and leave them destitute. Unable to protect their rights by legal methods, many Spanish-Americans have sought leaders among those who advocate and practice violent solutions. Professor Knowlton concludes that further violence can be expected unless the Anglo-American legal system becomes more responsive by incorporating Spanish-American concepts of land ownership and honoring Spanish-American land claims.
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