Context
El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Porciuncula was officially founded on September 4, 1781 under the rule of the Kingdom of Spain. The initial physical features of the pueblo followed the strict city-planning laws established by King Philip II, which followed the writings of Vitruvius. The city-planning Laws of the Indies created the Los Angeles Plaza which would become the social center of the pueblo, and later the center of social activism for the city. Mexican rule came to Los Angeles in 1821, and was followed by a population increase and more economic opportunities. The new Mexican government secularized the missions set up by Spain and much of the land held by the church became public land. Grants were given to public officials, ranchers, and various other land owners. This dividing of the newly available land was awarded almost entirely to people of mestizo or Spanish ancestry at the expense of Native Americans, which would become the first incident in a long history of racial discrimination.
On August 18, 1846 the United States invaded the city as part of the Mexican-American War. A brief period of insurgency led to a few skirmishes and battles, including the Battle of Los Angeles, between the occupying American troops and Mexican citizens. After the war, California was ceded to the United States. Americans expanded the streets of the original pueblo and re-centered the city with a new civic center south of the original plaza in present day “Downtown LA”. After the invasion and cession the cityscape of Los Angeles would become very racially segregated with the majority of Mexican and foreign citizens residing near the original plaza and citizens of European ancestry in the newly built parts of the city or on the fringes of the city where a large ranching industry could be found.
During the transition period between Mexican and United States rule a Gold Rush sparked in northern California would see many people travel to and through the city. There was also an influx of Chinese, Italian, French, Russian, and Mexican immigrants looking for fortune and opportunity in America, which would help to set the tone of Los Angeles as being a multi-cultural city. Along with all this, the lack of a proper formal government led to gangs and organized crime. The homicide rate between 1847 and 1870 averaged 158 per 100,000 people, which is 10 to 20 times greater than that of New York during the same time period. Much of this violence came from the increase in racial tensions sparked during and after the change of ruling government, and due to the influx of immigrants.
In 1876 the trans-continental railroad was completed, terminating in Los Angeles. This technology event brought with it a massive surge in population, immigration, and industry, and made the city the major transportation hub of Southern California. Much of the immigration came from China, Russia, and Korea (as well as Americans moving west, as well as people from all over the world) and they brought socialist and anarchist political views with them, one of the factors leading to the socially progressive and racially mixed city it is today.
During the years leading up to and surrounding the World Wars Los Angeles grew and became an industry heavy city, as well as the center of the giant entertainment industry in America. Population patterns in the city were highly divided between ethnicities, with the original Los Angeles Plaza and neighborhood continuing to be home to minorities, immigrants, and the center of social activism. In the 1920’s Los Angeles became the first city in the country to pass restrictions in housing, by World War II 95% of housing was off-limits to Black and Asian citizens. The areas of east and south Los Angeles became some of the few available housing options for Blacks and Asians. In 1965 riots broke out in the South Central Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, the effects of a long history of racial segregation and tension, and civic corruption. Nearly 1,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
The early housing restrictions greatly affected the population trends and neighborhoods throughout modern Los Angeles history. The city was one of the first in America to experience the effects of suburban sprawl, environmentally and socially. Much of Los Angeles’s modern identity is synonymous with American suburbanism. With the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood being the center of the American entertainment industry, the city is known as a city of contrasts: glamour and luxury in the Hollywood Hills, the American dream of the San Fernando Valley suburbs, and the gang ridden violence of South Los Angeles.
Due to the vast contrasts, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural identities of the more than three million inhabitants of Los Angeles, the city has become a center of cultural production. Los Angeles has managed to sustain a huge creative industry and is home to over 1,000 music, theatre, dance, and performance groups. There is also a large fashion industry including popular and influential brands like American Apparel. Los Angeles was at the forefront of the American surfing culture and later the skateboard culture. The city has also been the creative center for vast amounts of popular music. In the 1970’s The Doors formed in Los Angeles, and the heavy metal movement gained momentum in many of Los Angeles’s famous rock clubs. South Central, Compton, Inglewood, and Long Beach are the focal points of the West Coast rap scene. Cultural output that has disseminated throughout the rest of country and the world has often started in Southern California and in Los Angeles.
