In Re Ricardo Rodriguez

Rodríguez's own testimony shaped the case. He described himself as a pure-blooded Mexican but descended from neither the native peoples of Mexico, the Spaniards nor Africans, and he swore he did not know the American form of government. His opponents, the politicians T. J. McMinn and Jack Evans, argued that he was neither white nor African and so could not be naturalized under an 1872 federal statute. A character witness, James Fisk, told the court that after ten years' acquaintance he knew Rodríguez as a hard worker and a peaceful, law-abiding man.

What the plaque says

In Re Ricardo Rodriguez In 1896, a court case involving Ricardo Rodríguez brought attention to questions of citizenship and voting rights for Mexican Texans. Although several actions had granted citizenship to large numbers of Tejanos during the 1800s, some sought to disenfranchise the group. In 1896, Rodríguez came before Federal District Judge Thomas S. Maxey to gain approval for his American citizenship request. Little is known of Rodríguez, who indicated at the Bexar County Courthouse that he was born in Hijuelas, San Luis Potosí, Mexico c. 1857. However, the case in which he was involved, styled In Re Or Ex Parte Ricardo Rodríguez, activated a major influence on the incipient Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement. In addition to his declaration of intention, Rodríguez submitted affidavits attesting to his length of residency and good character. San Antonio lawyers A. J. Evans and T.J. McMinn submitted two Amicus Curiae briefs suggesting that he was ineligible for naturalization based on his ancestry. Maxey considered the evidence and delayed a ruling, instead appointing a committee to examine the issues and report back. After receiving the committee briefs, Judge Maxey rendered his ruling, on May 8, 1897. While noting that Rodríguez was uneducated, could not speak English, and did not know the principles of the U. S. Constitution, Maxey affirmed he met residency and character requirements. The judge also believed that citizens of Mexico were eligible for naturalization regardless of questions of race, and resolved to grant Rodríguez's application. The political and social consequences of the ruling were significant. It established the right of Mexican immigrants to attain citizenship if requirements other than ethnicity were met and affirmed that immigrants could not be denied naturalization due to lack of education. (2010)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• The Alamo — steps away
  Mission San Antonio de Valero before it was a fort: a church its builders never finished, a thirteen-day siege in 1836, and the Army gable of 1850-52 that became its emblem.
• San Antonio River Walk — 0.4 mi
  A Depression-era park one level below downtown, built because San Antonio refused to pave its river after the 1921 flood, and designed by an architect the project later fired.
• La Villita Historic Arts Village — 0.4 mi
  The little village across the river from the presidio, where Cos surrendered San Antonio in 1835, rebuilt by Depression-era youth crews as a working crafts village.
• San Fernando Cathedral — 0.5 mi
  The Canary Islanders' parish church on Main Plaza, where Bowie married and Santa Anna raised a red flag, rebuilt in Gothic Revival around the walls of the 1750s church.

More markers nearby

• Site of Home (1850 to 1870) of Samuel Augustus Maverick — steps away
• Adina de Zavala — steps away
• Alamo Cenotaph — steps away
• Alamo Low Barracks and Main Gateway — steps away