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The National WWII Museum
nationalww2museum.org › war › articles › zoot-suit-riots-and-wartime-los-angeles
The Zoot Suit Riots and Wartime Los Angeles | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
June 1, 2023 - For the hundreds of predominantly Mexican American victims of what became known as the Zoot Suit Riots, a jacket and a pair of pants marked them as criminals for white servicemembers and civilians searching for someone to blame for the city’s inability to keep up with its growing population.

1943 race riot by U.S. Armed Forces servicemen against Latino Americans in Los Angeles

Victims_of_the_Zoot_Suit_Riots.jpg
Zoot Suit Riots
authorities discuss the zoot suit riots
zoot suiters on parade
zoot suiters lined up outside los angeles jail en route to court after feud with sailors
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots that took place June 3–8, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, United States, involving American servicemen stationed in Southern California and young Latino and … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Zoot Suit Riots Part of civil unrest during World War II
Date June 3–8, 1943
Factsheet
Zoot Suit Riots Part of civil unrest during World War II
Date June 3–8, 1943
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Zoot_Suit_Riots
Zoot Suit Riots - Wikipedia
December 11, 2025 - It was one of the dozen wartime ... Beaumont, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; and New York City. American servicemen and white Angelenos attacked and stripped children, teenagers, and youths who wore zoot suits, ostensibly because they considered the outfits, which were made ...
Discussions

Mexican American youths stripped and beaten by US Navy sailors during the Zoot Suit Riots in June 1943. American servicemen attacked and stripped children, teenagers, and youths who wore zoot suits because they considered the outfits, made from large amounts of fabric, to be unpatriotic.
And for those who don’t know what a Zoot Suit looks like here it is: More on reddit.com
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Victims of the Zoot Suit Riots, where groups of U.S. servicemen scoured the streets in Los Angeles looking for, attacking and stripping Mexican-American teenagers wearing zoot suits. June, 1943 [2997 × 2392]
No soldiers were arrested as a result of the beatings. Local press even lauded the attackers. More on reddit.com
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HISTORY
history.com › home › articles › zoot suit riots: causes, facts & photos - history
Zoot Suit Riots: Causes, Facts & Photos - HISTORY
The June 1943 riots took their name from the baggy suits worn by many minority youths during that era, but the violence was more about racial tension than fashion. Learn how media bias and anti-Mexican racism contributed to the Zoot Suit Riots ...
Published   May 28, 2025
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Fiveable
fiveable.me › all key terms › ap us history › zoot suit riots
Zoot Suit Riots Definition - AP US History Key Term | Fiveable
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of violent clashes in Los Angeles during the summer of 1943, primarily between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youths who wore zoot suits, a style characterized by oversized jackets and baggy pants. These riots emerged amidst tensions over race, culture, ...
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PBS
pbs.org › wgbh › americanexperience › films › zoot
Watch Zoot Suit Riots | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
For 10 straight nights, American sailors armed with make-shift weapons cruised Mexican American neighborhoods in search of "zoot-suiters" — hip, young Mexican teens dressed in baggy pants and long-tailed coats.
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LOC
guides.loc.gov › latinx-civil-rights › people-v-zamorra
1942: People v. Zamora (sic) 1943: Zoot Suit Riots - A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States - Research Guides at Library of Congress
The notorious 1942 "Sleepy Lagoon" ... later, the so-called Zoot Suit Riot erupted, as white soldiers in the city attacked minority youths and burned their distinctive zoot suits....
Find elsewhere
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EBSCO
ebsco.com › research-starters › history › zoot-suit-riots
Zoot-suit riots | Research Starters | EBSCO Research
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of racially charged conflicts that erupted in Los Angeles in June 1943, primarily involving servicemen and young Mexican Americans known as zoot-suiters.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › politics, law & government › law, crime & punishment
Zoot Suit Riots | Summary, Causes, Significance, & Facts | Britannica
December 13, 2013 - Zoot Suit Riots, a series of conflicts that occurred in June 1943 in Los Angeles between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youths, the latter of whom wore outfits called zoot suits.
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EJI Calendar
calendar.eji.org › racial-injustice › may › 30
May 30, 1943 | White Mobs Attack Latino Youth in Los Angeles 'Zoot Suit Riots'
On May 30, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, white soldiers targeted Latino youth in a series of violent attacks that became known as the "Zoot Suit Riots." World War II fueled a 1943 population influx into Los Angeles that coincided with an ...
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Calisphere
calisphere.org › exhibitions › 58 › hispanic-americans-world-war-ii
Hispanic Americans: Racial Tensions During World War II — Calisphere
Two incidents in Los Angeles during World War II — which the press called the "Sleepy Lagoon Trial" and the "Zoot Suit Riots" — revealed the city's rampant anti-Mexican prejudice.
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Laalmanac
laalmanac.com › history › hi07t.php
Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots
Mexican American men fight back against U.S. servicemen seeking to assault "zoot suiters." Photo from L.A. Daily News Negatives Collection at UCLA Library. Although police accompanied the caravans of rioting servicemen, police orders were to let the Navy shore patrol and military police deal with military men.
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Social Studies
socialstudies.org › system › files › publications › articles › se_7603151.pdf pdf
M ay / J u n e 2 012 151 Mexican Americans in the Era of World War II:
World War II. The story is based on actual events associated with the Sleepy Lagoon Case of 1942 and Zoot Suit Riots of 1943.
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History Matters
historymatters.gmu.edu › d › 5156
"We're Looking for Zoot-Suits to Burn": Mexican Americans and the Zoot Suit Riots
In June 1943, apparently provoked by stories that Mexican Americans had beaten up a group of Anglo sailors, servicemen on leave began to attack Mexican-American neighborhoods in Los Angeles. These anti-Mexican riots often featured the ritualistic stripping of the zoot suiters.
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DIG
digpodcast.org › 2025 › 02 › 16 › zoot-suit-riots
The Sleepy Lagoon Trial and Zoot Suit Riots: Los Angeles’s Season of Violence During WWII
August 16, 2025 - The Venice Riot served as a prelude to larger confrontations brewing in Los Angeles. Marissa: The evening of Memorial Day 1943 set the stage for confrontation. As nightfall settled over downtown, about a dozen white servicemen – a mix of sailors and soldiers – spotted a group of young Mexican American women across the street. They decided to change course and approach the women. Frank H. Tellez, 22, who is held on a vagrancy charge, models a zoot suit and pancake hat in a Los Angeles County jail on June 9, 1943...
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Study.com
study.com › courses › history courses › ny regents - us history and government study guide and exam prep
Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 | History, Causes & Aftermath | Study.com
To the white observer, wearing oversized, wool clothing seemed to be an ostentatious, unpatriotic gesture. The servicemen who were the aggressors in the riots identified their victims by their zoot suits.
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Pbworks
resourcesforhistoryteachers.pbworks.com › w › page › 148620690 › Zoot Suit Riots
resourcesforhistoryteachers / Zoot Suit Riots
Already have an account? Log in · Soldiers, sailors and marines stopped this streetcar looking for hoodlums in zoot suits, June 7, 1943