The purpose of this thesis is to address the composition of Hidalgo County petit (small) juries from 1950-1960 on the basis of race and gender in which I will argue that the racial composition of the County's petit juries was predominantly Anglo. Following the inclusion of women into juror selection pools after 1954, I assert that Anglo females were selected at higher rates than Mexican American males and females during the same time period which continued the political and civic marginalization of the county's Mexican American population. This work addresses the social and political environment of Hidalgo County. Along with this discussion, my use of Hidalgo County's Juror Time Books and selected criminal/civil court cases will make evident that socio-political and civic marginalization was present in Hidalgo County; thus, reflecting a distinct bias against Mexican American males and females during the 1950s.
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