Political Expressions from Salvadorans in the U.S. in Response to the Salvadoran Civil War

Abstract: The Salvadoran Civil War brought twelve years of violence and Western intervention to El Salvador. The Revolutionary Government Junta (RGJ), the country’s US-backed right-wing paramilitary government, guilty of committing a majority of civilian violence during the war, was on one side. On the other, the leftist guerilla forces, the Farabundo Martí Liberation Front (FMLN). To escape human rights violations, Salvadorans fled to the United States. Some became activists against US intervention, centering solidarity, mutual aid, and faith-based liberation in their political speech. Their expressions differed from those of American activists, who condemned US intervention through protests, marches, and letters to representatives. What factors shaped the emergence of Salvadoran modes of political speech? Experiences with community, trauma, cultural traditions, a desire for safety, and a lack of legal protections required Salvadorans to articulate their political will differently from Americans. Existing research demonstrates how each factor influenced what Salvadorans could say, how, and why. The goal of this thesis was to connect these factors to the modes of speech that emerged. Consulting primary sources – government documents, oral histories, newsletters – and secondary sources like legal reviews and political journals revealed the relationships between Salvadoran experiences and their distinct speech and that distinct speech was necessary to achieve their goals and stay safe. This research demonstrates that non-citizens are vocal agents of change and do not always need to be spoken for by allies. Thus, non-citizens can speak for and about themselves, and citizens can better understand their communities.