Cesar Chavez Cesar Chavez was the son of Mexican immigrants He was born in Arizona, but grew up in California While living in California, his family made a living by moving up and down the state, working as migrant farmers – farmers who move where their services are needed During this time period, Chavez came to see and experience the living and working conditions that Hispanic immigrants faced on a daily basis in the U.S.

Hispanic Americans Intro Until 1848, Mexicans were actively living within the borders of what is now considered the modern U.S. Mexico controlled Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming However, after the Mexican- American War ended in 1848, the land that Mexico previously controlled was ceded to the U.S. Instead of moving away from their ancestral lands, most Mexicans chose to stay in the U.S.

Broken Promises and Violence Mexicans chose to stay in the U.S. because the U.S. government promised that they would be treated as American citizens and enjoy the full protection of their property However, laws passed during the 1850s slowly undermined Mexican claims to land and property More importantly, the California Gold Rush of 1848 ignited competition between white miners and Mexican miners Between 1848 and 1860, it is estimated that 163 Mexicans were lynched in California alone

Chinese Exclusion Act and Mexican Unrest Increase Hispanic Immigration In 1882, the U.S. passes the Chinese exclusion act, denying entry to all Chinese immigrants For years, Chinese immigrants served as a source of cheap labor for building railroads and working on farms When Chinese immigrants were excluded, American employers looked toward Hispanic immigrants as a source of cheap labor More importantly, the Mexican Civil War, beginning in 1911, encouraged many immigrants to move to the U.S.

From Repatriation to the Bracero Program U.S. employers continued to employ Hispanic immigrants as a source of cheap labor until the Great Depression struck in 1929 With the country in the middle of the Depression, the U.S. initiated the Repatriation Program, which deported Hispanic immigrants to protect American jobs and workers However, when the U.S. entered World War II, the country needed cheap farm labor to sustain the demand of farm goods, the U.S. used the Bracero Program to import Hispanic immigrants

Migrant Worker Treatment and Creation of United Farm Workers The Bracero Program became known as a form of “legalized slavery” Imported workers faced poor working conditions, poor working hours, low pay, and a lack of benefits When Cesar Chavez witnessed these problems as he worked throughout California with his family, he became inspired to change these conditions In 1966, Chavez teamed with Dolores Huerta to create the United Farm Workers, a labor union that would work on behalf of migrant workers to negotiate better labor conditions

The Legacy of Chavez and the UFW Between the 1960s and 1970s, Chavez and the UFW led some of the most effective boycotts and strikes in the farm industry By boycotting the products of farmers and growers, such as grapes, the UFW was able to negatively impact their business and force them to sit at the negotiating table By 1975, California passed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which created a board to oversee the fair treatment of migrant workers

The Legacy of Chavez and the UFW Continued By the 1980s, Chavez and the UFW became victims of their own success Instead of dealing with the union, growers and farmers began to offer better benefits, pay, and working conditions As a result, migrant workers did not rely upon the UFW, and the union lost its popularity and power With the union severely weakened, farmers and growers were able to recreate conditions that existed prior to the UFW To this day, migrant workers continue to struggle to organize in unions to fight for better conditions