1. Hispanic Americans

2. Mexican Workers 1850-1910 Political Turmoil
700,000 came to US from Mexico.
7% of their population
National Reclamation Act
Encouraged irrigation of arid land
New Farmland

3. Mexican Workers 1850-1910 Railroads
Transcontinental Railroad made it possible to push railroads south.
Effects of the RR:
Time Zones
Railroad Towns
Shipping of goods – mail order catalogs
Big $$$
Needed to workers to make the roads
Mexicans were willing to do the work
Ended up in debt peonage
Pay back debts through physical labor
Open border made this easy

5. Bracero Movement US allowed Mexicans to enter and work fields
Hired Hands-temporary work permits established
Shortage of Agriculture workers during WWII
Workers expected to leave when work was done but many stayed illegally
Civil Rights Movement was ongoing

6. Picture of a Bracero Man

9. Effects Today Increased Border Patrol Minutemen Project SB 1070
Note: Originally created in 1904 to keep out Asian workers
Minutemen Project
SB 1070
Anti-immigrant laws
DREAM Act vs Deportation
Note: Operation Wetback deported 3.8 million from

10. Zoot Suit Riots 1940’s
Mexican Americans underpaid and poor living conditions
Youth created their own culture (own music, language, and Dress (Zoot Suit))
Members of this group were accused of murdering a man.
A riot quickly broke out between servicemen and black & Mexican Youth.

11. Zoot Suit Con’t Investigation Results
Racial Tensions
Patriotism
Military said Service men acted in Self Defense
Newspapers propaganda
Just for Jeopardy (Famous Zoot Suit wearing people)
Cesar Chavez
Malcolm X

12. Zoot Suit Sources
"Marching through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, a mob of several thousand soldiers, sailors, and civilians, proceeded to beat up every zoot suiter they could find. Pushing its way into the important motion picture theaters, the mob ordered the management to turn on the house lights and then ran up and down the aisles dragging Mexicans out of their seats. Streetcars were halted while Mexicans, and some Filipinos and Negroes, were jerked from their seats, pushed into the streets and beaten with a sadistic frenzy.”
A witness to the attacks, journalist Carey McWilliams wrote,

13. Zoot Suit Sources

17. Cesar Chavez
Dolores Huerta
UFW

18. Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and UFW
Farmers made very little and were overworked
Cesar Chavez
Believed farm workers had to unionize
Strength would come from bargaining as a group.
Dolores Huerta
School Teacher
Worked side by side with Cesar.
Chavez and Huerta created National Farm Workers Association

19. United Farm Workers Filipinos went on strike
Cesar merged his efforts with the Filipinos
Changed the National Farm Workers Association into United Farm Workers (UFW)

20. UFW Conflict Chavez called for grape growers to except union
Ignored Group
Group convinced supermarkets across the US not to buy California grapes
Grape company folded and accepted UFW
Higher wages and benefits were given.

21. Cesar Chavez Quotes
From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength.
Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves - and be free.
The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.

22. AB2386 = Right to Breast Feed at Work

23. Question
Based on the previous picture, do you believe Cesar Chavez would have fought for this right? Why?

24. Cesar Chavez

25. Dolores Huerta

26. Dolores Huerta

27. Cuban Immigration Quotes
I am not a communist and neither is the revolutionary movement.
Fidel Castro
“Cuba ought to be free and independent, and the government should be turned over to the Cuban people.”
William McKinley

28. Cuban Immigration Quotes
I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.
Fidel Castro

29. Cuban Immigrants Fidel Castro rise to power. Castro’s Politics
Imprisoned those who did not agree with him.
Took control of Property (sugar industry)
Alliance with Soviet Union
Dictator (done so he could stay in power)
Immigration
10% went into exile because of fear of imprisonment or death
Many of the wealthy fled to protect their assets over fear Castro would take them (Socialism)

30. Fidel Castro

31. Cuban Immigrants (con.)
Cubans only group that can gain citizenship within 1 year of living in US (1966)
In response to Cuba, Reagan cancelled all forms of legal immigration except those seeking exile.
This increased scenes as follows:

34. Latino Immigrants Immigration and Reform Act of 1986
required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status.
made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit unauthorized immigrants.
granted amnesty to certain seasonal agricultural illegal immigrants.
granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously. About three million illegal immigrants were granted amnesty.

35. School and Reforms
Hernandez v. Texas (1954)-no discrimination based on class or ethnic group
Latino LA walkout of 1968
Largest Minority group in country (2003)
ELL programs
Lau v. Nichols-no discrimination if can’t speak English
ure=related