Cesar Chavez Farm Workers History

In the Mid 1900’s in California, Immigrants and low class Americans mostly worked in plant fields picking grapes and other foods. The wages of a field worker in the 1950’s dropped as low as $2 a day. One man named Cesar Chavez used his knowledge to raise the wages of every farm worker in California.

Cesar Chavez was originally a farm worker whose job was to pick grapes along with many Immigrants such as Mexicans and Filipinos. In Delano, California Cesar started the National Farm Worker Association (NFWA). In December of 1965, Cesar lead a 300 mile march from Delano to Sacramento California. The march started with about 100 farm workers who carried the Union flag, virgin Mary portraits and the U.S flags. On their journey to Sacramento they picked up supporters and other underpaid farm workers. In Sacramento on Easter Sunday, Cesar ended up with over 10,000 people in front of the capitol.
In September, 1967 The Farm Workers started the National Boycott of grapes. The NFWA would go around to many stores to inform them about what their purpose is for the boycott. They would tell shoppers about their working environment and how much they were paid. The word was spread all across the country. As the grapes were being boycotted the prices of them started to fall rapidly in order for the companies to make any possible