The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement: The Chicano Movement

The Chicano Movement, like many other civil rights movements, it gained motivation from the everyday struggles that the people had to get by in the United States due to society constantly pushing them off to the side. Mexican-Americans, like many other ethnicities, were viewed as an inferior group compared to the white Americans. During this movement, there were a lot of important actions that took place from farm worker rights, education, and the political movement that change the course of how Mexican Americans should be treated and given the same equal opportunities as any other race. The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s united the Latino community as a whole as they went through several struggles to get equal rights
Farm workers were often paid and were denied the right to unionize, a right that all other American workers enjoyed. They labored in inhumane conditions, as growers ignored state laws on working conditions. The workers had no restrooms to use in the fields, and they were forced to pay to live in metal shacks with no plumbing or electricity. On top of that, grape pickers were paid very bad they were basically living in the poverty line even though they are working hard to survive for themselves and their family. They were also, “exposed to poisonous pesticides and the harsh sun for long periods of time, among other detrimental conditions”(Chicano movement). Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta wanted to create a movement to unionize against the oppression of growers. They believed that Latino workers needed to unite to create a change. As a result, Caesar and Dolores Huerta established the United Farm Workers which guaranteed higher wages and other benefits denied to farm workers. At first, they weren’t recognized but a union started a boycott of the grape growers in order to have the growers recognize the workers and what they could too. The boycott of grapes that lasted for three weeks and finally gave
“In 1970 the UFW got grape growers to accept union contracts and had effectively organized most of that industry, at one point in time claiming 50,000 dues paying members” ( The Story of Cesar Chavez). The United Farm Workers Movement met its goal to a huge extent because without it farmers would have continued to have bad wages, still live in bad conditions, plus having to work in terrible conditions as well. They accomplished many things throughout the years from boycotting, marches to demand justice, signed a contract ending all grape strikes and received their civil rights, and working conditions improved. Another thing that happened during this time those who helped out organized events were victims of mistreatment like in the case of Dolores. “In 1965, the grape