chapter_23_section_1_notes.ppt | |
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Brief History of the Bracero Program
The Bracero (which means "strong arm" in Spanish) Program began in August of 1942 when Franklin Roosevelt and Mexico's President Manuel Camacho met to discuss how Mexico could best help the U.S. during WWII. The U.S. government knew it needed manual labor (especially in the agricultural and railroad sectors of the economy) when U.S. troops would be fighting the war in Africa, Europe, and Asia. By 1945, the quota for the agricultural program was 75,000 braceros working in the U.S. railroad system and 50,000 braceros working in U.S. agriculture at any one time. The railroad program ended with the conclusion of World War II in 1945.
When WWII was over, owners of large scale agricultural businesses requested that the program be extended over and over again due to a need for labor. Congress agreed to this. Roughly 4 million workers legally participated in this program during its existence, but it encouraged many more Mexicans to enter the U.S. illegally. These illegals were often paid under the table without benefits by their employers and generally lowered the pay and benefits of all legal workers (braceros or regular American farm workers). Illegals were willing to work for next to nothing because conditions in Mexico were worse. American Labor Unions really began to complain that the difficulty involved with telling the difference between braceros and illegals was the main reason for the really low wages in the farm industry throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. These Unions organized strikes, which affected the production (and prices) of different kinds of fruits and vegetables produced in the Southern and Western parts of the U.S. These strikes pressured Congress to end the Bracero program in 1964. Many of the individuals returned to Mexico, but some remained in the U.S. undetected along with illegals. This group of people (and their offspring) is the main base of illegal aliens from Mexico to this day.
After the Bracero program legally ends, many labor unions continue to bragain with large scale agricultural companies for better pay, benefits, housing, and working conditions. The largest and most famous one being the United Farm Workers. It used nonviolent tactics drawn from the Civil Rights movement, such as boycotts, mass marches, and hunger strikes if placed in jail. Cesar Chávez was the public face of this movement, which lasted throughout the 1980s.
Cesar Chavez
The trailer above is for a movie about the life of Cesar Chavez that was released in theaters in early April of 2014. It is an entertaining and informative look at his life. A link to the full movie is found below the schedule in the chapter 23 tab. It's really good and short (about an hour and a half), but we probably will not have time to watch it in class.
The video above is a biographical account of the life of Cesar Chavez.
Shorter Cesar Chavez Bio
Summary of Brown Berets
Land Owned or Managed by the Federal Government
The United States government has direct ownership of almost 650 million acres of land (2.63 million square kilometers) – nearly 30% of its total territory. These federal lands are used as military bases or testing grounds, nature parks and reserves and indian reservations, or are leased to the private sector for commercial exploitation (e.g. forestry, mining, agriculture). They are managed by different administrations, such as the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the US Department of Defense, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Bureau of Reclamation or the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The map above details the percentage of state territory owned by the federal government. The top 10 list of states with the highest percentage of federally owned land looks like this:
It is notable that all these states are in the West (except Alaska, which strictly speaking is also a western state, albeit northwestern). Also notable is the contrast between the highest and the lowest percentages of federal land ownership. The US government owns a whopping 84.5% of Nevada, but only a puny 0.4% of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The lowest-percentage states are mainly in the East, but some are also in the Midwest and in the South:
The % of Federally owned land used
The map above details the percentage of state territory owned by the federal government. The top 10 list of states with the highest percentage of federally owned land looks like this:
- Nevada 84.5%
- Alaska 69.1%
- Utah 57.4%
- Oregon 53.1%
- Idaho 50.2%
- Arizona 48.1%
- California 45.3%
- Wyoming 42.3%
- New Mexico 41.8%
- Colorado 36.6%
It is notable that all these states are in the West (except Alaska, which strictly speaking is also a western state, albeit northwestern). Also notable is the contrast between the highest and the lowest percentages of federal land ownership. The US government owns a whopping 84.5% of Nevada, but only a puny 0.4% of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The lowest-percentage states are mainly in the East, but some are also in the Midwest and in the South:
- Connecticut 0.4%
- Rhode Island 0.4%
- Iowa 0.8%
- New York 0.8%
- Maine 1.1%
- Kansas 1.2%
- Nebraska 1.4%
- Alabama 1.6%
- Ohio 1.7%
- Illinois 1.8%
The % of Federally owned land used
Brief Summary of the American Indian Movement
Only a minute long... includes the founding of the modern AIM, the goals and accomplishments, and challenges that Native Americans still face today with stereotypes (especially in sports... mascots)
Begin at 1 minutes and play until the end.
Second Battle of Wounded Knee
This video summarizes the history behind the original massacre at Wounded Knee and what led to Native Americans taking control over the town in South Dakota for a period of about 2 months in 1973.
Life on Reservations Today
show first 3 and a half minutes.