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Chicano Civil Rights Movement

Page history last edited by Margarita Gonzalez-Thompson 14 years, 3 months ago

 

Overview

The Chicano Movement was an extension of the American Civil Rights movement with the goal of gaining civil liberties to Mexican Americans and also "to redefine their relationship to American society by advocating cultural and political self-determination through radical rhetoric and action" (Castillo, 1997). The movement is generally thought to range in the years between 1960 through 1975 but its roots extended much further.

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History

The conquest of Mexico by the Spanish created a mixed race of people of Spanish and Indian blood, who were primarily raised by Indian mothers. Because of the Spanish hierarchy of class this left them almost at the bottom of the social structure, destined to live a life of hard labor and hunger. Mexico declared independence from Spain in 1810 but oddly enough the Mexican revolution did little to change prospects in people’s lives. With the Mexican American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed on February 2 1848, Mexico’s far north lands became a part of the United States, so citizens of what was once Mexico became citizens of the United States; the treaty also guaranteed land grants and equal rights to the Mexicans living within the acquisitioned land (Castillo, 1997). However, with the influx of White Americans into the west, the Anglos simply replaced the Spanish at the top of the social hierarchy. While some Mexicans accepted American rule others resisted in various ways from writing editorials to armed rebellions (Castillo, 1997). Inevitably, there was push back from the Anglo Americans via lynchings, beatings, and false arrests and convictions. The Texas Rangers was created in 1823 to protect settlers from outlaws, but they had a history of violence against Mexicans. To combat this injustice several organizations were formed to protect Mexican American citizens: "La Alianza Hispano Americana (The Hispanic American Alliance) began in 1894 as a mutual aid society and political organization, and by the 1920’s had accumulated a record of in protecting civil rights for Mexican Americans. ... In Phoenix, 1914 another organization designed to protect civil rights, La Liga Protecta Latina (The Latin Protective League) was formed" (Rosales, 1997).

     After the passage of the Dingley-Tariff act in 1897, which taxed foreign sugar 75% of its value, states offered tax exemptions, and encouraged the growing of sugar beets. With the increased acreage to harvest Mexican labor was in great demand, and “between 1920 and 1930 thirty thousand Mexicans were brought to Coloradan beet growing areas” (Servin ,1970). The Mexican workers were recruited using the promises of homes in the country, good pay, and fresh air; however, what they got was appalling low earnings, poor sanitation, miserable housing, diseases and utter dependence on sugar beet employment (Servin, 1970). Work conditions for migrant workers would continue until about the late 1960's.

 

Civil Rights Era

     An important leader of the Chicano movement was Ceasar Chavez. Chavez came from a landowning middle class family in Yuma Arizona who had lost everything and became migrant farm workers. Chavez wanted to organize a union for farm workers, prior to Chavez and the United Farm Workers union conditions for migrants were subhuman: There was no running water or electricity in the migrant cabins. Entire families worked in the fields and when that crop was harvested, it was time to move on to the next crop and harvest. There was also little to no access to medical attention. Little, if anything, had changed to improve the way of life of Mexican American migrant workers since the Mexican American war. Farm workers were earning $2 per day, had an average 2-3 yrs of schooling, and had a life expectancy of 49 yrs. Most Americans however were either unaware of the plight of farm workers or didn't care (Rosales, 1997).

In 1964 the US government stopped the Bracero program (where immigrants were brought to the US as temporary labor) this resulted in a labor shortage. Farmworkers in the Coachilla Valley California asked for $1  increase in pay and received it, but the farmers in Delano refused and the Mexican and Philipino workers walked off the fields. The Farmworkers call for a national grape boycott and orchestracted serveal protest marches. Bobby Kennedy joined in on a march and brought national attention and sympathy to their cause. Later the AFLCIO joined the United Farmworkers fight, along with international unions causing European workers to refused to unload grapes. Chain stores in the US, as a result ,stopped selling non-union grapes.

 Because of thier efforts, on July 29, 1970 The United Farmworkers won $1.80 hr + $ .20 a box wage increase , strict pesticide control and better conditions. This taught many Chicano’s that they could in fact stand up for their rights and win.

     Many Chicanos from the 1960’s and 1970’s had worked in the fields themselves or were from farm working families. This is partly why so many Hispanic students identified with the United Farm Workers Union, and when the boycotts started the students joined.  and with the success of the farm worker's strike many students picked up a new cause: education.

     "In 1960 the median grade attained by Chicanos was 8.1 compared to 9.7 for other non whites" (Rosales, 1997). Chicanos had some of the highest drop out rates in the country and many students resented the racist school policies, the lack of Mexican American teachers, and courses related to Mexican heritage.  In order to make a stand on these issues, "On Friday March 1, 1968, 300 students walked out of Wilson High school in LA. On Tuesday 2000 students walked out of Garfield High School, by Wednesday 4,500 students walked out by Friday 15,000 students had walked out of schools in Los Angeles (Rosales,1997) .There was a succession of student walkouts and other protests: In 1968 a student strike broke out at San Francisco State College. That same year Chicano activists occupied the offices of the president of the University of California at Berkeley, and student walkouts continued throughout the Southwest in high schools and universities. This resulted in the creation of MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano De Aztlan) an organization dedicated to making educational institutions more responsive to community needs. (Castillo 1997). This was one many of chicano nationalist organizations invoking the idea of Aztlan.

     "In 1970 student activists formed a political party called La Raza Unida (the United People): La Raza Unida grew out of a school strike in Crystal City, Texas" (Castillo, 1997). Jose Angel Gutierrez had successfully organized the Community of Crystal City resulting in an electoral victory in an attempt to change the school system in South Texas. He and others decided to create a third part to protest the mainstream two mainstream parties, the Republicans and Democrats, for being unresponsive to the needs of Chicano voters. Although the party eventually disbanded partly due to FBI infiltration, having candidates removed from ballots by courts,  and voided election results "the party helped open up the electoral system so that Mexican Americans could win elections in main stream parties" (Castillo, 1997).

     An important thing to know is that because Chicano's were not American enough for Anglo Americans and nor were they Mexican there was a somewhat loss of self. A poem by Corky Gonzalez reminded Chicanos who they were and that this was thier homeland before it became the white man's. The poem came to be a very important player in the movement: 

 I am Joaquin (Yo Soy Joaquin)

 

Today

In recent years Mexican American and other Hispanic advocacy groups have been becoming more active over debates such as Immigration Reform and English-Only policies.

 

works cited

Castillo, R. G., & Leon, A. D. (1997). North to Aztlan: A History of Mexican Americans in the United States. New York: Twayne.

Rosales, F. A. (1997). Chicano!: The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement (Hispanic Civil Rights) (2 Revised ed.). Houston: Arte Publico Press.
Servín, M. P. (1970). The Mexican Americans; an awakening minority. Beverly Hills: Glencoe Press.

 

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