The History of Cesar Chavez and Chicano Movement
As you know many things have happened in the past years. There were many injustices that people of color experience first hand. One group of individuals that experienced this were Mexican Americans who are descendants of Mexican immigrants.
Civil liberties constitutionally established guarantees that protect citizens, opinions, and property against arbitrary government interference. Civil rights are the rights and privileges guaranteed to all citizens under the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments; the idea that individuals are protected from discrimination based on characteristics such as race, national orgin,religion, and sex. The Chicano movement was a movement that fought for the civil rights of Mexican Americans. This movement was important because it fought for the civil rights that many Mexican Americans didn’t have due to them being a different skin color than others. I chose this movement because my father is an immigrant from Mexico. Thanks to the people who fought for those rights for Mexican Americans. I can vote now, I can go to school wherever I want to go, and I can work at any job of my choice.
In the 1960s this is when the Chicano Movement took place. This movement had three goals in mind the restoration of land, rights for farmworkers and education reforms. In the 1800s after the Mexican-American war the United States and Mexico signed an agreement. This agreement is known as the Treaty of Guadalupe; this treaty granted the United States land from Mexico. Included in this treaty was a clause and the clause ensured that Mexican farmers would be able to keep the land they owned. The United States did not keep up with part of the agreement and many people lost their land. During the 1960s there were many farmworkers in the United States who worked in the fields of California and all around the United States. These farmworkers worked in terrible conditions. The beginning of the Chicano Movement started with the United Farmworkers movement which was formed by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. Which is originally known as the Farm Workers Association. Both Chavez and Huerta started this movement so they could fight for better working conditions and higher wages for the farmworkers.
A national boycott of grapes took place with this grape pickers went on a strike. Cesear Chavez went on a hunger strike. Students also played an important role in getting rights for the Mexican Americans. There were student groups that were formed by Mexican American students. These groups were known as United Mexican American Students and the Mexican American Youth Association. The members of these groups staged school walkouts. In 1970 farm workers had a victory. Grape growers signed an agreement that acknowledged UFW as a union. Congress passed the Equal Opportunity act of 1974. This act helped implement more bilingual education programs into public schools. During 1968 there were educational reforms that helped form the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. These were formed with one goal in mind to protect the civil rights of the Hispanics.
Mexican Americans faced alot of discrimination from white people. With many people fighting for civil rights for the Mexican Americans they were able to gain those rights. With that being done Mexican Americans have the same rights as everyone no matter their race or skin color.
