History Unit 3 Hispanic American movement in the U.S.; Cesar Chavez; immigration reform

When was the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

1848

What was the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

treaty that ended the Mexican-American War- Mexico lost ⅓ of its land to the US, ceding what are now the states of TX, NM, AZ, CA, and parts of UT and CO. Over 100000 Mexican citizens become US citizens - these people were GUARANTEED full citizenship rights under the US Constitution.

What does Chicano mean

Persons of Mexican descent- activist that drive the civil rights struggle in the 1960’s-70’s and beyond

When was Mendez v. Westminster

1946

What was Mendez v. Westminster

case challenged the racial segregation that was occurring in Orange County, Calif., schools against Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

instrumental in repealing many of the segregationist provisions in California law, but it is not presented at all in the canon of civil rights milestones.

The plaintiffs argued that their children had been arbitrarily assigned to attend schools “reserved for and attended solely and exclusively by children … of Mexican and Latin descent” while other schools in the same system were “reserved solely and exclusively for children known as white or Anglo-Saxon children.”( argued it was against the equal protection of the law clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.)

Mendez won

when was Hernandez v. Texas

1954

What was Hernandez v. Texas

Pete Hernandez, an agricultural worker, was indicted for the murder of Joe Espinoza by an all-Anglo (white) grand jury in Jackson County, Texas.

Saw there were no people with Mexican ancestry on the jury and said they were discriminated against

Ignored the notion and he was sent to jail for murder.

Court concluded that the Fourteenth Amendment "is not directed solely against discrimination due to a 'two-class theory

established that the protection granted by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was not only for white and black Americans, but that all racial groups required equal protection.

This case questioned the use of Jim Crow laws against other classes of Americans, and determined that Americans of Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, Inuit, Native American, and other nonwhite or black descent should also be treated equally.

hispanic americans can not be prohibited from serving of juries in TX

who was Reies Lopez Tijerina

• A militant land rights activists and a founder of the “La alianza” (the alliance) to force USFG recognition of the treaty of GH

• Eventually arrested and sentenced after the carson National Forest occupation of 1966

Who was Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales

• Had a background in organizing for the Democratic party in Denver, CO

• Founder of the Crusade for Justice

• Poet, wrote an inspirational poem “I am Joaqin”

Who was Ruben Salazar

Reporter and columnist for the LA times

The only real voice for the Hispanic-American CRM in the mainstream media

Dies under suspicious circumstances at the hands of the LAPD on the Chicano Moratorium March-August 1970

who was Dolores Huerta

CO founder and chief negotiator for the United Farm Workers (UFW)

Who was Cesar Chavez

Experienced injustice at a young age, became a migrant farm worker out of financial necessity for the family, then became an organizer in the 1950’s for the Community Services Organization (CSO)- an early farm workers rights group, eventually form the UFW with Huerta

When was The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) formed

1929

What did LULAC do

fought for full access to the political process and equal educational opportunity for all Hispanics.

voter registration drives, citizenship awareness sessions, sponsor health fairs and tutorial programs, and raise scholarship money for the LULAC National Scholarship Fund.

What are the origins of UFW

The WWII era “Bracero Program” was extended decades after the war

what is the PL of 78

Forbids growers for replacing any American worker with a Bracero

Growers abused the Program ignoring PL78

What were the demands of the UFW

• In addition to better the wages and working conditions, a series of organizers in the 1950’s argue for:

  • An end to the Bracero Program (ending in 1964)

  • Pass legislation to force growers to negotiate with the union 

  • LEGAL PROTECTION- to force the growers to recognize the union through COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

What were the tactics and strategies of the UFW

• LA HUELGA! (strike) started by Filipino workers in Coachella, joined by the UFW in Delano 1965

• Companies/growers use “scabs”- temporary workers and injunctions to limit the UFW successes 

• After corporations used strikebreakers (scabs) to continue the harvest, UFW started a nationwide boycott of grapes 

• Teatro Campesino- a group of chicano activists that stashed skits to educate about the farm workers struggles