ipl-logo

Chicano Movement Research Paper

1060 Words5 Pages

In this essay, I will be analyzing different aspects of the Chicano Movement. I will analyze when it happened, who was involved, why it happened, as well as the characterization of the movement. Additionally, I will analyze what the main objective of the Chicano movement was, what historical contexts of the world were going on at the time, and what historical contexts were happening in the United States at the time Chicano Cinema emerged. To begin, the Chicano movement is defined as being “a social and civil rights movement that addressed the problems that many Mexicans-Americans faced in the United States.” (Iglesias, CCS 400 Lecture 5 February 20) The movement began in the 1960s. It was happening in the United States and involved many different …show more content…

For example, the farm workers that were involved in the movement faced harsh working conditions and low wages. Students in school faced discrimination as well; some children were even not allowed to attend schools where Caucasian kids went. Mexican-Americans hardly had control over their own lives and property. For example, according to the article entitled, “Chicano Movement” by Sarah A Ramirez, “when a group of Mexican -Americans attempted to reclaim federal land in the USA, they were denied, even though based on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, they have a right to that land since their property rights pre-existed before the Mexican War.” (Ramirez, 1) Due to a number of injustices, Mexican-Americans decided to unite and protest the inequality that they faced. It was around this time that the term “Chicano” emerged. Mexican-Americans united together and wanted to find a way to show off their pride in their cultural and heritage. Calling …show more content…

The civil right movement that African-Americans were the center of, had similar goals to the Chicano Movement. For example, in the 1960s, segregation was legal, and many African-Americans were not allowed in “White Only” buildings. They wanted to achieve equality, similar to Chicanos in the US. The Vietnam War lead anti-war protests to emerge. The Los Angeles High School blowouts of 1968 were organized due to the inequality, and this protest was one way to the Chicanos students voices heard. Additionally, many important organizations began to emerge, such as the United Farm Workers Union, lead by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. This organization end established to help improve farm workers working conditions, and pay. According to the United Farm Workers Website, “the Union helped organized a walkout of hundreds of Filipino and Mexican grape pickers in Coachella Valley.” (United Farm Workers) this was to protest the unfair wages that the grape pickers were

Show More
Related
725 Words | 3 Pages

This book shows some of the political and cultural struggle that Chicanos have experience within the anglo society. Some of the major cultural issues that many Mexican Americans encounter were racial racism, inequality, and also discrimination as seen on the video Latinos Beyond the Reel. The video illustrates how Media and television have

Read More
834 Words | 4 Pages

During the Chicano Nationalist Movement, a well-known speaker, Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzales, delivered a speech titled Chicano Nationalism: Victory for La Raza. In this speech, Rodolfo Gonzales tries to unify the Latin American people within the United States by using the idea of a family and to create a new political organization for the Chicano people. This speech was a cumulation of various ideas which stemmed from his own life, the experiences of the Chicano people, and the Chicano Nationalist Movement in general. Each of these factors contributed to the context of the speech and how the ideas within the speech are presented by Rodolfo Gonzales.     Rodolfo ‘Corky’ Gonzales was born to Federico and Indalesia Gonzales, two Mexican immigrants, on June 18, 1928.

Read More
1112 Words | 5 Pages

This poem “I Am Joaquin” helped establish the term “Chicano” and helped the concept of Chicanoism. Prior to the 1960s the term “Chicanos” was not used, but through this poem it was able to establish this Chicano identity. It helped bring this identity together and people began to call themselves as Chicano/as. (Lecture 10/8) Roldofo Gonzales insisted that we as Mexican Americans needed to stand up and work for justice.

Read More
125 Words | 1 Pages

Chicana/o was positioned between indigenism and indigeneity because it emerged from various forms of creativity and political face during the Chicano movement. In addition, it was established following redeployment of different tools from the initiative of the previous indigenism but having different goals and motives as well as the outcome (Rios, 2013). During the late stages of artistic development, pictorial presentations of the indigeneity have been openly embraced by Mexico. It has been widely used as a means of declaring the voice of independence.

Read More
165 Words | 1 Pages

In the 1960’s, the United States went through a period of clarity and diversity in thought, analysis and action for people from Mexico or those who practiced the Mexican culture. Issues of deep resonance and problems both Mexican and American communities faced were brought to light through different platforms that include multiple socio-political mobilizations, art, and music all throughout the country (Cockcroft, 1993). This later ensued into battles of cultural reclamation and self-determination that combined into a national consciousness called the Chicano Movement. The Chicano Art Movement represents the attempts made by Mexican-American artists in establishing a unique artistic identity in the United States. Most of the Chicanos belonged

Read More
1004 Words | 5 Pages

The Chicano Movement in Washington State is an article by Oscar Rosales Castaneda is an article condensing the events and actions involved with Chicano youth from washing state during the movement. Talking about how Mexican American youth was influenced by the Farm workers strike in California in the late 1960’s. this article also mentions how Chicano youth started to use the word Chicano to identify themselves. This article is a great supporter to my thesis because it touches on all the struggle and benefits Chicanos gained from this

Read More
226 Words | 1 Pages

The Chicano movement was lead by Mexican-Americans in the 1940’s who wanted equal rights in the workplace, politics, and education systems. Through many marches and other demonstrations such as school walkouts, the Chicano movement has survived all the way up into today's world. In the late 40’s and early 50’s, Mexican-Americans started the movement to get rid of the poll tax they had to pay in order to vote. Unfortunately they did not accomplish their primary task. However, it did bring about a rise in Mexican-American voters, which in turn allowed more latino politicians to be elected.

Read More
288 Words | 2 Pages

“ The high school walkouts and demands by high school and college students for curricular reform and the establishment of Chicano studies program” 12. They were a group of students which wanted change in their education. The way in which we see things or make a change can have an influence. The political activism influenced the work of Chicano artists because it allowed

Read More
626 Words | 3 Pages

The Chicano movement derives from early oppression of Mexicans. Robert Rodrigo, author of “The Origins and History of the Chicano Movement” acknowledges that, “At the end of the Mexican American war in 1848, Mexico lost half of its territory to the United States and its Mexican residents became ‘strangers in their own lands.’” In stating this fact, Rodrigo exemplifies the United States’ relations with Mexico, that, ultimately, led to their oppression. Moreover, these early relations led to social injustice for the Mexican community. Carlos Muñoz, author of The Chicano Movement: Mexican American History and the Struggle for Equality reports, “As a conquered people, beginning with the Texas-Mexico War of 1836 and the U.S. Mexico War of 1846-48, they have

Read More
1122 Words | 5 Pages

Unity for Chicanos came in the form of an idea, of a dream, called El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán (The Spiritual Plan of Aztlán). ‘Plan of Aztlán’ became one the Chicanos signature ideas, this ‘Plan’ “sought to connect Chicanos to their indigenous past while… reminding them of the colonial implications of the Mexican-American war.” The ‘Plan’ become a method through which Mexican-Americans could be united through their shared ancestry and culture. Simultaneously, the Young Lords pushed for unity through a much more radical avenue. The Lords aimed to liberate their fellow Puerto Ricans and thus “rejected the established norms and American values…

Read More
1144 Words | 5 Pages

As I opened the door for the Chicano Student Center, at the University of California Riverside, I did not know what to expect. The feeling of a thousand butterflies, fluttering in my stomach, my palms so sweaty, it was if I had dipped them in water. A couple of days before I had emailed the director of the program, Estella Acuña, hoping to schedule an interview with her to acquire a better understanding of the Chicano program. However, she sadly informed me that she was going to be very busy, thus directing me to a student worker from the program, Joana Reyes. I walked in through the door and the first thing I saw was a beautiful mural which had vivid colors that made it stand out from anything else in the room.

Read More
2116 Words | 9 Pages

Civil Rights Movements of 1960’s and the 1970’s were a stepping-stone to what these movements are today. The Chicano Movement, which is also known as the Brown Power movement, was created to support Mexican Americans mainly in the 1960s that pushed for restoration of land grants, farm workers rights, enhanced education, and voting and political rights. In 1962, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. This Association pushed for better pay and working conditions.

Read More
1244 Words | 5 Pages

Despite all their problems, they weren't going to rest until they got justice. So they started The Chicano movement which greatly impacted not only them but the future generations that would follow after them. The Chicano movement was one of the biggest civil rights movements up to date that fought for the rights of those with Mexican ancestry. This particular movement started in the 1940s to the 1970s but before Mexican Americans pushed to fight for their rights and failed so they connected that movement with the Chicano movement. Although these two movements wanted the same thing, that didn't mean they were the same.

Read More
517 Words | 3 Pages

The reaction to the years of oppressive feelings sparked the third aspect of Chicano identity, organization. Political and social organizations is obviously not unique to the Chicano movement, but it is a huge part of the movement that it must be mentioned. Political organizing for Mexican Americans began long before the Chicano movement. Organization like the Order Sons of America, Order Knights of America, and LULAC founded in the early 20th century with goals of assimilating into American culture and desegregation in schools. It was not just organizations like LULAC that inspired the assimilating, “…the Americanization campaign as well as pressures from the public schools,” pushed for Mexican American to learn English and adapt culturally (Zamora 136).

Read More
906 Words | 4 Pages

Chicano culture came as result of a mixture of different cultures (Shingles and Cartwright 86). Despite the assimilation by the majority whites the Chicanos have preserved their culture. This paper seeks to prove that Chicano culture has deep cultural attributes that would appeal to the larger American culture, leading to strengthening of

Read More

More about Chicano Movement Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document