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