How Did Cesar Chavez Influence Political Leaders In The 1960s

The 1960s were a time of revolution and a time of civil rights, movements were being held left to right by very influential political and union leaders. During the 60s there was spectacular change but not all was good. It also kept the nation from turning on each other. Rebellions, wars and threats of nuclear warfare were in the voices of everyone. This was a time of racial and sexual identity. It is sometimes called the period of civil rights, for the blacks, women and the labor workers. More importantly it was a time when people followed their beliefs and entrusted these beliefs in political leaders. Some of these leaders included John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King who fought for equality and the rights of African Americans. As well as

His life was not really the typical laborer as a young boy. In fact he had a good life but his family lost it all when the great depression struck. After having to see his family lose all their land and goods they were forced to become labor workers. They were forced to leave to California where the bigger companies were picked. Him and his family quickly settled in California and even joined some of the unions and took part in several strikes. It wasn’t hard for them to find jobs as Mexicans were known to replace the Chinese because they were willing to work longer hours and be paid less. Chavez states, “We thought that always you had to suffer and be hungry…. That was our life” (Etulain 3). Chavez realized that the American dream was not offered to poor Mexicans and that life was not the same as it was before. After switching schools back and forth in the 8th grade he decided to become a full time labor worker to take away the suffering from his mother. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Navy where he served for two years. He remembered how his life was at the fields and kept in his conscious the racism and the poor working conditions he had experienced and he felt he had to do something about it. When he was back from the navy he went back with his family and returned to Delano and worked with his family. There he met his future wife Helen Fabela a member of another working family. They later on married in