The 1960s And The 1970s Chicano Movement: Cesar Chavez

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Being Mexican American, you were born and developed in America and are of Mexican descent. While at school, American culture is all around you in contrast to your deeply ingrained Mexican culture at home. Almost 30 million people in the United States alone identify as Mexican Americans, making us one of the largest ethnic groups in America today. In addition to the large-scale immigration of Mexicans into the United States, the population of Mexican Americans has increased significantly. The phrase "La Raza" translates to "the people," originated in post-revolutionary Mexico and the 1970s Chicano Movement in the United States, which played a role in the election of some of the country's first Latinos to public office. La Raza, which is frequently …show more content…

His parents were migrant farm laborers, and he was born in Arizona in 1927. At a young age, Chavez himself started laboring in the fields, and he soon got active in labor organizations. Chavez started working with the Community Service Organization, which is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the liberties of Mexican-Americans, in the 1950s. He swiftly rose to the position of one of the group's most capable organizers, and he contributed to the success of several campaigns to enhance the conditions of employment of farm workers. Chavez established the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), subsequently known as the United Farm Workers (UFW), in 1962. The UFW was committed to enhancing farm laborers' working conditions, as they were frequently paid extremely meager pay and endured hazardous working environments. Under Chavez's direction, the UFW orchestrated a number of incredibly successful boycotts and strikes that contributed to bettering conditions of employment for farm laborers across the country. The Delano grape strike, extended for five years and ultimately ended in a contract agreement between UFW and the grape producers, was one of the most well-known of them. Chavez was a vocal supporter of immigrant and labor rights throughout his life and continued to dedicate himself to the cause of equality for all. He …show more content…

The treaty brought an end to the Mexican-American War, which had begun in 1846 and had lasted for two years. Under the terms of the treaty, Mexico ceded a large portion of its territory to the United States, including what is now California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma. In exchange, the United States paid Mexico $15 million and agreed to assume the claims of American citizens against Mexico, which amounted to an additional $3.25 million. The pact was extremely contentious at the time, and it is still up for debate and discord today. Some contend that the treaty was an essential step in the growth of the United States and the American West. They note that the United States was better suited to exploit the region Mexico relinquished because it was primarily devoid of people and insufficiently developed. Others, however, contend that the treaty was an imperialist act that was inequitable and irritable. They emphasize that the war took place on Mexican soil and that the main reason the United States and Mexico went to war was to take back the area that was given up in the treaty. No matter one's opinions on the treaty, it is certain that it had a huge impact on both American and Mexican history. The annexation of new land contributed to the United States' westward movement and was crucial to the