Chicano Movement

Why Resistance Was Necessary

After the Mexican American War ended and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, a large piece of Mexican territory was given to the United States and this left many Mexicans in land that was now American. The treaty gave United States citizenship to all Mexicans who stayed in the newly American land. They were also promised “the right to their property, language and culture” as stated in The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. However, Mexican Americans endured decades of discrimination and inequality.

Throughout the early 1900’s, many Mexican Americans attempted to assimilate into White American culture in order to gain civil rights and acceptance. However, doing so was proving impossible, so many instead chose to embrace their heritage and not try to blend in. The Chicano movement started in the mid 1960’s with multiple goals for change including labor rights, education reform, and land reclamation. Each issue was part of a broader struggle for equality and fairness for people of Mexican descent. The chosen name “Chicano” is a reclamation of what was once a racial slur. The word “Chicano” is a shortening of “Mexicano.”

How They Resisted

One of the first and most notable pieces of this movement was Cezar Chavez’s fight for farm workers’ rights. Cezar Chavez was a Mexican American who grew up facing discrimination and injustice early on.

During Cezar’s childhood, his father made a deal to clear 80 acres of land in exchange for the deed to 40 acres of land next to his home. The agreement was broken, and the land was sold to someone else. He went to a lawyer for advice and was told to borrow money and buy the land and so he did. However, later he ended up not being able to pay the interest on the loan and the lawyer took back the land and sold it to the original owner. This early memory taught Cezar Chavez about the injustice that Mexican Americans faced from White Americans.

He also experienced discrimination and racism during K-12 schooling, and once he reached 8th grade, he chose to work in the fields to support his family. Even though he did not have much education as a child, he later went on to learn independently about philosophy, economics, unions and the teachings of Ghandi.

In 1962, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association and they created the famous UFW Eagle symbol. The symbol was based off of the Aztec eagle and was simplified to make it easier for union workers to draw on handmade flags.

In 1965, Cesar Chavez spoke at a strike for grape workers led by a predominantly Filipino labor organization. Through Chavez’s arguments and negotiating skills, as well as the hard work of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, the union won multiple victories for workers through signed contracts with growers.

In addition, Cesar practiced fasting as an effective way of peaceful protest and fasted three times for periods ranging from 24-36 days. He fasted for multiple causes including nonviolence, ability to organize, strike, and protest, and the “Fast For Life” which was a 36 day fast against the use of pesticides in farms. Cesar Chavez later died in 1993, and while his cause of death is “Natural Causes,” it is highly speculated that his death may have in part been caused by his multiple hunger strikes.

Because of Cesar Chavez’s persistent and tireless work, many improvements were made for farm workers including the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act which granted them the right to unionization and collective bargaining and protected them from unfair labor practices, better wages and benefits for farm workers, and raised awareness about the dangers of pesticides. Lastly, the work of Cesar Chavez was an inspiration to all Chicanos and was an example for peaceful protest moving forward.

Cesar Chavez

The Push for Land Reclamation

In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexican Americans were promised that they would continue to own their land and be able to keep it. However, in many cases, they lost their land for multiple reasons to white Americans. In response to this injustice, civil rights activist and farm worker Reies Lopez Tijerina founded the Federal Land Grant Alliance. The goal of this group was to demand repatriation for land confiscated by White Americans in violation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

The group grew rapidly and performed protests as well as attempted to occupy land to reclaim it. In October 1966, the group occupied the Echo Amphitheater and reclaimed the land as the Republic of San Joaquin. The members were arrested and charged with assault on government officials which prompted other members to raid the courthouse, attempting to perform a citizen’s arrest of the district attorney.

In the end, efforts to repatriate the stolen land were unsuccessful but through the entire process, awareness of the issue rapidly increased and Mexican Americans achieved a better understanding of the ways the United States took their land. While the push for land reclamation did not achieve its main goal, it was an important piece of the Chicano movement that spread awareness and inspired Mexican Americans to take action.

The Brown Berets

The Brown Berets were a paramilitary group that took inspiration from the Black Panthers of the Civil Rights Movement. The group was primarily comprised of high school and college students and it was led by a college student named David Sanchez. It was formed with the goal of combating discrimination against Mexican Americans and it actively pursued social change. More specifically, they worked to improve school and health care facilities and housing in Mexican American neighborhoods.

They created a free medical clinic in east Los Angeles which was operated entirely by volunteers and sought to give access to healthcare for the many Mexican Americans that couldn’t afford it. They also created a newspaper called La Causa that was made for Chicano readers. For the demand of better education, they supported many student walkouts in Los Angeles with the goal of hiring more Latino teachers and staff members as well as creating courses for Mexican American history.

Because of the hostile military appearance of the Brown Berets, the government was threatened and the police infiltrated and raided the organization, which ultimately led to them disbanding. However, because of their efforts, many changes were made in Chicano neighborhoods that improved their lives, and raised awareness of discrimination against Mexican Americans.

How The Chicano Movement Bettered The World

The Chicano Movement was a necessary and powerful force that helped define and assert a distinct American identity for people of Mexican descent. For decades, Chicanos faced discrimination and were treated unfairly because they were not viewed as “real” Americans. But during this movement, they proudly demonstrated their dual heritage, embracing both their American and Mexican roots.

In addition, the Chicano Movement led to significant victories for civil rights, social justice, and cultural awareness. Educational reforms introduced the normalization of bilingual and bicultural education, the creation of Chicano Studies programs, and increased resources for minority students.

The rise of Chicano pride also inspired greater political engagement. Latinos were encouraged to vote, run for office, and seek leadership roles. As a result, more Latino politicians emerged, providing representation for communities whose voices had previously been largely overlooked.