Mexican American Day 7-8

Front 1

Bracero Program 1942-1964

Back 1

Contracts, 1-9 months, usually around 6 months. All of these workers were male. No women. Early 20s, to 50s.
Hopefully improve agricultural workers's situations in the us in the US

Front 2

why Mexican gov't against migration

Back 2

The y wanted to keep labor in mexico
The discrimination in the US
The mass migration to the US signified a failure of the Mexican gov't as a failure to provide for their own people

Front 3

Why was the mexican gov't willing to participate in this program

Back 3

The bracero program, the gov't wanted to control the migration. Some element of control over migration
A safety net of for the mexican gov't if there were large numbers of unemployed in Mexico, they could send some for a contracted month.

Front 4

provisions of bracero programs

Back 4

Growers agreed to provide access to medical care, food, and housing to workers. This was gotten by the Mexican gov't.
Had to pay for transportation of employees from Mexico to the site and back
Workers' wages was the prevailing wage, determined by the US gov't,
But the gov't officials who determined the prevailing wages were usually closely connected to the growers. CA, the highest paid, closer to TX, the lowest.
No discrimination was supposed to take place against the Mexicans. Demanded by the Mex gov't. The way they proved they were serious, they blacklisted the state of Texas from participating in the Bracero program because of its history of racial discrimination.
The mexican go'vt would have power to ensure that the agreements would be followed by sending a mexican consulate to investigate if they heard something from a worker, they could go on the farms and investigate these claims
10% of their wages put in a mexican bank.

Front 5

how were the contracts offered?

Back 5

In the beginning the contracting began in MC, the braceros were coming from the central region of M. Permission voucher from municipal authority to participate in the program. Had to pay bribes for vouchers, increased the costs. Then make their way to MC and be processed in a huge stadum of thousands and thusands of workers. Anytime there was a recruitment effort, the triple amount would show up that could be processed. The would undergo physical examinations, and if passed, be contracted.

Front 6

how was the program initially offered to the us?

Back 6

Sold as a Mexican contribution to the War effort, soon after the us declared war, M declared was as well and became allies. M patriotic duty, this is how they could contribute.

Front 7

benefit from US

Back 7

they would gain labor and wouldn't have to deal with population

Front 8

Side Effect of Bracero Program:

Back 8

surge of undocumented workers.

Created a prcessing center in juarez, Mexico, right across from el paso.

El Paso Incident

Front 9

The Wetback Program background

Back 9

early 54. , joseph s swing, appointed by eisenhower to be the new commisioner of the INS
Largest peace time invasion, regarding undocumented Mexicans
Swing, with his military background, begins to shape the INS into a more military like enforcement
Before, the border program didin't have enough people to have strong enforcement, it was more relaxed.
The decisions they made about deportations were reflected in the time the immigrants were needed, like harvest times and such.

Front 10

wetback program, 54

Back 10

They begin to organize a military size campaign foucsed on southwest undocumented workers. They changed how the INS operated. All of the force would be moved to one area, highly publicized. The idea was to enduce some of the migrants to leave on their own accord. Highly publicized, highly known raids.
It began in june of '54 in CA, they utilized airplanes and jeeps to create circles which they would move workers and have them trapped in this cordon, they put all captured
Went from CA, to AZ, to TX. In 3 months. Also in Chicago. Mostly in agricultural regions. The INS claimed to have deported 1 million migrants in 1954 alone. Cases of Mexican American citizens.

Front 11

motivations to wetback program

Back 11

a cold war climate. The idea that mexicans were invading the country. A mass deportations campaign could be justified.
The us had been in another war, the Korean war. In' 50 it was just ending, so there was a sense that the economy was in a period of slowdown. The INS did support, they were always against the Bracero program

Front 12

result of wetback program

Back 12

As a result of the operation in which it was widespread deportation, many growers was in a transitional state btwn using hand labor and mechanization, so many growers thought that it was a good time to start investing in technology, and less on laborors. Many agricultural growers invested in Technology.

Front 13

LULAC, 1929, background

Back 13

League of United Latin American Citizens.
Patriotic based organization.
There was little class base critique. Tended to focus on racial discrimination, not differences in class.

Front 14

LULAC, beginning platform

Back 14

In their attempt to assimilate, they espoused a theme of 'whiteness'. Mexicans were legally considered white by law, but they wren't treated white. Defacto discrimination. By law, but not the kind of discrimination that separates black and whites. The overall strategy was not to challenge Jim Crow, but just to be included in the white strategy.