Chicano Movement Research Paper

“Choke monopolies, break up rings, vote for honest men, fear God, and make money. So shalt thou prosper and sorrow and hard times shall flee away.”1 This quote represents the ideals of just one of the several influential political movements in the United States. This paper will discuss a few of these successful movements and the impact they have had on history. All documents provided in this essay are documents found in Exploring American Histories. This paper will focus on two documents discussing farmer’s rights, one document discussing racial discrimination, and one document discussing the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlàn. American citizens have proven themselves to be successful in using political movements to bring about change. Farmers in the 1860s and 1870s experienced harsh working conditions and difficulty staying …show more content…
In 1969 a group of Mexican-American students banded together to form the Chicano Student Movement. These students explained that Mexican-Americans wanted to be successful and fulfill the American dream, but did not want to dispose of their culture and heritage. Mexican-Americans were treated unfairly by white Americans in the work place and in social situations. Because of this mistreatment, Mexican-Americans remained poor and voiceless. Members of the Chicano Movement wanted the word Chicano to represent a group of people who were proud to be Americans, but who also recognized how important their homeland was. Chicanos believed the best way for them to advance in society was not to conform to American standards, but to find a balance between being an American and being a Mexican. In order to spread their views and preserve their culture, Chicanos pushed for Mexican history to be taught in colleges and universities.4 Chicanos spoke up for the overlooked Mexican-Americans and helped raise awareness of their presence socially and