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The Bracero Program

1942

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Finding Freedom

The Bracero Program seemed like a great idea for both the American Economy and the Mexican Labor Force.  On paper the U.S. economy would be producing a substantial amount of goods and the Mexican Laborers would be making a far greater amount of money than they had been in Mexico.  When these workers came to America, they were not paid, treated poorly and lied to. They given an opportunity to come to a different country to make a living, but in the end they were sent home with their pockets empty.  Some of the workers stayed in America, but were continuously treated poorly by the community, law enforcement and their employers.

Fourteen Mexican workers sitting on back of flatbed truck holding hoes, 1942. Digital Public Library of America, Public Domain.

Interview of Braceros at the age of 80.  From Craig Sherod. No Known copyright restrictions.

Closed captions available.

The Bracero Program brought millions of Mexican workers into The United States for their cheap labor. This program was introduced in 1942 by executive order.  Many farmers were complaining that World War II would bring labor shortages in low paying agricultural jobs. “From 1942 to 1964, 4.6 million contracts were signed, with many individuals returning several times on different contracts, making it the largest U.S. contract labor program.” [1]  

 

In these contracts, the employers guaranteed the Mexican workers a certain wage, sanitary housing, employment of three fourths of the contract, decent meals at a reasonable price, and free transportation back to Mexico. [2]  Employers often ignored these agreements and the Mexican workers could not do anything in retaliation. Many American workers felt threatened by the massive wave of cheap labor and resorted to working for less as well.

The video on the left illustrates why the Mexican Workers came to America and accepted the terrible conditions they were forced to work in. Many of them were poor and could not find work in their native country of Mexico. The Mexican government was well aware of the issue of poverty in its country, but failed to take action. These workers were forced to take whatever work they could get.  

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Map of the United States outlining the states which received Braceros, Mapart, MicroMaps Software. CC0.

Bibliography

  1. Bracero Archive. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from http://braceroarchive.org/about

  2. Smithsonian. (2018, March 20). Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942 - 1964. Retrieved from https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/bittersweet-harvest-bracero-program-1942-1964

  3. Strom, A. (2019, February 20). Themes Archives - Page 20 of 23 - Re-Imagining Migration. Retrieved  from https://reimaginingmigration.org/category/themes/page/20/

  4. UCLA. (2014). The Bracero Program. Retrieved from http://www.labor.ucla.edu/what-we-do/research-tools/the-bracero-program/

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