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The Mexican Migrant Worker. Resources. Resource #1 Regions and their Crops. Resource #2 San Joaquin Valley.
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The Mexican Migrant Worker Resources
Resource #2 San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley is located in the Central Valley of California. It lies South of Sacramento and includes eight counties. Out of the eight, 5 are in the top ten counties in farm production value. They include Fresno, Kern, Merced, Tulare and Stanislaus. The San Joaquin Valley is referred as a bioregion for its diverse fruits and vegetables grow in its fertile soil. Some fruits and Vegetables grown in the counties as follows: Fresno-cotton, grapes, poultry, Merced-almonds, melons, beans, corn, apricots, San Joaquin-almonds, cotton, grapes, milk, Stanislaus-almonds, chickens, milk, Tulare-grapes and oranges, The California Aqueduct extends the entire length of the bioregion. Groundwater pumping in the 1920’s lead to an increase of irrigated acreage westwards and upslope. Later with the completion of the Central valley Project and the State Water Project both projects focused on brining irrigation to Northern and Southern regions of California. As hoped, the whole area was irrigated with high-quality imported water from the Sacramento Valley by the mid 1960’s. .
Resource #3Imperial Valley Located in the Colorado Desert Valley, irrigation for farm lands by the Chaffey Brothers would transform the agricultural industry forever. Before 1901, not many people inhibited the Imperial Valley, but by 1905, there were about12,000 residents. Due to irrigation, acreage went from 1,500 acres to 67,000 acres. Some fruits and vegetables grown in the area are as follows: Imperial-alfalfa, cattle and lettuce, Kern-almonds, cotton, and grapes, Monterey-broccoli, lettuce, strawberries, Riverside, eggs, grapes, milk, San Diego, avocados and eggs, San Bernardino-citrus, dairy and grapes.The need for laborers was at an all time high. • How did irrigation change the agricultural industry? • Who do you think inhibited these areas of farmland? • What do you think attracted people to these areas? Imperial Valley, Niland, California photography.nationalgeographic.com/ staticfile...
Resource #4 What does the data tell you about the U.S. Agricultural Industry? What was the acre increase of lettuce crops in The West? What was the profit increase of lettuce in The West? What was the value of lettuce crops in The West from 1919 to 1929? What was the value of lettuce crops in the United States from 1919 to 1929? How does the data help you understand the U.S. economic growth with regards to the agricultural industry?
Resource # 5Migrant Wages Directions: Use the Farm Labor Wage Rates Data to answer the following questions: • What is the average rate of pay for the migrant worker in California? 2. Using the average rate of pay for migrant workers in California, how much do the migrant workers earn a week, a day, an hour? 3. What do the supply and demand averages reveal about the economic status of the agricultural industry? 4. What inferences can you make in regards to migrant workers pay rates and the supply and demand data?
Resource #6 A Farm Owner’s Perspective April 12, 1919 Imperial Valley, California Dear Sally, I’m writing you to let you know that the California Agricultural Industry is booming. Not only is the climate agreeable, but there is so much land to be cultivated. But more than that there is so much money to be made! One of the most important factors contributing to the great profitability is “factory agriculture.” This is when farmers use low-paid Mexican labor and then can make great profit by selling their crops for a much higher price. We couldn’t have done it without Mexican labor! We can’t get any other class of labor for the same money. The fact that Mexico is right next door to California makes it easy to meet the demands of large scale production and recruit new workers. If we didn’t have Mexican labor, our costs would go up by 50 percent!. It looks you will get your dream house after all! Give the children a kiss for me and tell them Daddy loves them. I’ll send for you all soon. Lots of Love, Henry • What did Henry mean by “we can’t get any other class of labor for the same money”? • Why is large-scale production “impossible without Mexican field labor”? • 3. What does the land-owner mean by costs would be “increased by 50 Percent”?
Resource #7Migrant Workers Mexicans composed an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the California migratory labor force by 1929. At peak seasons the total number of migrant workers needed was about 175,000 a year. These migrant workers became part of what one farmer referred to as an industry that is highly organized and monopolistic in character. In addition, the industry uses price-fixing schemes and is mostly corporately owned, and management and ownership varies. The agricultural industry has become enormously profitable to larger growers. • What are the characteristics of the U.S. Agricultural Industry? • How does this affect the Mexican migrant worker?
Resource #8: Extended Activity Regions and their Crops • Directions: Create a legend and fill in the United States Map to illustrate the agricultural boom in California. Use an Atlas, if you need to. • Include: • Newly irrigational systems that allowed water to flow into newly developed areas. • Crops in the southwest as well as Los Angeles and further north. • The Western United States map to indicate crops that are grown in California and the Southwest. • The influx of Mexican Immigrants in these areas. • Answer: • How did the land and efficient irrigational systems play a crucial part in the U.S. agricultural boom of the early 20th century? • How did it simultaneously create an influx of Mexican Migration to these regions?
