Growers vs. Workers
Made By Madi, Colten, Gisele, Alyssa, and Abbie
Growers
Mexican growers had moved to the U.S. for land and jobs. Farming was one big and important source for mexican immigrants. Some prejudices they did encounter once they were there was deportation. As an additional threat, there was also job crisis and food shortages. Most of the immigrants were offered free train rides or were either tricked. Other immigrants were simply deported. Either way thousands of mexican immigrants, mostly farmworkers, were sent out of the country during the 1930's. Farmworkers who had remained in the U.S. struggled to survive in desperate conditions. Bank foreclosures drove small farmers from their land. Many southwestern farmworkers did'nt find any work where they lived. So they traveled the roads in search of work. Like Esperanza, the farmers and immigrants moved to migrant work camps. Named Farm Security Administration, or FSA. Which provided housing, food, and medicine. This also gave an benefit for the families in camps to bond with other farm families. After a while many residents started working around labor issues in that camp and helped pave the way for farm labor movements later in that century.
Workers
Job crisis and food shortages also hitting workers pretty hard, they then drove the highways in search of another job. Although farming was an important source of employment, after the 1930's, Mexican Americans were established throughout the workforce. Most Mexican immigrants could be found in the industries of the Southwest, including ranching and mining. The railroad industry has also long turned immigrants from Mexico as a job with low-cost labor. In return, the immigrants found that the railways not only offered employment, but also mobility. They often used this inexpensibilty to travel with their families to the North and East of the U.S.
Similarities
- Farmers and Workers both struggled with food shortages and job crisis
- They both worked hard for their families every day
- Both Farmers and Workers lived in harsh conditions
- Both did'nt have much money
- Both groups had a tough time during the great depression
Strikes
Many of the immigrants who had moved to California camps had started strikes or protests due to the unfair wages. The wages had been sliced in half and lots of workers had gotten laid off. Wages were dropping every day and workers striked to get fair wages. The pay had gotten to the point where the owners only payed 75 cents per 100lbs picked. They striked during the summer and fall for that was the time that the crops were ready to be picked. The growers/farmers/owners reacted by raising the pay wage to a higher cost. So in the end, the strikers won.
Conclusion
To sum it up, by reading Esperanza we were able to see a little bit of how the 1930s were. The 1930s were a tough time where lots of people were searching for jobs and trying to get a better life for their families. Conflict did also come of this time such as the strikes. Although, the 1930s are an important time and we wouldnt be here today without this history.