What do you know about the Bracero Program?
Well, it was a massive program and agreement between the United States and Mexico to allow about 4.6 million citizens of Mexico to enter U.S. soil to work temporarily.
The program happened from 1942-1964 when most Mexican immigrants worked in agriculture, railroads and factories.
Like any other program, the purpose of the Bracero Program was to help the farms and factories in America to remain productive, especially since there was a war.
And since this was part of history, do you think the program affected the economy?
In this video, let us go back and dig deeper into the Bracero Program. We will know how it impacted the economy in the U.S. and worldwide.
First, let us understand the Bracero Program. What is it?
It’s from the Spanish term which means “one who works using his arms” – where various laws and bilateral agreements were made in 1942.
The agreements were made between the government of the U.S. and Mexico. This allowed and encouraged citizens of Mexico to remain in the United States temporarily.
The Mexicans will work under labor contracts for a shorter period.
What’s more interesting is that Mexican workers were actually admitted in 1942, and when the program was over in 1964, almost 4.6 million had been hired legally and work in the U.S.
These citizens mainly worked on agriculture and farming in California, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest. And because many workers return a lot of times under different contracts, the Bracero Program remains the largest labor program in the history of U.S.
Bracero Program Background and Economic Effect
Since the Bracero Program was the intended answer to the massive labor shortage in the U.S., workers of all ages worked round the clock in farms and factories while the Americans were in the war.
As crowds of the American farm worked either by joining the military or getting better jobs in the industry, the United States considered Mexico the ready source of the labor.
The truth is the Bracero Program was initiated from necessity because the federal government worried that the entry of Americans into the war would stop the Southwest much of its farm labor.
That’s why manual laborers from Mexico became an integral part of the region’s economy, even if the program outlasted a war.
The good thing is that the Bracero Program guaranteed that workers would get basic protections, which include the minimum wage, safety, insurance, and free lodging.
However, the farm owners usually failed to live up to the requirements. Food and housing proved to be below standards, and the wages were not just low but also paid late or none at all.
Years after the end of the program, the Braceros were still fighting to get the money that was deducted from the salaries were believed to be put into savings.
Sadly, because of these broken promises, strikes were common throughout this period.
The good thing is that the outgrowth of the Bracero Program had a rapid increase in developing labor-saving farm mechanization. The increasing abilities of machines and the harvest of staple crops helped establish the American farms that remain very productive today.
Who Established the Bracero Program?
The Bracero Program was well-known by the executive order that was delivered by President Roosevelt in 1942. It was formally initiated in 1942 when the representatives of Mexico and the U.S. made the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement.
It was intended to last until the war’s end, but due to certain circumstances, the program was prolonged by the Migrant Labor Agreement and it never ended until the end of the year 1964.
Related Blogs
Life After Vietnamese War: How Severe Was the War Damage for the Vietnamese
Brief: Racism History – Where it All Began
Drawbacks of the Bracero Program
While it’s true that the Bracero Program assisted and helped the economy of the U.S., it still suffered from social and political issues like:
Avoided the Program
Did you know that the American migrants and farmers found a way to destroy the Bracero Program?
About 260,000 Braceros got hired, which amounted to less than ten percent of the entire workers hired in the United States.
However, American farmers became very dependent on workers of Mexico and found it a lot easier to go around the program’s confusing process of contract by hiring immigrants without papers.
More so, the Mexican government’s incapability to process many applicants of the program prompted many Mexicans to get into the U.S. without papers. At the time it ended in 1964, the Mexican workers who don’t have papers and entered the U.S. had surpassed 5 million Braceros.
Labor Strikes
From 1943 to 1954, the braceros staged a lot of strikes and work strikes as they protested racial discrimination, poor living and working conditions, and very low wages.
The most prominent was the strike in Dayton, Washington, at the Blue Mountain Cannery. It was when the Mexican Braceros, as well as the Japanese American workers joined forces together.
During the Northwestern Braceros’ labour strikes, the United States government allowed 10,000 Japanese Americans who were forced into internment camps during WWII.
Mistreatment of the Braceros
During its almost 40 years of existence, Bracero Program was overwhelmed by the accusation from labor activists and civil rights that most Braceros suffered because of the gross abuse.
Sometimes, it borders enslavement under the U.S. employers. They complained because of racial discrimination, unsafe housing, continuous disputes on unpaid wages, no health care, and even a lacking of representation.
Related Blogs
Mussolini Speech: 5 Interesting Facts You Should Know
Elizabeth Bathory – The Blood Countess
Bracero Program’s Legacy
The Bracero Program is perhaps a success with a little bit of struggle. While there were workers who suffered from severe exploitation and discrimination, the experience would contribute to the positive impacts on immigration in the U.S. and its economy.
American farmers adjusted so quickly to end the Bracero program. By the end of 1965, about 465,000 migrants made a record of about 15% of the farm workers in the U.S.
Farm owners created labor unions and associations that increased labor market efficiency and wages and reduced labor costs.
That said, the program has led to the successful unionization of farm workers, which made a great impact on the economy.
Discussion about this post