braceros
Seasonal agricultural workers
Braceros were Mexican laborers who came to the United States under the Bracero Program, a series of agreements between the U.S. and Mexican governments that ran from 1942 to 1964.
The program addressed wartime labor shortages by bringing temporary agricultural workers to American farms, particularly in the Southwest.
The term comes from the Spanish word for arm, *brazo*, suggesting manual laborers who work with their arms.
My grandfather came over as a bracero and picked cotton in Texas.
Temporary foreign employees
- 1942Four-digit date, mid-century
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- agreementShared position between parties
- contractEnforceable written agreement
wartime · shortage · repatriation · exploitation · Cesar Chavez · immigration policy · quota · recruitment
Relocating abroad permanently
- MexicoNorth American southern nation
- borderOuter edge or limit
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- visaTravel authorization stamp
deportation · undocumented · alien · family separation · hometown · return · journey · recruitment center
Gathering mature crops
- cropsCultivated plants for harvest
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
- pickingAct of selecting
- cultivationFostering growth through care
orchard · vineyard · planting · irrigation · seasonal · cotton · sugar beets · citrus
Work done bodily
- wagesPayment for work
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
- sweatMoisture from skin pores
- backbreakingExtremely physically demanding
exploitation · contract · piecework · long hours · crew · foreman · paycheck · remittance
guest workers
Temporary foreign employees
- 1942Four-digit date, mid-century
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- agreementShared position between parties
contract · wartime · shortage · repatriation · exploitation · Cesar Chavez · immigration policy · quota · recruitment · processing center
immigration
Relocating abroad permanently
visa · deportation · undocumented · alien · family separation · hometown · return · journey · recruitment center · processing
harvest
Gathering mature crops
cultivation · orchard · vineyard · planting · irrigation · seasonal · cotton · sugar beets · citrus · tomatoes
manual labor
Work done bodily
backbreaking · exploitation · contract · piecework · long hours · crew · foreman · paycheck · remittance · working conditions
bracerospermanent residents
People living somewhere long-term
citizens · naturalized citizens · green card holders · settlers · immigrants
braceroslandowners
Holders of real property
growers · employers · ranchers · plantation owners · foremen