Notes

Essential Question: Was the bracero program an exploitation of or an opportunity for Mexican laborers? Justify your answer with the primary sources and your analysis of them.

Primary Source 1:
a. What strikes you about this oral history? Why?
From what I got from this source, Mexican laborers were offered to come to America to work on trains, track work, and agriculture. This strikes me because . . . a certain racial group was targeted for a specific job.
b. What part(s) of this document might help you answer the essential question? How? The document mentions "My parents were poor, and there were people even poorer during the time I grew up..." and "We got there, had a Coca-Cola, had a pastry, and some girls show up." These quotes led me to believe that this was an opportunity for Mexican laborers. To add on, the document also includes "There were Mexican authorities, a consul representative, or other helpful folks." These quotes show how they are an opportunity for Mexican laborers because it sounds like they were treated well. The first quote shows how because of the program, they were able to better get by than some others and the last two quote show how they received help and even moments of pleasure and entertainment to themselves.
c. What questions do you still have about this topic? No other questions.

Primary Source 2:
d. What strikes you about this oral history? Why? Their beds were made of wood and filled with cotton seeds. Is this the free housing they were offered? It strikes me because . . .
e. What part(s) of this document might help you answer the essential question? How? The document mentions how Mexican laborers were only kept there for cotton harvest. This helps me answer the essential question because it can go to show how Mexican laborers were used for another person's benefit and gain - showing how they were exploited as the intention was not genuinely to enable them to succeed, but rather for someone else's personal gain.
f. What questions do you still have about this topic? Max Smallwood said, "There would be someone that wasn't satisfied with the circumstances. . . but I don't remember the consequences." Were there any consequences? What happened to those dissatisfied?

Primary Source 3:
g. What strikes you about this oral history? Why? They only received two dollars for working fifteen days. Two dollars is not enough to feed a family or a single person. It strikes me because that is unfair, especially since they work hard for their pay and it is not enough to enable them to fend for themselves or their families.
h. What part(s) of this document might help you answer the essential question? How? The document mentions "It was almost like slave labor for the people who were working there" and "There weren't minimum wages back then [we] did not get paid a lot of money." The Mexican laborers were clearly underpaid and in a difficult situation and it shows how the Bracero program was used to exploit them for their work.
i. What questions do you still have about this topic? No further questions about this topic.

Primary Source 4:
g. What strikes you about this oral history? Why? This is vague. It strikes me because it's not really telling the people what is actually going on.
h. What part(s) of this document might help you answer the essential question? How? The entire newspaper helps me answer the essential question because all of it is a good primary source to use. I think it is good because . . .
i. What questions do you still have about this topic? No other questions.

Essential Question: Provide a 2-3 paragraph answer.

The Bracero Program was an opportunity for Mexican laborers. Millions of Mexican men were able to work legally in the United States on short-term labor contracts under the Bracero Program. Though Mexican nationals - desperate for work - were willing to work long hours for wages that most Americans would scorn, they were offered free housing, decent meals at reasonable prices, and few transportation back to Mexico at the end of the contract. Though the wages should've been higher as it is what they deserve for their hard work, they were paid and able to support themselves to some extent. This is supported by Primary Source 1 when it mentions "My parents were poor, and there were people even poorer during the time I grew up," and it shows how they were better off than others because of the Bracero Program.
To further my argument, the Bracero Program seems like a good opportunity for a better life because they had help and were granted moments of pleasure. Primary Source 1 mentions how they were given drinks, food, and entertainment and were given opportunities to ask for help from other people, Mexican authorities, and the consul representative. Though they were paid so little - slave labor little - they were given the chance to do better than others through the Bracero Program. Because of this, you can see how they were exploited too. According to Arnulfo Pompa from Primary Source 3, his dad was paid two dollars after working for fifteen days. They did not have enough money to feed their families. They were horribly underpaid, despite the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their labor. Max Smallwood said their beds were made of wood and filled with cotton seeds. Though they were given beds, anyone can imagine how uncomfortable it would be to sleep on these.