The American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s had many heroes. One of them was César Chávez, who lived from 1927 to 1993, and who dedicated his life to helping Mexican- Americans achieve equality.

    This WebQuest will help you become familiar with the works of César Chávez, and with a part of the American Civil Rights Movement that is largely ignored.

Directions: Answer the following questions on the provided answer sheet. After completing the assignment, turn your answer sheet in to the instructor. 

A. About César Chávez

Go to the following link to answer questions 1-3

1. What country was César Chávez a citizen of? Where was he  born?

2. Why did Cesar Chavez and his family become migrant workers?

3. How many schools did César Chávez attend before he dropped out of school in the 8th grade? What did he do after he dropped out?

Go here and start at the 8th paragraph to answer

questions 4 & 5

4. What was the CSO, and what kind of work did Chávez do for them? Why did he quit the CSO in 1962?

5. Using your own knowledge of history and the civil rights movement, what do you think César Chávez, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. all had in common? What sort of tactics or demonstrations did they believe worked best in fighting injustice? (hint: look in the 11th paragraph).

6. What sort of demonstration did  César Chávez participate in in 1968 to "place harsher demands on himself than on anyone in the movement."

Go here and answer questions 7-9 about the history of the migrant farm worker's movement 

7. Who were "braceros" and why were did landowners favor hiring "braceros" over other workers?

8. Other than Latinos, what other ethnic group helped achieve equality for minority farm workers? 

9. What crop did the UFWA help organize a boycott of in the 1960s? Was the boycott successful?

Read the story entitled, "Grandpa's Short Handled Hoe" and answer the following questions

10. What famous leaders does the grandpa mention in his story? Why was César Chávez so important to him?

11. How did the grandpa and his grandchild celebrate César Chávez's birthday?

 12. What was el cortito? What happened to farm workers who used this tool all of their lives? When was it outlawed? 

13. What kind of a legacy did César Chávez leave behind? Are there any holidays, monuments, or schools named after him?

 B. The continuing struggle: Child laborers

    There are still many problems facing farm workers today--especially children. The following questions provide links that direct you to websites which explain the ongoing problem of the exploitation of children in farm labor. 

1. How old does someone have to be in order to be hired as a farmworker?

 2. How many children are working as farmworkers in the U.S. today? 

3. What percentage of farm laborers are racial minorities?

4. What are the biggest problems faced by child farmworkers today?

5. Why are child labor laws different for child farmworkers than for kids in other jobs?   

Final Task

Pick one quote from Cesar Chavez and explain why you feel that the quote you picked has special significance to you personally and to minorities and/or people who are new to the United States..