Documents of the Chicano Movement: (Eyewitness to History)

This book provides original source documents—from firsthand accounts to media responses to legislation—regarding the Chicano movement of the 1960s through 1970s. Readers will understand the key events, individuals, and developments of La Causa: Chicanos uniting to free themselves from exploitation. The 1960s was a time of the burgeoning black Civil Rights movement, when society and politics were divided over the war in Vietnam and public violence became "normal" in the form of police response to protests and assassinations of leaders. It was also a time that witnessed the beginning of a movement to secure justice and rights on behalf of Mexican-Americans and other Latinos. It was the Chicano movement. Documents of the Chicano Movement: Eyewitness to History presents some 50 primary historical documents, each prefaced by a succinct introductory essay. Because the Chicano movement comprised disparate groups and leaders from across the nation, the book will be divided into several sections that acknowledge these separate but connected efforts, each headed by its own introduction. Through its detailed coverage of approximately two decades, the book highlights key topics that include the fight of farm workers to establish a union; the so-called "Land-Grant Struggle" to reclaim areas of the Southwest ceded in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago; the establishment in New Mexico of the Crusade for Justice, an organization that promoted a nationalistic agenda; the growth of the urban Chicano student movement and its drive for educational reform; the Chicano Antiwar Moratorium protests; and the eventual rise of Chicano political power with the birth of the La Raza Unida Party. The breadth of primary documents include materials from archives, manuscript repositories, newspapers, government documents, public speeches and addresses, first-person accounts from individuals who participated directly in the Chicano movement, legal decisions, pamphlets, and essays. The documents not only tell a vivid, engaging story but also provide students and researchers with valuable resources for use in other works.

Table of Contents:
Evaluating and Interpreting Primary Documents Historical Introduction Chronology Chapter 1 Prelude to Protest Introduction 1. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Articles VIII and IX, 1848 2. "The Sleepy Lagoon Case," Pamphlet Prepared by the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee, 1943 3. Radio Broadcast by Los Angeles City Officials on "Zoot Suit Riot," 1943 4. Appellate Decision in People v. Zammora (Zoot Suit Riot Case), 1944 5.Mendez v. Westminster, Conclusion of the Court, 1947 6. Hernandez v. Texas, Summary, 1954 Further Reading Chapter 2 Sí, Se Puede: The Fight of the Farmworkers Introduction 7. Farm Labor Organizing—César Chávez Speaks of the Early Years, 1963 8. Informant Interview to FBI on César Chávez, 1966 9. Statement of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Delano, California, 1968 10. Proclamation of the Delano Grape Workers for International Boycott Day, 1969 11. Statement of Dolores Huerta before U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Migratory Labor, 1969 12. César Chávez Address to the Commonwealth Club of California, 1984 Further Reading Chapter 3 Reies López Tijerina and the Land-Grant Movement Introduction 13. La Alianza and the Rio Arriba County Courthouse Raid: The Recollections of a Reporter at the Scene, 1967 14. FBI COINTELPRO Memorandum on La Alianza Federal de Mercedes and Reies Tijerina, 1967 15. Reies López Tijerina Speech before Black Panther Rally, Oakland, California, 1968 16. Reies López Tijerina, A Letter from the Santa Fe Jail, 1969 17. La Alianza Press Release, 1982 Further Reading Chapter 4 Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales and the Crusade for Justice Introduction 18. "I Am Joaquin" by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, 1967 19. FBI Memoranda on Activities of Corky Gonzales, 1968 20. The National Chicano Youth Conference and El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán (The Spiritual Plan of Aztlán), 1969 21. Press Conference on the Murder of Ricardo Falcón, 1972 22. Remembering the 1974 Car Bombing Deaths of Chicano Leaders—"Los Seis de Boulder" Further Reading Chapter 5 The Student Blowouts and the Drive for Educational Reform Introduction 23. Offices of La Raza Raided by Los Angeles Police, 1968 24. The Philosophy of MEChA, 1969 (Amended 1999) 25. Pamphlet, "Free Los Siete De La Raza," 1970 26. Interview with Herman Baca of the Committee on Chicano Rights, 1980 27. David Sánchez Looks Back on Early Years of Chicano Resistance—Interview, 2012 28. Eulogy for Sal Castro, 2013 Further Reading Chapter 6 The National Chicano Antiwar Moratorium Introduction 29. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Study on Mexican Americans, 1968 30. Ruben Salazar's Stranger in One's Land, 1970 31. Reflections of Ricardo Muñoz on the Chicano Moratorium of 1970 Further Reading Chapter 7 José Ángel Gutiérrez, Political Power, and the Birth of La Raza Unida Introduction 32. Speech of José Ángel Gutiérrez: "Mexicanos Need to Control Their Own Destiny," 1970 33. Speech of Ramsey Muñiz, La Raza Unida Party Candidate for Governor of Texas, 1972 and 1974 Further Reading Chapter 8 A Chicana Perspective Introduction 34. Interview with Gloria Arellanes on Brown Berets, 2011 35. Remarks of President Barack Obama Awarding Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dolores Huerta, 2012, and Huerta's Acceptance Further Reading Chapter 9 Rising Cultural and Creative Expression Introduction 36. Interview of Poet, Writer, and Painter Nephtalí De León on His Early Years as a Creative Artist, 1999 37. Artist Johnny D. González, aka Don Juan, Reflects on Chicano Murals, 2007 Further Reading Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Roger Bruns is a historian and former deputy executive director of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives in Washington, DC.