Skip to Main Content

Cesar Chavez Guide: In Their Own Words (Primary Sources)

A guide about the life and accomplishments of Cesar Chavez, notable advocate for farm workers.

Primary Sources about Cesar Chavez

"The Most Memorable Times of Our Lives, 1968–1975." By Rey Huerta. From Immigration and Multiculturalism: Essential Primary Sources. 2006.

"One of the poorest occupations in the United States is that of the landless, migrant farm worker. Migrant farm workers have long been a mainstay of the farms and ranches of California. Many of the workers, particularly the grape pickers, were organized by César Chávez and his United Farm Workers in the 1960s and 1970s to obtain better wages and working conditions. This labor struggle became one of the most publicized in American history, though it remained peaceful..." < continue reading >

"1984 - Cesar Chavez Address to the Commonwealth Club of California."  November 9, 1984

"... All my life, I have been driven by one dream, one goal, one vision: To overthrow a farm labor system in this nation which treats farm workers as if they were not important human beings.

Farm workers are not agricultural implements. They are not beasts of burden--to be used and discarded... "
< continue reading >