Mexican Labor and World War II: Braceros in the Pacific Northwest, 1942-1947

by Erasmo Gamboa, Kevin Leonard (Foreword)

"Although Mexican migrant workers have toiled in the fields of the Pacific Northwest since the turn of the century, and although they comprise the largest work force in the region's agriculture today, they have been virtually invisible in the region's written labor history. Erasmo Gamboa's study of the bracero program during World War II is an important beginning, describing and documenting the labor history of Mexican and Chicano workers in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and contributing to our knowledge of farm labor."―Oregon Historical Quarterly

Genres: History

Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much of American history is simply a series of case studies demonstrating humanity’s enduring tendency to make decisions actively against their self interest because they would rather be racist or xenophobic. Thanks to John Steinbeck, much is made of the hardships of Depression-era farmworker families who left Oklahoma after the Dust Bowl. But that the similar — and quickly deteriorating — conditions of the Braceros and Mexican migrants is almost never discussed in history textbooks makes the need for a new history of the West patently clear.

To sum up: the families of the soldiers fighting for the human rights of people an ocean away did not see fit to offer those same human rights and dignity to the Mexican workers they brought to help. Even though their fellow North Americans were performing an essential “patriotic” war duty: getting food for the troops.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book is primarily about the WWII program which brought Mexican Nationals to the Pacific Northwest region of the US, I found that the history helps to explain the importance of Mexicans and Mexican Americans who work throughout the US even today. I had positive experiences hiring and working alongside Mexican immigrants when I owned a construction company in Colorado during the early 21st century. Reading this study has helped me to understand the contributions that similar workers made to the agricultural sector in my current home state of Oregon.

If the US Congress ever gets their act together to create a viable guest worker program, it behooves them to read this study and to do better.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in history and in developing social-economic policies and programs.

[Daniel Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I end up writing a research paper from ideas inspired by this book I'll give it 4 stars

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Apparently, the pursuit of human rights, to which they were committed as American citizens, was an ideal not applicable on their farms.