A Frontier for Workers’ Rights:
​​​​​​​The Delano Grape Strike and Boycott

In the late 1800s, the United States expanded its traditional frontier by pursuing a policy of imperialism. The US sought to extend its influence beyond its borders and assert global power by acquiring territories in the Pacific. After the 1898 Spanish American War, for example, the US colonized the Philippines. Now holding US passports, thousands of Filipinos eagerly immigrated to the US to work on California farmlands.

Filipino Immigrants, Migration Policy Institute, early 1900s

Filipino farmworkers picking lettuce, Norry Bay, California, Digital Public Libary of America, 1930

The 1910 Mexican Revolution forced millions of Mexicans to flee to the US for new lives, a trend that continued through the 1920s and 1930s. As WWII prompted a greater demand for agricultural laborers to replace drafted soldiers, the US established the Bracero Program in 1942. This work-visa program for Mexicans promised fair wages, suitable housing, and protection under federal law.

Mexican immigrants in the Bracero system, Library of Congress, 1943

Braceros harvesting crops, NBC, 1964