Detailing the historical context of the Bracero Program is important in fully understanding and analyzing the program. Exploring the context establishes a framework from where the program’s formation, intentions and consequences can be understood. Not only providing insight into the program, but also recognizing the interaction between different forces in shaping the program into what we recognize today. Put simply, a historical lens grants us a more nuanced understanding from which the importance and legacy of the program can be examined.
The first aspect of this context that will be explored is the US and its involvement in the second world war. This participation, as we should know, came about following the attack on Pearl Harbor which forced the US to take action against the Axis powers in the war. Exactly four days following this attack, on December 8, 1941, the US declared war and had joined the fight. Though, it is often overlooked that the US’ involvement and support for the Allied forces stretches back a considerable amount of time. By December of 1940 the US had provided military supplies and other forms of assistance through acts like the “cash and carry” or lend-lease program. Though labor at this point in time had not necessitated labor from abroad, only until the US openly entered the war there were concerns of labor shortage that had historically even been unpopular.
From the war the US had emerged an industrial power and had even produced around two-thirds of military equipment for the Allied. In order to support this focus on production and concerns in the US economy, agreements were reached between the US and Mexican government in order to recruit laborers. That is to say these workers proved to be an integral component to the US economy. In the image to the right the effect of the program's dissolution in 1964 can be seen through the drop in production, or fruit crates. However, this was not the only motivation workers had for joining the program. The contracts which the US had appeared to have been so generously offering had appealing wages, as well as guarantees of wages, safety and rights. Along with the favorable preconceived ideas of American life and culture at the time, the workers faced a number of pull factors which managed to attract upwards of five million people. As can be seen in the image to the right, these workers looked forward to their experience for these reasons.
On the other side of the border, historical events also contributed to the development of the program, but the roots on this side stem from years prior. This event is the Mexican Revolution that began in 1910 with the overthrow of Porfirio Díaz. From this moment the timeline of events can be understood as a steady exchange of presidents and while some changes were reached like separation of church and state, the country was left in bad shape. Following the revolution, livestock was greatly reduced, agriculture and manufacturing was abandoned to a degree and currency as well as credit were destroyed. While it’d be incorrect to state that from 1920 to 1941 these issues were not addressed, it is worth noting that these effects had rippling effects across the decades and aided in forming Mexico’s modern-day structure: little social service with a minority wealthy elite. Given this social and economic context in Mexico it should come as no surprise when millions of Mexican workers gladly acted on the newly instituted program. Having expected a culturally impressive experience, higher wages to support their families, a greater degree of safety and kind of “new start,” there was little up to decision. These push factors could not be overlooked.
From this historical context, the push and pull factors that gave rise to the Bracero Program can be seen, these establish a basis from where we can begin to understand the expectations as well as the thinking of the workers that participated. Participation as has been explored stemmed from reasoning including higher wages to a desire to experience American culture. Though, it would be an injustice to fail to highlight the uniqueness in the experiences of the braceros and merely generalize it all as unfavorable. As will be seen in the following individual pages, the braceros experience differed in migration as well as favorable or unfavorable aspects of the program. In the image to the right a singular migration is representative of this uniqueness as workers can be seen in a single area of work preparing for transport. That's to say this foundation will prove important to keep in mind as the uniqueness and reality of the bracero experience is explored.
