HISTORY EYEWITNESS TO CESAR CHAVEZ in his own words NS Gareth Stevens PUBLISHING By Sarah Machajewski
The history of agriculture in the United States is one of hardship for the men and women who have worked the land From an agricultural economy based on slavery in the pre Civil War South to the millions of migrant workers who toil in fields today farm labor in the United States has rarely been kind to its workers In the 1960s one person became the voice of a movement that worked to create better conditions for farm laborers That man was Cesar Chavez As a boy from a family of migrant workers and later one himself Chavez knew firsthand the injustices farm laborers faced His tireless activism brought national attention to the dangers of farmwork His dedication and message of nonviolence earned the support of millions This is his story 4 A Voice for Millions MORE TO KNOW Cesar Chavez was committed to standing up to injustice He said (cid:29)ere has to be someone who is willing to do it who is willing to take whatever risks are required
Cesar Chavez a Mexican American is considered to be one of the most important Latino leaders in history What Is a Primary Source This book uses primary sources to tell Cesar Chavez’s story Primary sources are documents or objects that were created during a time of history They include speeches letters interviews artwork objects and more Primary sources are important because they give us a powerful sense of history allowing us to study it through the eyes of people who lived it By understanding Cesar Chavez’s own words we can better know the man behind the movement that changed history 5
