Cesar Chavez Study Guide

1) Why did the Chavez family travel to California in the 1930’s?

Hard times hit the United States in the 1930’s and millions of people lost their jobs. The Chavez family lost their farm and grocery store in Arizona. The Chavez family moved to the Imperial Valley in southern California to find work. The Chavez family became migrant workers here.

2) How did Cesar Chavez show diligence?

He became the leader of the Community Service Organization in 1959. He helped thousands of people from Mexico become citizens of the United States. He helped more than 10,000 Mexican American sign up to vote. He also taught Mexican Americans how to stand up for their rights. In 1962, he formed the Farm Workers Association in an effort to improve working conditions. In 1966, the Farm Workers Association joined the United Farmers Workers (UFW). Cesar Chavez led a 340 mile march to draw attention to the strike, and he later led 1,000 mile march in 1975 through California to inform farm workers about a new law that protected their right to form a union.

3) Why did Cesar Chavez help farm workers form a labor union?

He knew that workers would have more power acting as a group than they would alone. A union can make employers give workers better pay and working conditions.

4) Where was Cesar Chavez born and where did his family move when he was ten years old?

Cesar Chavez was born near Yuma, Arizona in 1927. His family moved to the Imperial Valley in southern California in 1937 when he was ten to find work as migrant workers.

5) What is the Community Service Organization and what three things did it teach Chavez? The Community Service Organization was a group that worked for justice for all people. Chavez wanted to help workers who were treated unfairly. He learned three things through the Community Service Organization: 1) There is power in knowledge. 2) There is strength in numbers. 3) Real change cannot be achieved through violence.