Bracero Program essays

Bracero Program essays It was during World War II that the United States was in need of Mexico and its laborers. Americans were at war and labor was needed in order to supply the soldiers with food and keep the countries agriculture going. It was in 1942 when the United States and Mexico negotiated an agreement that was known as the bracero program. For Mexicans it was a chance to get a better life and an opportunity that could change their lives. For Americans, on the other hand, it was the help they needed to keep the country going after the war. It was the lost of manpower during World War II that stopped the deportation of Mexicans that had been going on during the prior years. The United States had done a complete turnaround. Before they had tried to stop Mexican immigrants from entering their country. Now they had open up the doors. It was a time of need for the United States. The majority of the working class was out fighting in the war or working of war related jobs. The United States had to turn to their neighbors for help. On August 14, 1942, President Manuel Avila Camacho and Frank Delano Roosevelt signed an agreement that was officially known as the bracero program. This program was to allow a controlled number of Mexican immigrants to enter the United States and work. They would be allowed in the United States when workers were needed and when their work was done, they were expected to return to Mexico. The agreement provided Mexican workers for nondiscriminatory conditions. They were to receive the same benefits that any white American had, and were supposed to be paid the same. To employers this meant they would be expending money to provide for the workers, to Mexicans it meant an opportunity for a better life. Many Mexicans sought the American dream and they thought that by going to work in the United States they would gain that life they wanted. Things didnt go as planned for the Mexicans. The protec...