The U.S.-Mexico Bracero Program, 1942–1964

This document collection will introduce students to the U.S.-Mexico Bracero program and the experiences of those who labored within it. Students will engage with a wide range of primary sources, constructing an argument based on the central question: How did the nation's first and largest guest worker program establish the context for the U.S. treatment Mexican labor migrants? Students are guided in their analyses of the documents by a learning objective, central question, historical background, source headnotes, source questions, project questions and suggestions for further research. Through their work with these sources, they will gain a deeper awareness of the diversity of the American experience, a more complete understanding of the present in an historically-based context, an enhanced ability to read, interpret, assess, and contextualize primary sources, and practice explaining historical change over time.