Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Short Handled Hoe"

A Nation of Immigrants: Latino Stories

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:34:27 GMT

Students can read the stories of immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, and other Latin American countries, and view objects related to the journey to America. Students can also learn about the experiences of workers in the in the mid-twentieth century Bracero guest worker program. This reference page is included in the online exhibition entitled America on the Move, which focuses on transportation in US history.

Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:50:03 GMT

This website will help students learn about the bracero program, in which an estimated two million Mexican men came to the United States on short-term labor contracts. The experiences of these men are brought to life through photographs and quotes from oral history interviews. In 1942, facing labor shortages caused by World War II, the United States initiated a series of agreements with Mexico to recruit Mexican men to work on U.S. farms and railroads. This online exhibition is presented in English and Spanish.

Bracero History Archive

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:22:11 GMT

This website provides online access to a collection of oral histories, photos, documents, and objects related to bracero history. Students can browse the archive, use social bookmarking tools to share resources, add their own notes and make a poster using items from the archive, and contribute to the archive by adding their own stories about the bracero program.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is part of a consortium of museums, universities, and cultural institutions documenting and preserving the history of the bracero program, a little-known chapter of American history in which an estimated two million Mexican men came to the United States between 1942-1964 on short-term labor contracts. The Bracero History Project has recorded more than 600 oral histories and has collected many objects.

Bracero History Archive-Spanish Version

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:39:20 GMT

This website provides online access to this collection of oral histories, photos, documents, and objects related to bracero history. Students can browse the archive, use social bookmarking tools to share resources, add their own notes and make a poster using items from the archive, and contribute to the archive by adding their own stories about the bracero program.

The Short-Handled Hoe and Bracero History

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:25:57 GMT

This object-based learning activity revolves around the short-handled hoe, the bracero program, Cesar Chavez and the organizing of Latino farm workers in the American southwest after World War II. Students will learn about the role of Mexican guest workers in American agricultural history. After exploring the short-handled hoe and its importance as a source of historical information, students will visit the forum section of the site to hear NMAH curators and historians discuss the object and then use what they have learned to complete the Virtual Exhibit Activity.

This resource is included in The Object of History, a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and George Mason University's Center for History and New Media.

A Nation of Immigrants: Latino Stories

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:34:27 GMT

History Explorer Podcast: The Bracero Program

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:06:23 GMT

During World War II, America began its largest experiment with guest Labor, The Mexican Farm Labor Program. Commonly called the bracero program, this little known chapter of American and Mexican history touched the lives of countless men, women, families, and communities. Learn about the bracero program and the Smithsonian’s initiative to document it with curator Stephen Velasquez. The resource set includes a teacher guide and student worksheet.