Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964

Grade Range: 5-12
Resource Type(s): Reference Materials
Date Posted: 9/12/2009

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.


National Standards

United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)

World History Standards (Grades 5-12)

Historical Thinking Standards (Grades 5-12)