During the 1970s, one of the biggest movements in the United States was the fight for rights. Many members of American society felt disenfranchised discriminated against, especially in the workplace. Some American enjoyed a living wage complete with benefits and advantages, while others struggled to earn enough to . One of the most oppressed groups of workers this time period was California farm workers.

The workers were migrant workers who came into the mostly without documentation to work in the fertile of California's Great Central Valley. This region in California has often been described as the country's basket because of its rich soil and high . Farm workers tended these fields during the day, lived and slept on the farm at night. earned less than the state's minimum wage, and no fringe benefits other American workers enjoyed. Cesar changed all that.

Cesar Chave, the Arizona-born civil-rights and labor leader, became the voice of these , and began a movement to bring basic rights this group. Taking the lead from the great . Martin Luther King Jr., Chavez began a series non-violent demonstrations protesting the deplorable conditions farm workers to endure. Many of these workers worked much than eight hours a day, and received no pay. Chavez, who was a farm worker himself the 50s, led marches, and called for boycotts. activities were very effective in changing the working for farm workers and other oppressed workers.

Chavez highly recognized during his lifetime, and his legacy after his death in 1993. He has reached status among the Mexican-American community.