Dolores Huerta addresses the audience after the Delano grape march, State Capitol, Sacramento, California.

Mini-Unit

Latinx Rights in 1960s California

Explore two pivotal moments in the Latinx rights movement in California: the East LA school walkouts and the first year of the Delano grape strike.

Published: March 16, 2020

Mini-Unit

Language

English — US

Subject

History
Social Studies

Grade

9–12

Duration

Three or more 50-min class periods

Democracy & Civic Engagement
Human & Civil Rights

Overview

In the 1960s, historically marginalized groups across the United States organized to claim the rights they had long been denied. The lessons below help educators and students explore two pivotal moments in the Latinx rights movement in California: the East LA school walkouts in 1968 and the Delano grape workers’ strike that began in 1965.

This mini-unit supports a three 50-min class periods exploration of Latinx Rights in 1960s California. It includes:

2 lessons
Videos, readings, and handouts that correspond with activities

Lesson Plans

Lesson

Students learn about education, identity, and activism through an exploration of the East Los Angeles school walkouts, when thousands of students protested unequal educational opportunities for Mexican American students.

John Ortiz, Mexican-American student leader at James A. Garfield High School, addressing assembled students during a walkout.

Lesson

Students explore the first year of the Delano grape strike, when grape workers in California's San Joaquin Valley went on strike to demand higher wages and better work conditions.

Dolores Huerta and others hold up "Huelga" signs as part of the grape strike.

Activity

Students explore the supporting question "How should we remember the nation’s founding?"

Washington DC, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Building Southwest Pavilion. The Library has had an ongoing exhibition entitled "Thomas Jefferson's Library", which presents the Library's efforts to completely recreate Thomas Jefferson's personal library. The exhibit is located on the Building's second floor in the Southwest Pavilion, called the Pavilion of the Discoverers due to the paintings and bas-reliefs that adorn the space.

Collection

Explore resources that meet the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework.

Students working in groups in a classroom

Activity

Students explore the supporting question "What does the Declaration of Independence state about the nation’s founding ideals?"

United States Declaration of Independence

Activity

Students explore the supporting question "What contradictions existed between the ideals and the reality of the founding of the United States?"

Photo shows a group of African American slaves posed around a horse-drawn cart, with a building in the background, at the Cassina Point plantation of James Hopkinson on Edisto Island, South Carolina.

Assessment

Students culminate their arc of inquiry into the US founding by completing a C3-aligned Summative Performance Task and Taking Informed Action.

Collection

Explore resources that meet the California History–Social Science Framework standards.

Four students sit in a circle in conversation. The student in the center speaks with their hands raised.

Activity

Students explore the supporting question “How did the Angel Island Immigration Station both reflect and enforce borders within American society?”

Captain examines passengers aboard the The Shimyo Maru vessel.

Activity

Students explore the supporting question “How does the history of immigration through Angel Island help us understand how we create and challenge borders today?”

Assessment

Students culminate their arc of inquiry into the Angel Island Immigration Station by completing a C3-aligned Summative Performance Task and Taking Informed Action.

Inquiry

This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question “How does the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station help us understand how borders are erected, enforced, and challenged?”

Lesson

Students examine the strategies of three key civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokely Carmichael march with a crowd of people behind them.

Lesson

Students reflect on the revolutionary changes that occurred because of the landmark legislation and amendments passed during the Reconstruction era.

A studio portrait shows African American members of the General Assembly from 1887 to 1888

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Latinx Rights in 1960s California

At a Glance

Language

Subject

Grade

Duration

Overview

About This Mini-Unit

Lesson Plans

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Supporting Question 1: The History of the Angel Island Immigration Station

Supporting Question 3: Navigating the Borders of National Belonging

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Latinx Rights in 1960s California

At a Glance

Language

Subject

Grade

Duration

Overview

About This Mini-Unit

Save this resource for easy access later.

Lesson Plans

Explore the Resources

The 1968 East LA School Walkouts

California Grape Workers’ Strike: 1965–66

How are you planning to use this resource?

You might also be interested in…

Supporting Question 4: Memory of the Founding

Resources for Civic Education in Massachusetts

Supporting Question 1: The Nation’s Founding Ideals

Supporting Question 2: Founding Ideals Versus Realities

Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action

Resources for Civic Education in California

Supporting Question 1: The History of the Angel Island Immigration Station

Supporting Question 3: Navigating the Borders of National Belonging

Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action

Angel Island Immigration Station: Exploring Borders and Belonging in US History

Three Visions for Achieving Equal Rights

Expanding Democracy

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