This paper, very much a work-in-progress, seeks to reframe a two-chapter section of a current book project into a single chapter on teen organization and acculturation among mainly Mexican American migrant farm worker teens in Crystal City, Texas after 1950. The first section of the paper examines political organizing in the high school context with attention to ethnic block voting, sports, and other issues related to teen life in Texas. The second section of the paper examines a well known political movement with an emphasis on the role played by teen and young adults in an effort that involved the Teamsters union and the Political Association of Spanish-speaking Organizations (PASSO). These efforts culminated in the 1963 election of an “all Latin” slate to the city council, a dramatic event in Mexican American history which brought national attention to Crystal City and marked what some have termed the “first uprising” of the “Chicano Movement.” Rather than a sudden political movement, the 1963 election when placed within the context of the broader local and national history of mobilization and teen acculturation and political education emerges as one important peak in the long development of Mexican American political consciousness in Texas and the nation.

All papers are pre-circulated electronically to those who plan to attend the seminar in person. For a copy of the paper, e-mail Jenny Butler at scholl@newberry.org, or call 312-255-3524. Please do not request a paper unless you plan to attend.

The Newberry Library Seminar in Labor History is co-sponsored by the History Department of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University and the Labor and Working Class History Association