The Chicano Movement In the 1960s, American history was a turbulent decade of issues ranging from civil rights to the war in Vietnam. The Mexican American civil rights movement was one of the least studied social movements of the 1960s. Chicanos had many problems such as giving back land, farm workers were treated differently, got better education and could vote. Discrimination was the biggest problem during the Chicano movement, causing unemployment for Hispanic Americans because of their English. Hispanic Americans are Spanish-speaking Americans also called Latinos. There are approximately 50 million people of Hispanic origin living in the United States today (Orozco). They are also the fastest growing minorities in the United States due to high birth rates and continued immigration. The Hispanic population is basically made up of Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Mexican Americans. About 63% of Hispanics are Mexican Americans in the United States, and 16% of the population is Hispanic. With jobs, housing, and education, Hispanic Americans have faced discrimination (Orozco). In schools, Hispanics were not allowed to speak their language so those who did were punished and often even Anglo-Saxon students reported them if they heard them (Ribera). Discrimination and lack of skills such as understanding and speaking English have played a major role in the high rate of unemployment and poverty (Orozco). Most Hispanic Americans lived in the Southwest and urban areas such as Chicago. Puerto Ricans made up 9% of the Hispanic population, and one-fifth of them lived in New York City. In Miami and other South Florida cities, there are many Cuban-Americans and Chicago also has a large population of Mexicans... middle of the paper... who they were fighting for. Cesar Chavez led Mexican Americans to many victories throughout the movement. The nonviolent boycotts and school strikes were worth it and played an important role in the success of the Chicanos because they got what they wanted. Over the years, the Mexican-American population has increased and most are now able to find work without discrimination. Works Cited “Chicano! History of the Mexican-American civil rights movement". Multimedia history journal. vol. 2 (2000): np NLCC Educational Media, Web. February 20, 2014.Gutierrez, Jose Angel. “The Chicano Movement: Paths to Power.” Social Studies 102.1 (2011): 25. MasterFILE Premier. Network. February 18, 2014. Orozco, Cynthia E. “Hispanic Americans.” Advanced World Book. Book of the World, 2014. Web. 3 February 2014. Ribera, Feliciano M. “Chavez Cesar Estrada”. Advanced World Book. Book of the World, 2014. Web. 3 February. 2014.