History of California farm labor from 1870 to World War II, focusing on Asians and Anglos. Agriculture is the largest industry in CA, yet the historical voice of its farmworkers has rarely been heard. Based on an extensive collection of interviews, this program traces the history of the California agricultural labor force from the 1870's to WWII. This documentary focuses on the Asians (Chinese, Japanese and Filipino) and the Anglos (Hoboes, "gasoline gypsies" and Dust Bowl refugees) who comprised the large cheap migrant labor fore needed to harvest California's vast "factories in the field." The program examine the use of racist exclusion laws, job competition, women's double work day, and hte attempts to solve these problems through unionization.
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