The Price of Cotton: The San Joaquin Valley Cotton Strike of 1933

For my poster, I will be investigating the San Joaquin Valley cotton strike of 1933 to discover the answers to the following questions: What happened? What is the significance of this strike? Does this fall into a larger pattern of strikes that year? This strike comes an interesting point in history because while 80% of strikers were Mexican and Mexican American, the US was repatriating individuals of Mexican decent back to Mexico. This strike is also interesting since this was one of over 30 strikes in one year. To do this project I will be using newspaper analysis and photograph analysis to get a clear picture what happened at the strike and give the audience a view of the strike from actual primary sources. Preliminary results show the strike was successful, strikers got what they wanted, higher wages, but this came at a cost. My primary conclusions show that this strike fits into a larger pattern of strikes in 1933, and was a successful way to protest. With my poster, the audience can expect to see a thorough investigation of primary sources, with a timeline guiding readers successfully through the strike and the aftermath