ABSTRACT
Following the implementation of the temporary indentured worker program with Mexico and the delivery of men to railroads and agriculture across vast sections of the United States there emerged an outpouring of publicity in celebration of the bracero program. Optimistic contentions that the bracero program not only furthered US foreign policy and aided Mexico's economic development, but also served to maintain the US labor supply and agricultural output, took centerstage. Immediately upon the appearance of substantially researched analyses that exposed the glaring gap between theory and practice—indeed, revealed the actual practice—growers rose to their defense via state-sponsored publications and privately funded public-relations efforts. This chapter explores the literature that defined the braceros and the bracero program for the American public and examines how the labor of indentured immigrants was defined, legitimized, and, given the gross violations of the program's contract provisions, covered up.
