Mexican-Americans struggled for equal rights in America in the 20th century. Kennedy was elected president with the help of Mexicans-Americans. Kennedy promised Mexican-Americans certain rights and "he didn't fulfill his promises to them. For one, Kennedy didn't appoint more Mexican-Americans to higher political positions and didn't pass legislation that would benefit the Mexican-American community. " Be More Specific, The Mexican-Americans held an Civil Rights Movement, also known as the The Chicano Movement or El Movimiento, was one of many protests in the United States . Many Ethnic groups was going through their struggles during this time, African Americans was fighting for equality , Women wanted the right to vote and Native Americans fighting for land that was originally theirs. The movement started in the 1940's but rapidly became a big impact to The United States in the 1960's when Mexican-Americans began to get tired of the racial prejudice and decided to fight for their rights. The Chicano movement was successful with restoral of land, rights for farm works, political/voting rights and education reform by boycotting, doing walkouts, strikes and marches.
There are many assumptions of the term "Chicano/a". No one knows the official origin of word. The most leading theory is that these terms come from "Mexicano" which is a Spanish word for "Mexican". The word Mexicano was used in ancient Mexico to identify a member of the Aztec Indian tribe. To Sum It Up, Chicano means "person from Mexico". Other may argue the word traces back to the Nahuatl term "Meshico". This terms still has an negative feeling towards it by certain people in the community, but Mexican Americans in The United States take pride in the term "Chincano/a".
During the 1960's the Mexican-Americans tried to reclaim land in The United States. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo triggered the Mexican-Americans.