Mexican-Americans struggled for equal rights in America in the twentieth 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." To be More Specific, Mexican-Americans held a Civil Rights Movement, also known as the The Chicano Movement, or El Movimiento. It was one of many protests in the United States. Many groups were going through struggles during this time, African Americans were fighting for equality, women wanted the right to vote, and Native Americans were fighting for land that was originally theirs. The movement started in the 1940's, but rapidly grew to 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 workers, political and voting rights, and education reform. The movement was done by boycotting, staging 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." Mexicano was used in ancient Mexico to identify a member of the Aztec Indian tribe. Chicano means, "person from Mexico." Others may argue the word traces back to the Nahuatl term, "Meshico." This terms still has an negative connotation by certain people in the community. However, 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.