And so, until the abolishment of slavery in America, farm and plantation owners took full advantage of slaves brought to the United States from various countries. .
Before delving into the specifics and the legalities of the mistreatment of temporary workers in America, it is imperative to understand a bit of the history behind this issue. Only after taking a look at how this became such a major problem, as well as the key players in this fight for migrant equality, can one begin to consider what can be done about this. Thus, with slavery eventually outlawed after the Civil War, the patterns of abuse continued. Migrant workers of several different races continued to be used as cheap laborers to feed America. Furthermore, while most of the United States enjoyed the fresh fruits and vegetables on their tables, they paid little attention to where this food was actually coming from, who was responsible for the difficult task of harvesting it, and how it got from fields to their dining rooms. Americans were spoiled, and had little to no way to get a first-hand look at the process of cultivating produce. CBS broadcaster Edward R Murrow, however, knew where these fruits and vegetables were coming from as well as the inhumane conditions the workers responsible for the distribution of this food were subjected to, and Murrow and his team of investigators took it upon themselves to make sure the world witnessed the ugly truth.
The CBS investigative report "Harvest of Shame" was aired on television on November 26, 1960. The timing of this documentary's release was not coincidental, as the producers wanted Americans to understand where much of the food they had just enjoyed for Thanksgiving dinner actually came from (Blair).The nearly hour long report came under some criticism for being an exaggeration of actual life working on farms, but much more people praised the film for not being afraid to showcase the truth, no matter how unattractive that truth was.
