Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• Use text evidence to explain how the Great Depression made the inequalities that Mexican Americans endured worse. (Skill: Text Evidence)
During the Great Depression, Mexican Americans were wrongly blamed for taking jobs from White Americans. As a result, they faced anger, threats, and violence. Also, they often did not receive government aid. The text states, “. . . federal programs were set up to help provide struggling Americans with money, food, and even jobs. But people of Mexican descent were often denied access.”
• Identify three events from the article that prove Emma Tenayuca’s statement: “I never thought in terms of fear . . . I thought in terms of justice.” (Skill: Supporting Claims with Evidence)
In 1934, Emma Tenayuca joined a picket line to support workers’ rights even though a sheriff had warned that he might use force against the protesters. In 1935, she organized groups of female workers, joined picket lines, and staged protests in the face of prejudice and sexism. In 1938, she joined the front lines of the pecan shellers’ strike, where police used clubs and tear gas on strikers. In all three instances, she put herself at risk to stand up for what she believed was right.