Short-Handled Hoe, 1950s and 1960s

Unknown artist

Migrant farm workers had to use the short-handled hoe or <i>el cortito</i> for thinning and weeding. Because it required them to stoop during long hours in the fields, the hoe became a symbol of the exploitive working conditions. Campaigns by the United Farm Workers and others helped outlaw use of the hoe in 1975.