César Chávez's relentless campaign for social justice for farm workers and
laborers in the United States marked a milestone in U.S. history. Through
his powerful rhetoric and impassioned calls to action, Chávez transformed
as well as persuaded and inspired his audiences.

    In this first published anthology, Richard J. Jensen and John C.
Hammerback present Chávez in his own terms. Through this collection of
words and analysis of his major speeches and writings, Jensen and
Hammerback reveal the rhetorical qualities and underlying rhetorical
dynamics of a master communicator. They also offer a rich source of the
history of the farm workers' movement that Chávez led from the early
1960s to his death in 1993.

    The Words of César Chávez offers an important new resource for
scholars of public discourse, Chicano studies, and Chávez himself. It
complements the authors' earlier study, The Rhetorical Career of César
Chávez, by providing the primary materials for that rhetorical profile of
Chávez. Through his own words, Jensen and Hammerback present Chávez
doing what he did best: teaching and influencing audiences who would
enact his agenda to create a new and better world.

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RICHARD J. JENSEN is a professor living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
JOHN C. HAMMERBACK is a professor of speech communications 
living in Redmond, Washington.