Social Movements of the 1960’s
HUSH Unit 6
The Start of the Women’s Movement
The Feminist Movement began in the late 1800’sConcentrated on gaining right to vote
Seneca Falls ConventionDeclaration of Sentiments
19th Amendment ratified in 1920
Reproductive Rights
Margaret Sanger opens birth control clinic in 1923Shut down by police…then reopened
Birth control information is declared to be “not obscene” in 1936
Birth control pills are developed and first approved by FDA in 1960
Equal Pay??
Stereotypes in the 19th century and early 20th century limited women to household jobs or low paying jobs
By the early 1960’s, about half of all women held a job
President Kennedy’s “Commission on the Status of Women” is established in 1960 But on average, women still made only .63 to every
$1 men made
Equal Pay Act
Congress passes the Equal Pay Act in 1963, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job
Since 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was signed, the closing of the wage gap between men and women has been at a rate of about half a penny a year.
Impact of the 1964 Civil Rights Act on Women’s Rights
Many women who had been involved with the Civil Rights Movement applied techniques to their own struggles
A section of the 1964 Civil Rights Act called Title VII contained a section that outlawed discrimination on the basis of gender
This Act gave feminist groups legal standingExtremely important!
Civil Rights Act- Title VII
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
Betty Friedan
Women began looking for
ways to explore other aspects
of their lives Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine
Mystique, influenced many lives The book described “the cultural patterns
that prevented women from achieving their full potential”
AKA as “the problem that has no name”
NOW
The National Organization of WomenFounded in 1966 by Friedan and others
Sought pay and job equalityCalled for more of an balance in child
rearing and household responsibilitiesServed as the major vehicle to end sex
discrimination and promote equality
Ms Magazine
Ms. Magazine was first published as a sample insert in New York magazine; 300,000 copies are sold out in 8 days.
The first regular issue was published in July 1972.
The magazine became the major forum for feminist voices, and cofounder and editor Gloria Steinem is launched as an icon of the modern feminist movement
The Equal Rights Amendment
The 26th Amendment (proposed)Proposed 1972 change to the U.S.
Constitution “Equality of rights under the law shall not
be denied…on account of sex.”Did not receive needed 38 states;
proposal died in 1982
Roe v Wade
Landmark Supreme Court case in 1973Legalized abortion in the U.S.
Became a radical cause on both sides
Equal Credit Opportunity Act
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed in 1974
It prohibits discrimination in consumer credit practices on the basis of sex, race, marital status, religion, national origin, age, or receipt of public assistance.
Opposition to Women’s Movement
Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative political activist led a campaign to block passage of the ERA
Feared that the ERA would lead to women in combat, coed bathrooms, and the end of traditional families
Became powerful political force
The Impact of Feminism
More women entered college, law school, and medical school
Women were admitted to military and police academies
Women became more involved in politicsWomen became more involved in
popular music “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy
“I Am Woman”
“I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much
To go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna
Keep me down again….”
“Oh yes, I am wiseBut it's wisdom born of painYes, I've paid the priceBut look how much I gainedIf I have toI can do anythingI am strong (strong)I am invincible (invincible)I am woman…”
“You can bend but never break me'Cause it only serves to make meMore determined to achieve my final goalAnd I come back even strongerNot a novice any longer'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul”
Oh, yes, I am wiseBut it's wisdom born of painYes, I've paid the priceBut look how much I gainedIf I have toI can face anythingI am strong (strong)I am invincible (invincible)I am woman
I am woman watch me growSee me standing toe to toeAs I spread my lovin' arms across the landBut I'm still an embryoWith a long, long way to goUntil I make my brother understand
Oh, yes, I am wiseBut it's wisdom born of painYes, I've paid the priceBut look how much I gainedIf I have toI can face anythingI am strong (strong)I am invincible (invincible)I am woman
Oh, I am womanI am invincibleI am strong
I am womanI am invincibleI am strongI am woman
Ethnic Minorities Seek Equality
LatinosAsian-AmericansNative Americans
Latinos
Latino population was growing quickly
Family origins in Latin America Also known as Chicanos in
1960’s-1970’s Had been seen as outsiders
and denied employment, education, and housing
Large numbers of Latinos and Chicanos began to organize themselves into powerful political groups
Civil Rights for Latinos The Mexican American Civil Rights
Movement, one of the least studied social movements of the 1960s, encompassed a broad cross section of issues—from restoration of land grants, to farm workers rights, to enhanced education, to voting and political rights.
Also known as the Chicano Movement addressed negative stereotyping of Mexicans in mass media and the American consciousness through the creation of works of literary and visual art that validated the Mexican-American ethnicity and culture.
http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol3/chicano/chicano.html
Important Milestones
The Bracero Program, created under a joint U.S.-Mexico agreement in 1942, permits Mexican nationals to work in U.S. agricultural areas on a temporary basis and at wages lower than domestic workers The Bracero Program is terminated in 1963.
In 1968, the U.S. Congress designated "National Hispanic Week" in mid-September, to coincide with the Independence Day celebrations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua on September 15, and with Mexico's Independence Day on September 16. In 1988, Congress expanded the commemoration, appointing the month running from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 as "National Hispanic Month."
Important Court Case
1974: In Lau v. Nichols, the Supreme Court rules that, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, school districts are required to provide assistance to LEP (limited-English-proficient) students that ensure that they receive the same opportunities as fluent English students
Cesar Chavez
Founder of United Farm Workers (UFW)
Was a migrant worker from Arizona; his family was among the first to strike for equal rights and pay in the fields
Organized Mexican field hands against powerful grape and lettuce farmers
Chavez and Grape Boycott
Striking farm workers and supporters begin a national boycott of California table grapes in1967
In 1968 Cesar Chavez fasts in Delano for 25 days. He is joined by Sen. Robert
Kennedy at the end of the fast. The UFW campaigns for Robert Kennedy in the California primary
Resulted in a 1975 California law that required collective bargaining for migrant workers
Asian Americans
Have faced discrimination since their arrival in the U.S.
The prejudice reached a peak in the 1940’s (Internment camps)
Most were well-educated by 1960’s, yet still earned less and found less jobs available in management
This began to change by 1970’s The new state of Hawaii sent several Asian-
Americans to Congress changing stereotypes
Immigration from Asia
The most significant change in immigration from Asia occurred when highly restrictive "national origins" quotas were lifted in 1965.
The new country-specific quotas enabled significant immigration from every country in Asia, which led to dramatic and ongoing changes in the Asian American population in the U.S.
Native Americans
By 1871, Native American tribes were not recognized as independent powers However Native Americans were not considered
US citizens, either!
After 1924, Native Americans who had been born in the U.S. were granted citizenship
However, it wasn’t until 1948 that all were given the right to vote
Old stereotypes vanished slowly
Native Americans and Discrimination
Native Americans suffer from many of the same social and economic problems as other victims of long-term bias and discrimination - including, for example, disproportionately high rates of poverty, infant mortality, unemployment, and low high school completion rates.
The struggle for equal employment and educational opportunity is key to addressing these problems
Discrimination Against Native Americans
American Indians faced discrimination similar to the segregation that as African Americans experienced
In some states you could find three separate drinking fountains labeled "whites," "Colored" and "Indian." There were also three sections in some
movie theaters.
The American Indian Movement (AIM)
The native civil rights movement began with the founding of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1968.
AIM began as a rallying group for the rights of Indians living in urban areas, and initiated a series of protests and confrontations that continued into the 1970s
The American Indian Movement (AIM)
“Everything is tied to our homeland”
1. Indian land claims included: Seneca Nation in New York Seminole Nation in Florida
2. Fight for autonomy (self-government) on Indian Reservations
Violence in the Movement
Members of AIM briefly took over the headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C.
They complained that the government had created the tribal councils on reservations in 1934 as a way of perpetuating paternalistic control over Native American development.
Issues of the Movement
During the Summer of 1968, two hundred members of the Indian community came together to discuss various issues and critical developments within the Native American community. Amongst them were -- Police Brutality Slum Housing 80% unemployment rate Disgraceful if not shameful practices of the Minneapolis
public school system and its lack of concern regarding Indian education.
Racist and discriminatory policies of the Hennepin County welfare system toward Native American clients.
Questionable behavior of federal government in its regard to Native policies
The Occupation of Alcatraz in 1969
Several Native American groups claimed the former prison
The occupiers held the island for nearly eighteen months, from Nov. 20, 1969, until June 11, 1971, reclaiming it as Indian land and demanding fairness and respect for Indian peoples. The occupiers held the island for nearly eighteen months, from Nov. 20, 1969, until June 11, 1971, reclaiming it as Indian land and demanding fairness and respect for Indian peoples. The protest failed and federal
officials removed the protestors in 1970
The Confrontation at Wounded Knee
In 1973, about 200 Sioux, led by members of AIM, seized the tiny village of Wounded Knee, South Dakota the site of the last great massacre of Native Americans by the U.S. cavalry (1890).
Among AIM’s demands was a review of more than 300 treaties between the Native Americans and the federal government that AIM alleged were broken.
Wounded Knee was occupied for 70 days before the militants surrendered. Two AIM members were killed and a dozen people were hurt
including federal marshals AIM leadership were jailed for the protest and
violence.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
All of the civil rights laws that protect people from discrimination because of race or color or national origin also protect American Indians including the Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Environmental Movement
Roots of the Environmental Movement can be traced back to the late 1800’s, and to the New Deal Early environmentalists
included John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt
Muir was instrumental in persuading TR to preserve vast public lands as parks, forests, and wildlife preserves
There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people shoud see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children's children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred." Teddy Roosevelt, Outdoor
Pastimes of an American Hunter 1905.
Best Seller’s List
Rachel Carson Author of Silent Spring Condemned the use of
chemical
pesticides such as DDT which
threatened the food chain
destroyed many
birds and fish including the bald eagle
Important Environmental Actions
The creation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1974Chief goal to ensure that nuclear power
faculties were operated safely
Earth Day
Earth Day was created in April 1970 Increased awareness and clean-up dayCelebrated on April 22Wear green, walk to school, and plant
some flowers! http://www.earthday.net/earthday2007.aspx
Government Action
Creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/intro.html The first EPA undertakings set standards for
factory waste, car emissions, and the use of pesticides and toxic substances The Clean Air in 1970 The Clean Water Act in 1972
Problems between businesses and the new laws continue today
Consumer Safety Expert
Ralph Nader
Headed a consumer effort to
protect Americans from
unsafe products Published, Unsafe at Any
Speed: The Designed-in Dangers of the American Automobile in 1964
Later, headed efforts to make baby food, insecticides, and the meatpacking industries safer; ran for president in 2000