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May 4, 2025

Heimlich's History: Unit 8 - Expansion of Civil Rights (1960-1980)

Overview

  • Exploration of various movements inspired by the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Focus on how different groups responded to calls for civil rights expansion.

Women's Movement

  • Historical Context: Long-standing struggle for equality since Seneca Falls (19th century) and women's suffrage (early 20th century).
  • 1950s Norms: Cultural expectations confined women to homemaking roles.
  • Key Publication:
    • Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" (1963): Highlighted the dissatisfaction of housewives; sold over a million copies by 1964.
  • National Organization for Women (NOW) 1966:
    • Founded by Betty Friedan.
    • Advocated for equal opportunities and pay using civil rights tactics.
  • Other Publications:
    • Ms. Magazine by Gloria Steinem.
  • Key Achievements:
    • Title IX (1972): Prohibited gender discrimination in education, boosting women's sports funding.
  • Equal Rights Amendment (ERA):
    • Failed due to Phyllis Schlafly's "STOP ERA" campaign.
    • Schlafly argued ERA would remove women's privileges like draft exemption.
  • Counterculture & Sexual Revolution: Shifted norms about sexuality and control over reproductive rights.
  • Roe vs. Wade (1973): Legalized abortion in the first two trimesters based on the right to privacy.

Latino Rights Movement

  • Challenges:
    • Poor wages for Mexican agricultural workers.
  • United Farm Workers (1962):
    • Founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
    • Used grape boycotts to secure better wages by 1970.

American Indian Movement

  • Goals:
    • Reclaim heritage and tribal traditions.
    • Achieve self-determination and address systemic poverty.
  • Key Event:
    • Occupation of Alcatraz (1968): Symbolic protest based on treaty rights.
    • Led to the Self-Determination Act (1975); increased control over lands and governance.

Gay Liberation Movement

  • Catalyst Event:
    • Stonewall Inn Raid (1969): Sparked resistance and expanded gay rights activism.
  • Outcomes:
    • Encouraged openness about identity.
    • Homosexuality reclassified from mental illness to legitimate sexual orientation in the 1970s.

Conclusion

  • The Civil Rights Movement inspired parallel movements across various groups, leading to significant legal and cultural changes in the United States between 1960 and 1980.
  • These movements collectively contributed to the broader expansion of civil rights and equality during this period.