Chapter 32: Struggles for Change United States History Chapter 32: Struggles for Change

The Women’s Movement One of the most influential people in the fight for women’s rights was Betty Friedan The Feminine Mystique Concluded that women were unhappy with their lives as homemakers and mothers Many sought jobs outside the home, even before Friedan’s book Women still earned less than men, even for the same jobs JFK signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protected women from discrimination in employment Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to ensure enforcement

Gaining Ground The National Organization for Women (NOW) Formed in 1966 Lobbied the government for women’s rights Gloria Steinem Helped to form the National Women’s Political Caucus that encouraged women to run for office Founder of Ms. Magazine, created as an outlet for the liberation of women The government responded in several ways Education Amendment Act (1972) outlawed discrimination in education Title IX: required colleges to offer sports for women in a fair manner Roe v. Wade (1973): overturned laws that prevented abortions Equal Rights Amendment: gained momentum throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but was dead in 1982

The chicano movement Hispanics also fought for their rights Movement began with Mexican American farm workers Led by Cesar Chavez, a migrant farm worker Workers of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) fought for better wages in the grape industry, striking for over 5 years Eventually signed contracts to go back to work, but formed the United Farm Workers in the process Movement led to a broader Mexican American rights movement, even thought the UFW was not an exclusive Mexican American union

The Chicano Movement Many people fought for the rights in regards to lands they had lost over the years Reies Lopez Tijerina led the Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Alliance of Land Grants) in NM Fought to regain land that had been taken away from Mexican Americas Violence and arrests plagued the movement and in the end, they did not win, but it inspired a new activist generation of Mexican Americans Educational reform was also a popular issue Students in LA in 1968 took to the streets demanding better schools and opportunities Included members of the Brown Berets, a group similar to the Black Panthers

Chicano Nationalism Other activists stood up for rights outside of farm workers, education and land grants Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales led the Crusade for Justice Promoted Mexican American nationalism and separatism Jose Angel Gutierrez formed the Mexican American Youth Organization in 1967 (MAYO) Worked in his state of Texas for educational equality Also helped found La Raza Unida Party in 1972 La Raza Unida Party was a Chicano political party Won some victories in Texas, but nationally was limited in power Eventually dissolved in the late 1970s

Native American Nationalism Red Power was formed in the 1960s to fight for rights of Native Americans Called for rights to govern their own communities Demanded payment for lost lands Occupied Alcatraz Island near SF, CA in 1969 in protest American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1968 Called for renewal of Native culture and recognition of rights Occupied a trading post in Wounded Knee, SD in 1972, demanding that the government negotiate with them over broken treaties After two activists were killed, the government agreed to negotiate The movement helped many tribes regain lands and address the problems that plague many

Other Groups Struggles… People with disabilities, children and the elderly fought for their rights Many laws passed to address peoples’ rights Rehabilitation Act: eliminated discrimination based on disability Education for All Handicapped Children Act: must provide education to all, regardless of disability Children’s Defense Fund: funded to help provide children with basic means Older Americans Act: provide elderly with basic means American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) and the Gray Panthers: fights for the rights of the elderly

The Counterculture The youth of the 1960s rejected many of the ideals of the older generation, creating a massive generation gap College campuses were the scene of countless protests to the establishment Out of the protest and generation gap came the hippies, hoping to create a new alternative lifestyle, contrary to the norm Open to many “obscene” activities, like public nudity, profanity, drug use, and multiple sexual partners Many lived on communes, where people worked together to survive Hippie fashion became popular Men had long hair and beards Tie dye, jeans and beads Many blacks wore afros

Hippies

The CounterCulture Religion began to lose influence, but many became interested in Eastern religions, like Zen Buddism Art began to appeal to a wider audience Became known as pop art Andy Warhol used everyday things to create psychedelic pieces The movie rating system we know today was born, giving the movie industry the power to rate

1960s pop art

Sounds of the 1960s Music was a large part of 1960s culture Rock music Influenced heavily by British artists like the Beatles and Rolling Stones Other artists like Jimi Hendrix plugged in guitars to play distorted, very loud musci Folk music People like Bob Dylan revitalized folk music, eventually combining it with rock Motown and Soul Resurgence of black musicians in the form of R & B and soul music Woodstock Huge festival in upstate NY in August 1969 3 days with over 400,000 people and dozens of bands Very peaceful even though food and water were short Led to the Rolling Stones playing a free show later in the year near SF, CA, but turned bloody when the Hells Angels stabbed a concert goer at the show