Minorities Seek Equality (College Board AP® US History)

Timeline:

1962 ‒ United Farm Workers

1963 ‒ The Feminine Mystique

1964‒1972 ‒ Counterculture movement

1966 ‒ National Organization for Women

1968 ‒ American Indian Movement

1969 ‒ Woodstock

1969 ‒ Alcatraz Island occupation

1969 ‒ Stonewall riots

1971 ‒ Ms. Magazine

1972 ‒ Title IX

1972 ‒ Equal Rights Amendment

1975 ‒ Self-Determination Act of 1975

Summary

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s saw the expansion of civil rights for other minority groups. Women, Latinos, Indigenous Peoples, and the LGBTQ+ community added their voices to the call for equal rights and the end to injustices, although many struggles for full equality remained ongoing.

Women’s Movement

Betty Friedan

• In 1963, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, a book that is widely regarded as the start of the modern women’s movement 

• The book highlighted the dissatisfaction many women felt about their limited societal roles which often centered on domesticity and motherhood 

• Her work challenged traditional gender norms and exposed the inequality that still existed between men and women both in the workforce and in society

National Organization for Women (NOW)

• NOW was established in 1966, by Betty Friedan and others 

•  It became a leading voice for promoting gender equality

• NOW focused on issues like

  • reproductive rights

  • equal employment opportunities

  • equal wages

  • combating workplace discrimination

Ms. Magazine

• Ms. Magazine was a magazine founded in 1971, by feminist activist Gloria Steinem

• It drew attention to women's issues and the women’s movement

• Topics included:

  • reproductive rights

  • domestic violence

  • the push for legal and social equality

Title IX

• Title IX was passed in 1972, as part of the Education Amendments

• Title IX prohibited sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs

• It had an impact on expanding opportunities for women in academics and sports 

  • Title IX helped to bridge gender gaps in education

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

• ERA was originally passed by Congress in 1972, the ERA aimed to guarantee legal equality of the sexes under the Constitution 

• Key advocates included Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem

• Opposition included conservative Phyllis Schlafly and the STOP (“Stop Taking Our Privileges”) campaign

• Those who opposed it feared that it would disrupt traditional family roles, and require women to:

  • serve in the military draft

  • use the same restroom facilities as men

  • challenge anti-abortion laws

• Despite initial momentum, the ERA failed to get the support of the required 38 states

Latinos, American Indians, and Gay Liberation Movement

Latinos

• The United Farm Workers (UFW) was founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta in1962

• The UFW led antiviolent protests in support of better wages and working conditions for farm workers 

  • many were undocumented immigrants

• The grape boycott became a signature campaign

  • It targeted the grape industry because it was a significant part of California’s agricultural economy

  • The boycott sought greater pay and working conditions across California’s agricultural industry

American Indians

• The American Indian Movement (AIM) 

  • Founded in 1968, AIM worked to achieve self-determination and reclaim national heritage and tribal traditions

  • They also wanted to address issues of poverty and discrimination faced by Indigenous people

• Alcatraz Island occupation (1969)

  • Indigenous activists occupied a deserted federal prison on Alcatraz Island

  • They demanded recognition of broken treaties

  • They highlighted the poverty many Indigenous people lived in 

• Self-Determination Act of 1975

  • This Act marked a turning point in federal policy

  • It provided Indigenous tribes with greater autonomy over:

    • education

    • healthcare

    • federal aid programs

  • The Act allowed Indigenous communities to reclaim some degree of governance over their own affairs

Gay liberation movement 

• The Stonewall riots (1969) were part of the gay liberation movement

  • They were riots sparked by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay nightclub

    • The club served as a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when such clubs were illegal

  • Outcomes of the riots included:

    • homosexuality was no longer labeled a mental disorder

    • repeal of anti-sodomy laws in several states

    • expansion of gay rights and many people coming out publicly about their sexual orientation