PERIOD 8 PART 2

Women in the 1950s

Seemingly a step back from women’s rights movements and contribution to the war

Subservient to husbands

Post WWII Baby Boom

Baby boomers became the youth leading movements in the 1960s

Today, put a strain on government programs for the elderly and social security due to the amount of them

Communism in the 1950s

Red Scares, fear and hysteria

Beatniks in the 1950s

American writers, poets, and artists in the 1950s who rejected traditional middle class values and championed nonconformity and sexual experimentation

African Americans in the 1950s

Progress was made in the Brown v Board case, which outlawed segregation in schools

Emmett Till murder displayed the extreme discrimination and difficulty to change personal views with laws + deeply ingrained racism

GI Bill of Rights (1954)

Law that provided WWII veterans pensions, government loans, and money to attend college

Sent millions of veterans to college and helped promote economic prosperity in the postwar years

National Defense Student Loans Act (1958)

Loans established by the US government to encourage the teaching and study of science and modern foreign languages

Congress passed the act in response to the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union

Sun Belt

Region of the US stretching from Florida westward across the South and Southwest

Experiences substantial population growth and industrialization in the post WWII years

Marked the end of the agrarian 3rd world conditions of the South

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Law that abolished the national origins quota system that had been in place since 1924

Preference given to the skilled workers, setting limits on immigrants from the Western Hemisphere

Provision of the Act allowed for the admission of close relatives of US citizens

Rock and Roll

Type of popular music that emerged in the mid 1950s from an early type of music known as rhythm and blues

Elvis Presley was the face of this genre of music in the 1950s

Many Americans in the 1950s viewed this music as promoting attack on traditional American values

Counterculture (hippies)

Youth movement of the 1960s that rejected competitiveness and materialism of American society, searching instead for peace, love, and freedom

In part were born from the Beatnik movement

Woodstock (1969)

Free rock concert in rural upstate NY that attracted roughly 400,000 people with some of the greatest musical talent of the era performing over a three day period

Became and expression of the counterculture movement of the 1960s

Roots and spread of movements

Issues simmering in the 1950s and then exploded in 190s

Success of one movement inspired others to emerge and spread

Post WWII there was something different in the US as it related to civil rights

Issues within movements

Nonviolent vs violent approach

Radical elements witching the movement demanded more rights and were willing to resort to militant tactics to achieve these goals

Civil Rights

African Americans, Feminist, Native American, Gay Rights

Fought for full equality now

Anti-War Movements

Vietnam and Cold War policy

Weary of the US role in the world as a global superpower

Felt deceived by the government regarding involvement in Vietnam

Counter Culture Movement

Hippies

Reaction to conformity, materialism, consumerism, and US foreign policy

Desegregation of the Armed Services (1948)

Through Executive order, Truman ended racial discrimination and segregation in the US armed forces

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court decision ruling that separate educational facilities for different races were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional

Symbolically begins the slow process of ending segregation in the US

Southern Manifesto (1954)

Statement issued by 100 southern congressmen after Brown v. Board in which they pledged to oppose racial desegregation in the US

Rosa Parks

African American seamstress who refused to give up her sea to a white man on a bus in Montgomery Alabama

This seemingly inconsequential event triggered a boycott of the Montgomery bus system and symbolically sparked the Civil Rights Movement

Martin Luther King Jr.

Baptist minister and civil rights leader who was committed to achieving equality through nonviolent tactics

Beginning with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, he ed many significant protests in the late 1950s and 1960s that brought attention to the condition of African Americans in the US

Tragically shot and killed on April 4 1968

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC 1957)

Organization formed by Martin Luther King Jr. and others after that Montgomery bus boycott

SCLC was the backbone off he movement in the 1960s to achieve civil rights through nonviolence

Civil Rights Act of 1957

First significant civil rights legislation since the end of reconstruction

Created the Civil Rights Commission of the Justice Department which was tasked with investigating violations of CCivil Rights laws in the US

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee aka SNCC (1960)

Organization formed to give young blacks a greater voice in the civil rights movement

Most well known for organizing black voter registration drives, sit-ins (occupying “white only” seats of a segregated establishment, popularized in Greensboro NC in 1960 at the Woolworth’s lunch counter), and freedom rides(tactic used by the SNCC to achieve integration of bus terminals by riding integrated buses throughout the American South

Public Order Laws

Laws passed by many southern communities to prevent civil rights protests by allowing the police to arrests anyone suspected of intending to disrupt public order

James Meredith

African American student admitted to the University of Mississippi under federal court order in 1962

Became a symbol of desegregation of schools in the south

March on Washington (1963)

Gathering of civil rights supporters in Washington DC to pressure the US congress to pass civil rights legislation

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his I Have A Dream speech at the march

Freedom Summer (1964)

A coordinated effort by civil rights groups in Mississippi to register black voters during the summer of 1964

Black voter drives were many times met with violence from hate groups

Civil rights Act of 1964

Federal law that banned segregation in public facilities and forbade employers from discriminating on basis of race, religion, sex, or religion

24th amendment (1964)

Made it illegal to require a poll tax or any other tax as a stipulation for casting a vote in any federal election

March from Selma to Montgomery (1965)

Civil rights to march in Alabama led by Martin Luther King Jr that sought to bring attention to the need for a federal voting rights act

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal law that outlawed unjust restriction on voting and authorized federal supervision of elections in areas where black voting had been restricted

Watts Riots (1965)

Neighborhood of Los Angeles where a race riot broke out resulting in millions of dollars of damage and the deaths of 28 African Americans

Black Power Movement

Movement that rejected the nonviolence and coalition building approach o traditional civil rights groups

Advocated self determination for African Americans (black control of black organizations)

Nation of Islam (Black Muslims)

Religious group founded by Elijah Muhammad which professed Islamic religious beliefs and emphasized black separatism

Malcom X

Member of the NAtion of Islam and activist for black separatism

After leaving the Nation of Islam in 1964 and rejecting some of their teachings, he was assassinated in 1965 under suspicious circumstances

Black Panthers

Revolutionary organization founded in 1866 that endorsed violence as a means of social change

Sought to take control of the protection of African American communities

Race Riots (1968)

a result of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr on April 4 1968

race riots broke out in more than 100 cities across the country

many historians consider these riots to be the greatest civil unrest and disturbance since the Civil War

George Wallace

Alabama governor who represented a white backlash to the Civil Rights movement

vehemently opposed desegregation and became a national leader for those who sought to turn back civil rights legislation

rand for president in 1968 and won 46 electoral votes and 13% of popular vote

2nd most successful 3rd party candidate in the history of the US

American GI Forum (1948)

organization formed in Texas by Mexican American veterans to overcome discrimination and provide support for veterans and all Hispanics

led the fight to end the segregation of Hispanic children in schools throughout the West and Southwest

Chicano Movement

Mexican American equivalent of the Civil Rights movement

included student demonstrations to press for bilingual education, the hiring of more Chicano teachers, and the creation of Chicano studies programs

Cesar Chavez

one of the leading Mexican American civil rights activists of the 1960s

co founded, along with Dolores Huerta, the National Farm Worker’s Association which later became the United Farm Worker’s (UFW)

Feminine Mystique (1963)

best selling book written by Betty Friedan that challenged women to move beyond the boredom and monotony of being a suburban housewife

book is symbolically seen as a turning point in the development of modern feminism

Equal Pay Act (1963)

law that forbids gender based discrimination of people performing substantially equal work for the same employer

huge victory in the early years of the modern feminist movement

Title VII (1964)

provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that guarantees women legal protection against discrimination

National Organization for Women aka NOW (1966)

women’s rights organization founded to fight discrimination against women and to attain social and economic equality

revived the struggle for an Equal Rights Amendment

Equal Rights Amendment (1972)

amendment to the constitution giving women equal rights under the law

although the amendment was approved by congress, it failed to achieve ratification by the required 38 states thus never passed

Title IX

prohibits gender discrimination at schools that receive federal funds

American Indian Movement aka AIM (1968)

militant Indian movement that was willing to use confrontation to obtain social justice and Indian treaty rights

sought to expose the injustices of the past

Russel Means

prominent member of the American Indian Movement who helped organize the seizure of Alcatraz in 1969 and Wounded Knee in 1973

Alcatraz (1969)

former prison on an island in San Francisco Bay that was occupied by Native American activists who demanded that the island be made available to them as a cultural center

occupation of Alcatraz brought national attention to the American Indian Movement

Wounded Knee (1973)

site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux Indians by federal troops in S Dakota

site was occupied by members of the American Indian Movement AIM in 1973 who insisted that the government honor treaty obligations of the past

brought greater attention to AIM

Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1974)

law that gave Indian tribes control over federal programs carried out on their reservations thus increasing their authority in reservation schools

Stonewall Riot (1969)

riot at a gay bar in NYC that was periodically raided by police

helped trigger gay rights movement and brought national attention to the struggle for civil rights

impetus for the 1st gay pride parade

Gay Pride Parade (1970)

1st parade held in NYC in 19709 to celebrate LGBT community

parades continue to be held annually in cities across the country today

Silent Spring (1962)

book written by Rachel Carson a marine biologist who warned of the danger of misuse of pesticides and their negative effects on the environment

credited with starting the modern environmental movement

Earth Day (1970)

International day of celebration and awareness of global environmental issues launched by environmentalists on April 22, 1970

Environmental Protection Agency aka EPA (1970)

federal agency created to control pollution and protect the environment

enforces environmental regulations passed by Congress

Clean Air Act (1970)

federal law designed to control air pollution by curbing dangerous emissions

Three Mile Island (1979)

site of a nuclear power plant accident in Pennsylvania that led to radioactive gases being released and almost led to a nuclear meltdown

created backlash against the use of nuclear power plants in the US

Students for Democratic Society aka SDS

nationwide student organization that was pro civil rights and antiwar

sought to transform the US into a participatory democracy

Berkely Free Speech Movement (1964-1965)

coalition of left wing student group at the University of California at Berkely that insisted on their right to political activity on campus

Baker v. Carr (1962)

supreme court decision that established the principle of “one man one vote” requiring election districts to provide equal representation

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

supreme court decision that ruled that state laws requiring prayers and Bible readings in the public schools violated the first amendment’s provision of separation of church and state

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

supreme court decision that required state courts provide legal counsel and representation for poor defendants who couldn’t afford an attorney

Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society (1964)

broad social program introduced by Jonson that declared a war on poverty as well as the protection of civil rights and funding for education

most comprehensive government program since FDR’s New Deal

War on Poverty (1964)

Johnson’s program to help Americans escape poverty through education, job training, and community development

Medicaid (1965)

Health insurance program for the poor, providing states with money to buy health care for people on welfare

Medicare (1965)

health insurance program for elderly and disabled, providing government payment for health care supplied by private doctors and hospitals

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

supreme court decision that required a citizen’s right to privacy, ruling that a state could not prohibit the use of contraceptives by adults

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

supreme court decision that required law enforcement officers to inform defendants of their rights before being arrested

known today as Miranda rights

Roe v. Wade (1973)

supreme court decision that required that women an unrestricted right to choose an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy

ruling caused conservative backlash against what was perceived as activist judges ruling according to personal beliefs

Gerald Ford

only person to serve as Vice President and President and never be elected to either position

took over presidency after Nixon resigned in the midst of the Watergate investigation

Ford and the Pardon

when Ford took over as president. he pardoned Nixon for all offenses against the US from 1969 to 1974

he felt it was time for the country to move forward and heal from the wounds of the 60s and early 70s

controversial decision at the time and contributing factor to his failed election bid in 1976 election

Election of 1976

Gerald Ford (Republican) vs Jimmy Carter (Democrat)

many viewed Ford as being unable to solve economic issues plaguing the country (stagflation, oil embargo, etc)

conservative wing of Republic party turned on Ford when Reagan challenged him for the nomination

Jimmy Carter won

Carter Domestic Policy

established two new cabinet-level departments, the Department of Energy and Department of Education

established a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new energy saving technology

viewed by many as unable to solve economic problems in the 1970s

Carter Foreign Policy

pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, the second round of SALT, and the return of the Panama Canal Zone to Panama

achieved both successes (Camp David Accords) and failures (Iranian Hostage Crisis) in the Middle East

ended the US policy of Detente when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan

boycotted that 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest of the Soviet Invasion

Election 1980

Carter vs Reagan

many viewed Carter as unable to solve economic issues

liberal wing of the Democratic party turn against Carter when Teddy Kennedy challenged him for the nomination of the party

Reagan won the election in one of the largest electoral landslides in the history of the country

energy crisis

decreasing oil supplies, wasteful energy consumption, and embargoes by OPEC threatened the American economy and challenged the US standing as a superpower

exposed the dependency that the US economy had on cheap oil to fuel its economic growth

stagflation

combination of stagnant economy (high unemployment) along with high inflation in the 1970s that created a dilemma for economic policy

leading economists were truly stumped by this condition as high inflation shouldn’t exist in an economy where the unemployment rate is also high

Carter's Malaise Speech

national address by Carter in which he criticized American materialism and urged a communal spirit in the face of economic hardships

intended the speech to improve public morale and his standings as a leader but it had the opposite effect

Camp David Accords (1979)

treaty between Israel and Egypt that was negotiated by Carter

Israel would return occupied Egyptian territory and Egypt would recognize Israel as a nation

Egypt was the first Middle Eastern nation to recognize Israel as a nation which set precedent for other Arab nations to follow in the future

seen as the first of many attempts to bring about Middle Eastern peace

Iranian hostage crisis (1979)

the US embassy in Tehran was seized by Iranian militants and college students who claimed to be disciple of Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of a religious nationalists who had led a rebellion and overthrown of the Shah

the Shah was installed in a CIA led coup of Mohammed Mossadegh (1953)

New Right

conservative movement within the Republican Party that opposed the liberal political and social reforms of the 1960

demanded less government intervention in the economy and a return to the traditional values

Southern Strategy

Nixon’s plan to bring conservative southerner into the Republican party by appointing white southerners to the supreme court

hoped to appeal to southern conservative who viewed government action in the 1960s as excess liberalism

Right to Life Movement

anti abortion movement that seeks to overturn the Roe v Wade

favors a constitutional amendment to prohibit abortion in all cases

Proposition 13 (1978)

referendum in California that slashed local property taxes

marked the beginning of a conservative movement to cut taxes throughout the nation

Bakke v University of California (1978)

supreme court decision ruling that students could not be admitted by racial quotas, although race could be considered in admission decision

decision represented partial victory for what conservatives thought was reverse discrimination against whites

Phyllis Schlafly

a New Right activist who protested against the women’s rights movement, saying it undermined traditional American values and natural gender roles

Schlafly was representative of the conservative backlash against the changes of the 1960s

she was a hero to some Americans while others saw her as an antifeminist

Focus on the Family (1977)

religious organization that promoted socially conservative backlash against the changes of the 1960s

Moral Majority (1979)

conservative religious organization led by televangelist Jerry Falwell that fought against abortion and the potential passage of an Equal Rights Amendment

this organization played a critical role in the rise of conservativism in the 1970s and 80s

Ronald Reagan

former actor and California governor who served as the 40th US president from 1981 to 1989

the undisputed national leader of the rise of conservativism in the 19890s which many people coined the Reagan Revolution