4. The extent of progress in individual and civil rights

What did the supreme court do in 1973?

Legalised abortion in Roe v Wade

Women could abort in the first 13 weeks

30 states

Abortion was a crime

Many sought backstreet abortions

1967 Colorado was the first state to allow abortions in cases of…

R*pe

Inc*st

Threat to womans health

Who supported Roe v Wade?

Feminists

NOW

Planned Parenthood

1967 Conservative organisation that campaigned against Roe v Wade

National Right to Life Committee

What were the tactics of anti-abortion activists?

Effective fundraisers and recruiters

Mass mailing containing emotive language

‘Stop the baby killers’

Who was the most influential opponent of abortion and women’s rights?

Phyllis Schlafly ‘Sweetheart of the Silent Majority’

Catholic lawyer and mother of six

Representative of social conservatism closely relatied to Republican party

What did Henry Hyde do?

Led Congress in the passage of a law that banned the use of federal funds for abortion

1977 more conservative SC ruled Hyde’s measure constitutional and extended to ban to military and Peace Corps personnel

How had women’s rights increased since the early 1960’s?

Greater freedom in s*xual lives

Right to abortion

Attitude towards women and work changed

2/3

Of female college students agree the ‘idea that the woman’s place is in the home is nonsense’

73% of salaries paid to professional men

Professional women’s wages were… despite the 1963 Equal Pay Act

66%

US adults classified as poor were women

What did the Equal Rights Amendment proposed by feminists say?

Equality of rights should not be denied by any state on account of sex

Congress shall have the power to enforce by appropriate legislation provisions of this article

The amendment shall take effect 2 years after the date of ratification

What did opponents of the ERA 1972 say?

Gay marriages

Women in combat

Unisex toilets

End of the nuclear family

1972 organisation with 500,000 members

‘Stop ERA’ by Phyllis Schlafly

Many conservative states agree with Schlafly: ERA never obtained assent

1979 CWA Concerned for Women for America

Founded by Beverly LaHaye

Opposed ERA and abortion

What was the Concerned Women of America’s membership in the 1980’s?

500,000

What did the CWA Concerned Women of America believe?

Women should stay at home, raise families and avoid taking jobs from men

What collective bargaining rights did unions have from the 1935 Wagner Act?

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid holidays

Pensions

What did federal law guarantee non-union workers?

Minimum wage and maximum working hours

1970 Postal Workers Strike

200,000 postal workers went on strike

Largest public employee strike in US history

How did the 1977 United Mine Workers Strike affect U.S society?

Caused fuel shortages, layoffs and school closures

Lasted 109 days

How did the Taft-Hartley Act 1947 affect unions?

Banned secondary boycotts

Outlaw closed shops (hire only union members)

Which bill did Ford propose and then veto himself?

Legalising common situs picketing 1975

Veto due to business opposition

What is common situs picketing?

A labor strike tactic where a union pickets an entire joint work site (most commonly a construction site) even though its dispute is with only one specific subcontractor working there

Why did unions decline?

Public and employer opposition

Decline of Manufacturing

Growth of the south

Economic pressures

Immigration

Lack of worker unity

Where did anti-union sentiment come from?

Anti-communism

Corruption scandals

Belief strikes harmed the economy

Why was there a decline in manufacturing?

Unions were strongest in heavy industry and manufacturing

Sectors declined after WW2 due to growth in white collar & service

What was the growth in the South?

Growth helped by: interstate highway system, air conditioning and anti-union traditions

Unions failed to recruit southern workers

What were the economic pressures unions faced?

Foreign competition

High unemployment

Inflation

38mil

Industrial jobs lost during the 1970’s mainly in Rust Belt

How did immigration impact unions?

Post 1965 immigration increased labour supply

Many immigrants accepted lower wages

Undermined organised labour: UFW

How did the 1975 federal ruling hiring Black Detroit police officers impact white officers?

Faced redundancy under it

What reappeared during the 1970’s in NYC and LA?

Sweatshops

1960: 61% of men’s wages 1985: 65% of men’s wages

Women experienced discrimination and sexism

What did gay people face in 1973?

Employment discrimnation, public hostility and harassment

Classified as a mental illness

Authorities target bars and restaurants serving homosexuals

Which gay activist group was inspired by the Stonewall riots?

1970: Gay Liberation Front

Encouraged gays to ‘come out’

What did NOW endorse in 1973?

Gay rights

What did the American Psychiatric Association do in 1974?

Remove homosexuality from its list of psychological disorders

What was Proposition 6?

1978 Briggs Initiative in California

Sought to ban gay men and lesbians from working in the state's public schools

What did California voters defeat in 1978?

Proposition 6

Protected gay teachers from discrimination

Prevented school districts from firing teachers for publicly supporting homosexuality

Who supported and opposed gay rights?

Late 1970’s: Jerry Falwell used media reach to liken gays to sin

1980: Democratic Party platform support equality regardless of sexual orientation

1980’s Homosexual activity remained illegal in many states

1973: 700,000

Native American population

Half lived on reservations

What were the conditions on the reservation for Native Americans?

Unemployment: 20–80%

Life expectancy: 44 years (national average = 64)

High suicide rates

High alcoholism rates

What conditions did urban Native Americans live in?

Low-paid jobs

Poor housing

Poor education

What were the goals of Native Americans?

Preserve culture and identity

Gain tribal self-government

Control: Land, Taxes, Resources, Tribal law

Which group was empowered by the black power movement?

Red Power Movement

nspired by Black Power

Sought political and economic self-determination

What was AIM (American Indian Movement)

Founded in 1968 in Minneapolis

Largest Native American ghetto

Expanded to 40 chapters across the USA and Canada

What did AIM do?

Improved housing, education and employment

Challenged racist imagery (“Washington Redskins”)

Native American jail population in Minneapolis fell 60%

Founded survival schools teaching Native languages and culture

Organised the Trail of Broken Treaties (1972) from San Francisco to Washington DC

What was the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation?

Site of the sioux massacre of 1890

1973 300 Sioux occupied Wounded Knee

Demanded free tribal elections and review of their treaties

What was the outcome of the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation?

2 Native Americans killed

Occupation last 71 days

Increase public sympathy

1976 Indian Healthcare Improvement Act

Congress allocated $1.6 billion for Native American healthcare

1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act

Protected Native American religious practices

Included peyote use: cactus a part of spiritual practises

What was the status of Native Americans by 1980?

Greater awareness of Native American rights

More tribal self-governmen

Most Native Americans remained economically disadvantaged

Lost lands were largely not restored

What were problems that persisted for black Americans in 1973-80?

De facto segregation remained

Economic inequality persisted

What was the economic status of black people during the late 70’s to 80’s?

1/3 of Black Americans lived in poverty

½ of Black children lived in poverty

How did government action impact the status of black people in society?

LBJ: Great society

Nixon: Affirmative action

1978 Bakke Case

What was the 1978 Bakke Case?

Bakke v. Regents of the University of California

Supreme Court supported affirmative action for diversity

Did not justify it solely as compensation for past discrimination

1971 Swan v Charlotte Mecklenburg

SC ordered bussing to achieve integration

Significantly decreased how many black students were in segregated schools in Nixon’s era

68% to 8%

Sourthern black people in segregated schools

1975 Education Act

Congress legislated against bussing

Black mayors were elected in…

Los Angeles (1973)

Washington DC (1974)

Birmingham (1979)

Only 1% of black people were elected officials in…

1980