APUSH U8 CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTS

The Feminine Mystique

A 1963 book by Betty Friedan that challenged the societal belief that women could only find fulfillment through housework and marriage, highlighting their desire for independent lives.

National Organization for Women (NOW)

One of the largest activist groups, founded in 1966, which used lobbying and demonstrations to fight for equal treatment, education, and employment opportunities.

Title IX

A 1972 statute that ended sex discrimination in schools receiving federal funding, most famously requiring equal athletic opportunities for girls.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A proposed constitutional amendment intended to invalidate laws that discriminate based on sex. Although it passed Congress in 1972, it failed to be ratified by the required 38 states due to conservative opposition.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

A landmark Supreme Court decision that struck down state policies banning abortion, establishing that such bans violated a woman's right to privacy.

Griswold v. Connecticut

A legal battle establishing that laws against birth control violate the right to privacy, allowing for the use of contraceptives.

Radical Feminism

A branch of the movement emphasizing that patriarchy (a society where men hold more power and privilege) is the root of inequality.

Stonewall Riots (1969)

A turning point sparked by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn; it acted as a catalyst for widespread political activism and the transition from small-scale protests to a nationwide movement.

Harvey Milk

The first openly gay city commissioner in the U.S. (San Francisco), he sponsored bills to outlaw sexual orientation discrimination before his assassination in 1978.

PFLAG

An advocacy and support organization for LGBTQ+ people and their families.

Society of Human Rights

Founded in 1924 in Chicago, it is recognized as the earliest known gay rights organization in the country.

Mattachine Society

Early gay rights organizations and leaders (like Milk, the first openly gay politician in California) who fought for visibility and against discrimination (outside of sources).

AIM

Founded in 1968 by Ojibwe activists to provide aid to displaced American Indians and advocate for self-determination and the revival of tribal traditions.

Alcatraz Occupation (1969)

A protest where a group of Natives occupied the island to demand its return and the funding of an Indian cultural complex and university.

Occupation of Wounded Knee (1973)

An event that brought global attention to government mistreatment and unsafe conditions for Native peoples.

Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975

A law that granted reservations and tribal lands greater control over their internal programs, law enforcement, and education.

Trail of Broken Treaties (1972)

A protest involving the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to call for a new national conscience regarding Native rights.

United Farm Workers (UFW)

A union founded by César Chávez and Dolores Huerta to fight for better pay, safety, and union recognition for migrant farmworkers. Their efforts eventually gained collective bargaining rights for these workers in 1975.

The Huelga (The Strike)

A strategy involving strikes and boycotts, most notably the UFW Grape Strike of 1965, which led to collective bargaining rights and improved wages.

Bilingual Education Act

A federal mandate requiring schools to teach Hispanic children in both English and Spanish.

Latinx

A gender-neutral term used to describe individuals of Latin American descent.

La Raza Unida Party

A political party formed in the 1970s to represent Mexican American interests.

César Chávez

The most prominent leader of the movement who, along with the United Farm Workers Association, led a long series of boycotts to protest the exploitation of Mexican American agricultural workers.

Japanese American Citizen League (JACL)

An organization that fought against discrimination and eventually sought redress (compensation) for the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Civil Liberties Act of 1988

Legislation signed by President Reagan to provide reparations to Japanese Americans who were held in internment camps.

Model Minority

A stereotype and prejudice suggesting that Asian Americans overcame racism solely through hard work, often used to compare them to other minority groups.

Ethnic Studies

Programs focused on the history and contributions of specific ethnic groups to ensure they are represented in mainstream education.

Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA)

A student-led organization that used strikes and media (like Gidra) to fight for Asian American rights.

Yellow Power

A term for the movement that sought to end discrimination and "Japan-bashing" while celebrating Asian heritage.

NAACP & Thurgood Marshall

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People worked through the courts for decades, led by Thurgood Marshall, to overturn the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Brown v. Board of Ed (1954)

This landmark Supreme Court ruling overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

Rosa Parks & Montgomery Bus Boycott

Sparked by Parks's arrest in 1955, this massive nonviolent protest led to the rise of Martin Luther King Jr. as a national leader.

Little Rock 9

In 1957, President Eisenhower intervened by sending federal troops to protect nine African American students integrating Central High School.

SCLC, SNCC, & CORE

Key organizations that utilized nonviolent tactics like lunch counter sit-ins and freedom rides to challenge segregation.

March on Washington & "I Have a Dream"

A massive 1963 demonstration where MLK delivered his famous speech, moving President Kennedy to support a tougher civil rights bill.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A sweeping law that made segregation illegal in all public facilities and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Voting Rights Act of 1965 & 24th Amendment

Legislation that ended literacy tests and the 24th Amendment which abolished poll taxes, dramatically increasing Black voter registration.

Malcolm X & Black Panthers

Movements that repudiated nonviolence in favor of Black nationalism, self-defense, and "Black Power".

Kerner Commission

A federal investigation that concluded "racism and segregation" were responsible for urban riots, warning of a deeply divided society.

Phyllis Schlafly

STOP ERA

Was a conservative activist who opposed the Equal Rights Amendment, arguing it would undermine traditional family roles and privileges for women.

Claudette Colvin

A civil rights activist who, at the age of 15, refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks.

Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom

A significant civil rights demonstration held in Washington, D.C., in 1957, that called for racial equality and urged the federal government to pass civil rights legislation.

Fannie Lou Hamer

An African American civil rights activist and leader who played a key role in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and fought for voting rights and social justice.

Selma to Montgomery March

A series of three marches in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, organized to protest voting discrimination and advocate for voting rights for African Americans.

Brown Berets

A Chicano civil rights organization founded in 1967 that focused on addressing issues facing the Mexican American community, including educational reform and police brutality.

Dolores Huerta

A prominent labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez. She advocated for the rights of farmworkers and worked to improve their working conditions.

Dennis Banks

A Native American activist and co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), Dennis Banks was instrumental in advocating for the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples in the United States.

Emma Gee

Role in founding AAPA & Standardize term “Asian American” as political and racial identity.

San Francisco State Strike of 1968

Led to the establishment of the College of Ethnic Studies, Opened doors to students and faculty of color and broadened range for education

Gloria Steinem

A prominent American feminist, journalist, and social activist known for her role as a leader in the women's liberation movement. She co-founded Ms. magazine, which was instrumental in advocating for women's rights and highlighting issues such as reproductive rights, gender equality, and sexual harassment. Steinem's work has helped shape public discourse on feminism and the rights of women in the United States.

Frank Kameny

Wrote a letter to President Kennedy to address discrimination against gay men and lesbians

Planned Parenthood

Providers for individuals seeking access and use contraceptives