Social Movements in the 20th Century

What issues were labor unions fighting against?

• Labor unions (like AFL and IWW) organized massive strikes; IWW aimed to abolish the wage system.

What were progressives fighting for and how?

Sought political reform, moral uplift, and aid for the poor through both activism + politics.

What methods did the women’s suffrage movement use?

•  Protests, picketing, hunger strikes, + political lobbying.

When and how did women gain the right to vote?

• Women gained the right to vote in 1920 via the 19th Amendment after decades of activism.

  • 19th Amendment: Right to vote cannot be denied or abridged on the basis of sex

What acts silenced most public backlash during WWI?

• Espionage and Sedition Acts (1917 + 1918): Laws passed during World War I that made it a crime to interfere with the U.S. war effort

  • Spying, refusing military duty, or speaking out against the government, military, or the draft

• Limited  free speech in the name of national security.

What were the Palmer Raids?

• The Palmer Raids targeted suspected radicals amid postwar fears of communism.

  • Palmer Raids (1919–1920): Series of government crackdowns targeting suspected radicals, anarchists, and communists

What event spurred an increase in political and labor activism?

• African American migration (The Great Migration) to the north.

• Groups such as the NAACP (1909) were founded.

What was the Bonus Army? and what does it represent?

• The Bonus Army and other protests highlighted widespread desperation during the Depression.

  • The Bonus Army (1932): Group of around 43k WWI veterans + their supporters who marched on Washington, D.C to demand early payment of promised military bonuses

  • Forcibly removed by the U.S. Army under President Hoover, causing backlash

What was FDR’s New Deal?

• Series of programs + reforms by FDR

• Made to combat the Great Depression by providing relief, creating jobs, + stabilizing the economy. 

• It expanded the federal government's role in everyday life through initiatives like Social Security, public works projects, +  financial regulations.

What programs came from the New Deal?

• SSA (Social Security Act): Established pensions for the elderly, unemployment insurance, and aid for the disabled and poor families.

• FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation): Insured bank deposits to restore trust in the banking system.

What main goals did left-wing critics during the early 20th cenutry want to complete?

Wealth Redistribution + Social Reforms

What is the Double V campaign?

• Campaign started during WWII.

• Victory against fascism abroad, and racism at home.

How did culture in the US change following WWII?

• Intellectuals + artists (e.g., Beats) critiqued conformity, consumerism, and traditional values.

• Rock ’n’ roll and youth culture challenged adult norms + fueled a growing sense of rebellion.

• Suburban life + Cold War anxiety bred dissatisfaction and early forms of cultural protest.

What strategies did Civil Rights activists use?

Civil Rights activists used both legal (Brown v. Board) and grassroots (Montgomery Bus Boycott, SNCC) strategies.

How did movements for african-americans evolve?

Radicalization emerged through Black Power, Malcolm X, and the Black Panthers.

How did the New Left emerge and who were the main catalysts?

• Student activism exploded with the New Left (e.g., SDS, Free Speech Movement) and anti-Vietnam protests.

• Movements flourished on college campuses.

• The counterculture embraced alternative lifestyles, sexual liberation, and psychedelic culture.

What issues did second-wave feminism target?

• Led by figures like Betty Friedan and NOW (National Organization for Women), targeted workplace equality, abortion rights, and gender roles.

• Roe v. Wade (1973) legalized early abortion, a major victory for the movement.

What was the Equal Rights Amendment?

• Proposed originally in 1923, it was an amendment to the US Constitution that aimed to guarantee equal rights under the law for all individuals, regardless of sex.

  •  It would prohibit discrimination based on sex in areas like employment, wages, reproductive rights, insurance, and education

Why did it take so long for the ERA to become ratified?

• Conservative groups and leaders such as Phyllis Schlafly and STOP ERA helped bring down the ERA as the New Right rose.

What started the gay rights movement and what challenges did it face moving forward?

• The gay rights movement began with the Stonewall Uprising (1969) and fought stigma and discrimination.

• They wanted the right to marry, to serve in the military, and to adopt children.

• Conservative opposed gay rights

• The AIDS crisis fueled homophobic backlash in conservative circles.

How did the New Right become mainstream?

Ronald Reagan’s presidency symbolized the mainstreaming of the New Right, launching “culture wars” over values and identity.

Reagan launched the culture wars, denouncing liberal ideas, homosexuality, multiculturalism, and various forms of music. (e.g. Hip Hop, Rock and Roll)

What were the main goals of Chicano, Puerto Rican, and Native American groups?

Pushed for civil, cultural, + land rights.