U.S. Hisory Unit 11 - Domestic Change in America

Suburban Life

• A a result of highway act - Families no longer had to live in cities

• Moved to suburbs: Area lying right outside the city limits

• William J. Levitt:

  • Mass production of homes

Brown vs. Board of Education

• prohibits segregation in public schools

• Ends “separate equal” in schools

• Leads to integration

Little Rock Nine

• Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus action:

  • Prevent African American students from attending Central High with National Guard

• President Eisenhower response:

  • Sends in Federal Troops to protect African American students

Montgomery Bus Boycott

• Protest reaction to Rosa Parks arrest

• African American refused to ride segregated buses for over a year

  • Hurts city financially ($)

Civil Rights Movement

• Social and political movement to abolish:

  • Racial segregation

  • Racial discrimination

  • Disenfranchisement (not allowed to vote)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• civil rights leader

• Letter from Birmingham

• Jail - advocates

  • Civil disobedience

  • Non-violence and peaceful protests

Non-Violent Protests

• GREENSBORD SIT-INS

  • Black Americans sit in “white only” section of restaurants

• FREEDOM RIDERS

  • Civil Rights Activists go south to help Black Americans in voting

The Great Society

• President Johnson program to eliminate poverty and racial injustice in the U.S.

War on Poverty

• Job corps: provided free education and vocational training to the disadvantaged youth

• Head Start: Provide early childhood education to low-income children

• Food stamp: Helps low-income families buy food to combat hunger

Healthcare

• Medicare: health insurance for the elderly

• Medicaid: provides health insurance for both low-income individuals and people with disabilities

Civil Rights Act

• Prohibited discrimination based on race and sex in various areas including:

  • Employment

  • Public accommodations

  • Restaurants

  • Theaters

The Voting Rights Act

• Prohibits states governments from enacting laws or practices that deny people the right to vote based on race or color

Modern Women’s Movement

• 2nd wave of Feminism and gender equality for women

• Areas of equality:

  • Workplace and pay

  • Education

  • Legal rights

  • Reproductive rights and right to privacy

  • Sexual liberation: redefining the traditional norms

Feminine Mystique

• impact:

  • Exposed gender inequalities

  • Criticized social norms of the “traditional” role of women

  • Helped sparked 2nd wave of feminism

NOW

• Organization’s Mission:

  • promote feminism

  • Bring public awareness of gender inequalities

  • Eliminate gender discrimination