US

Other Civil Rights Struggles

Learning Target

  • I will be able to explain and describe other civil rights struggles facing Native Americans, Asian Americans, women, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Native and Asian American Rights

Warm-up: Primary Source Analysis

  • Task: Analyze a photograph in a primary source;
      - Consider: What general term could describe the occasion shown in the photograph? Why?

Native Americans Mobilize

  • Termination Policy (1950s):
      - A U.S. attempt to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream society more effectively.

  • Declaration of Indian Purpose:
      - A document listing major issues facing Native Americans and advocating for self-determination policies.

  • National Indian Youth Council (NIYC):
      - Organization of young Native American leaders aiming to draw attention to Native American causes through mobilization and protest.

  • Activities:
      - NIYC conducted “fish-ins” to reclaim fishing rights by occupying river areas and disrupting commercial fishing activities.
      - Connection to SNCC: Similar civil disobedience tactics were used by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Native American Activism

  • American Indian Movement (AIM):
      - An activist organization founded in 1968 to improve conditions for Native Americans.
      - Objective: Aid fellow Native Americans displaced by the termination policy and raise awareness about substandard living conditions.
      - Established chapters in major urban centers.

  • Historical Events:
      - In 1972, AIM conducted the “Trail of Broken Treaties” by seizing the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. to protest discrimination and treaty violations.
      - Resulted in violent protests at Wounded Knee that prompted treaty review by courts and led to new legislation for Native Americans.
      - Legislation:
        - In 1975, Congress passed the Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act.
        - In 1978, Congress passed the Indian Religious Freedom Act.

  • AIM Patches and Alcatraz Occupation:
      - AIM used the “Remember Wounded Knee” patch to symbolize the movement.
      - Occupation of Alcatraz Island aimed to draw attention to Native American issues.

Asian American Civil Rights

  • Historical Discrimination Review:
      - Encourage students to recall examples of discrimination against Asian Americans prior to 1954-1975.

  • Japanese American Citizens League (JACL):
      - Founded in 1929, this organization worked for civil rights for Asian Americans.

  • AAPA and ACE Establishment:
      - In 1968, students founded the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) at UC Berkeley.
      - In 1969, the Asian Coalition for Equality (ACE) formed in Seattle, promoting civil rights for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

  • Reparations Movement:
      - Japanese Americans advocated for an official apology for WWII internment camps.
      - Proclamation 4417 (1976): Signed by President Gerald Ford, it acknowledged U.S. wrongdoing.
      - Civil Liberties Act of 1988: Signed by President Ronald Reagan; awarded $20,000 in reparations to each living former internee.

Ethnic Studies

  • Originated from a strike and coalition of Asian American students at San Francisco State College, which was renamed in 1974 to San Francisco State University.

Tasks and Interpretations

HAPP Primary Source Analysis

  • Step 1: Review the linked primary source set on the American Indian Movement;

  • Step 2: Choose one primary source to focus on and synthesize your findings using the HAPP framework (Historical context, Audience, Purpose, Point of view).

President Johnson's Phrases

  • Illustrate and visually interpret phrases used by President Johnson to describe Native Americans:
      - “America’s first citizens,”
      - “The forgotten American,”
      - “An alien in his own land.”

  • Reference specific pages in National Geographic: America Through the Lens for guidance. Share and submit visual interpretations by the end of the session.

Women's and LGBTQ+ Rights Movements

Women's Rights Movement

  • Warm-up Review: Discuss the experience of women during World War II, highlighted by the iconic "We Can Do It!" poster.

  • New Voices for Women (1961):
      - President Kennedy established the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt.
      - Recommendations included:
        - Paid maternity leave,
        - Affordable child care,
        - Equal employment opportunities.
      - Result: Led to the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

  • Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique (1963):
      - Book that challenged the notion that all women desired to be mothers and homemakers, sparking the feminist movement focusing on political, economic, social, and cultural rights for women.

  • National Organization for Women (NOW):
      - Founded in 1966 to advocate for women’s rights, still active today.

Quotes from The Feminine Mystique

  • Critical excerpt emphasizing women's identities as human beings, not merely as mothers.
      - Excerpt: "…But to name the suffering is relatively easy. What Mrs. Friedan has done is to show both cause and cure."

Notable Figures in Women's Rights

  • Gloria Steinem:
      - Influential writer, feminist, and founder of Ms. Magazine.

  • Shirley Chisholm:
      - First African-American Congresswoman (D-NY).

Women in Politics (2023)

  • Current notable women include Vice President Kamala Harris and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Gender Equality Discussion

  • Discussion on Gender Bias:
      - Define gender bias in partnership.
      - Title IX (1972): No person shall be excluded from participation in or discrimination under any educational program receiving federal financial assistance based on sex.

  • Contraceptive Approval:
      - FDA approved contraceptives in the 1960s.
      - Griswold v. Connecticut (1965): Legalized contraceptive access, ruling bans violated privacy rights.
      - Roe v. Wade (1973): Legitimized abortion for women in the first three months of pregnancy.

  • Challenges/Failures:
      - Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): Passed by Congress but not ratified by required states.

Iconic Moments in Women's Movement

  • Billie Jean King:
      - Tennis player who defeated Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes (1973).

  • Phyllis Schlafly:
      - Lawyer and activist opposing ERA based on concerns of unintended consequences.

Visual Representation of Reproductive Rights

  • Display contrasting views on abortion, featuring pro-choice and pro-life demonstrators and organizations.

The LGBTQ+ Movement Gains Momentum

Early Perceptions of Homosexuality

  • Mid-20th-century classification of homosexuality as a “mental illness” by the APA.

  • Frank Kameny:
      - Civil rights activist who worked to abolish this classification, which was removed in 1973.

  • Daughters of Bilitis:
      - Founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon in 1955 to educate women about their rights.

  • Stonewall Inn Incident (1969):
      - A bar that served LGBTQ+ patrons and allowed same-sex dances. A police raid on June 28 led to riots after patrons, including Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, resisted arrest.

Harvey Milk's Contributions

  • Elected to San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977:
      - Advocated for rights and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace.

  • Tragic Death:
      - Murdered by a former city supervisor, sparking protests over the lenient sentence given to his killer.

Changing Legal Landscape for LGBTQ+ Rights

  • By the mid-1970s, many states repealed laws criminalizing homosexual behavior.

  • Military Policy Changes:
      - Introduction of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 1993, allowing military candidates to serve without disclosing their sexual orientation; this restriction lifted in 2010.

  • Same-Sex Marriage Rights:
      - Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004. In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges, establishing the right to marry for same-sex couples nationwide.

Current Events Task

  • Civil Rights Worksheet:
      - Investigate a recent event related to civil rights (local, state, federal, or international) by finding a news article from a reputable source published within the last year.
      - Submit your findings through your course management system (CANVAS, Module 7).