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Rights

Workers - Progressive Era: Time period from 1890 to 1920. Characterized by multiple political and social reform efforts, pushing change in the Laissez-faire government. Journalists known as Muckrakers exposed the working conditions and corruption in the government and businesses, and various laws and government regulations for businesses and working conditions were passed.



Laissez-faire: Economic system/philosophy that the government does not need to regulate business, and that the market can regulate itself. A Laissez-faire government is a “hands-off” government based on this system that does not interfere with or regulate anything, especially businesses. Existed in America until the Great Depression.



The Big 3: Monopolies controlling specific industry(ies). 

Carnegie: A Monopoly that controlled the steel industry. Also controlled various other industries, such as the transportation industries, as they required steel for rails and other products. Created an incredibly powerful multi-billion dollar company, which later led to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, adding regulations to interstate trade and outlawing monopolistic business practices or attempted monopolization.



Rockefeller: A Monopoly that controlled the oil industry. Had power over many other industries, such as transportation, housing, heating, etc. The Supreme Court ruled that the Standard Oil Company violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, and the company was broken down into around 34 different companies.



Vanderbilt: A Monopoly that controlled the railroad/transportation industry. He started with steamships and coal, but began investing in railroads later on. His business practices and influence gave him significant control over the railroad/transportation industries.



Muckrakers: Journalists and writers from the Progressive Era who wrote/reported on, and exposed the corruption and horrible conditions in businesses. Ex: The lack of safety and health precautions taken in businesses creating products for consumption.



Ida Tarbell: A Journalist who is known for investigating and exposing the business practices in the oil industry and showing that the Standard Oil Company was a monopoly. Her work helped to break up the Standard Oil Company in the early 1900s.

Jacob Riis: A Journalist and photographer who uncovered the reality of living in the slums, which were unsanitary and overcrowded. Raised awareness on the living conditions of people in poverty. He would later work with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to enforce change. Wrote a book.



Upton Sinclair: A Muckraker journalist who revealed issues of corruption and oppression in the government. Wrote The Jungle in 1906, which was originally published in a socialist newspaper; led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act.

 

Ida Tarbell: A Journalist who is known for investigating and exposing the business practices in the oil industry and showing that the Standard Oil Company was a monopoly. Her work helped to break up the Standard Oil Company in the early 1900s. Went primarily after Rockefeller’s monopoly.



Jacob Riis: A Journalist and photographer who uncovered the reality of living in the slums, which were unsanitary and overcrowded. Raised awareness on the living conditions of people in poverty. He would later work with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to enforce change. 



Tenements: Often 1 bedroom; small, cheaply built apartments with rooms for working immigrants. Had no toilets, showers, and were meant to be cheap housing for immigrants. They were dark and crowded, and incredibly unsanitary, unventilated, and unsafe. 

The Tenement Law of 1901 was passed to improve the safety and living conditions of immigrants in tenements, requiring windows, air ventilation, etc. 



Child Labor: A result of people not making enough money. Children often worked in factories, mines, farms, and streets, and worked dangerous jobs with low pay for long hours; they would often die young. Although various laws were passed/tried to be passed, they faced resistance from powerful companies in various industries, and many states did not enforce any change. Banned after the Fair Labor Standards Act. 



The Jungle: A book written by Upton Sinclair. Exposes the horrifying processes of food manufacturing, the lack of safety precautions for workers, and food safety, which scares the people who consume these products. Revolutionized food safety; led to the Pure Food and Drug Act, preventing misbranding of products,  and later the creation of the FDA(Food and Drug Administration). 



Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Created in response to The Jungle, which exposed the unsanitary practices in the food industry. The Pure Food and Drug Act, which established the Bureau of Chemistry, was later changed to the Food and Drug Administration. Currently responsible for protecting public health by ensuring that all food supplies/products and drugs are safe for consumption.





Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Also known as the Wages and Hours Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. It established a national minimum wage(25c), maximum working hours(40), and banned child labor in specific industries. First time workers’ rights were seen by the government, and meant the government was no longer completely Laissez-faire, as they now had regulations. Exempted industries such as the fishing and agricultural industries, and domestic workers.



Issues Today: Unemployment rates, job security, and being trapped in an economic cycle.





Women



Carrie Chapman Catt: Activist in the 1900s fighting for women’s suffrage. Wanted to gain the right to vote slowly through a state-by-state campaign approach. She believed that gathering support for women’s suffrage from the states would help gather enough support to eventually pass a constitutional amendment; she was generally more patient, less aggressive. Part of NAWSA(National American Woman Suffrage Association). 



Alice Paul: Activist in the 1900s fighting for women’s suffrage, who initially fought for suffrage in England. Wanted a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote immediately. Pushed for change, was more militant, used tactics such as hunger strikes, silent sentinels, parades, lobbying, petitioning, etc. She formed the NWP(National Women’s Party) after leaving NAWSA.



President Wilson: 28th U.S. President. Initially(1917), he did not support women’s suffrage; however, during WWI, the protests, hunger strikes, and wartime pressures pressured him into endorsing women’s suffrage. In the late 1910s, he publicly endorsed the suffrage movement and spoke in favor of a constitutional amendment to the Senate. The amendment was only ratified after the war was over.



Gloria Steinem: Led the Women’s Liberation Movement, which wanted the ERA(Equal Rights Amendment) to be passed. Although there is an Equal Pay Act, there is no amendment that grants women equal rights under the Constitution. Founder of NOW(National Organization for Women), 1966.



Betty Friedan: Wrote Feminine Mystique in 1963, discussing the unhappiness of women living as housewives. Included interviews of women who were unsatisfied with their lives as housewives, and wanted to have a career; gave women a voice in a male-dominated system.



National Women’s Party (NWP): Founded in 1916 by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns(after they left NAWSA). American political organization that fought for women’s suffrage and equality. Focused on achieving a constitutional amendment that would grant women the right to vote, and they often used militant tactics, such as protests, marches, demonstrations, and hunger strikes. After the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, they began focusing on the ERA.



National Organization for Women (NOW): Founded by Gloria Steinem in 1966 to support equal pay and job opportunities. 



19th Amendment: Ratified in 1920, and gave women the right to vote. Product of the women’s suffrage movement. 



Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): An Amendment to ensure that all people, regardless of sex, are equal under higher law. Drafted by Alice Paul, and was the main focus of the NWP after 1920 and the Women’s Liberation Movement. It is currently not an amendment.



Hunger strikes: Refusing to eat in an act of protest. During WWI, NWP members were arrested for picketing the White House, and initiated a hunger strike to protest their treatment by police and in prison, and to gain public traction. To stop the hunger strikes, many activists were force-fed, which would draw attention to their cause and help garner public sympathy.



Roe v Wade(then and now): Supreme Court case in 1973. Roe wished to have an abortion, but her state(Texas) outlawed abortion. The Court rules in favor of Roe under the 14th Amendment, and it sets a precedent that abortion is legal in the first trimester of a pregnancy(about 3 months) without any state interference.



Now: In June of 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson, where it was ruled that abortion was not a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment, which means it is left up to the states. Some states allow abortion, while others restrict it or outlaw it completely. 



Title IX: Signed into law in 1972. Part of the Civil Rights Act. States that schools must have equal funding for men's and women’s sports, as well as equal opportunities to play sports. Ex: If the school’s boys’ basketball team gets new equipment, the girls would get funded equally, so maybe they would get new uniforms. 



Intersectionality: How having various social identities(based on race, class, sexual orientation, gender, etc) can affect personal experiences of privileges and discrimination. Ex: A Native American woman.



Issues Today: Fighting for the ERA(Equal Rights Amendment), equal pay, reproductive rights(abortion, birth control, fertility, etc), equal job opportunities, rape culture, body image.







Latinos



Cesar Chavez: Led UFW(United Farm Workers) in the 1950s, whose goal was to fight for the rights of laborers and Latin Americans; he wanted people working in farms to be treated fairly, as many did not receive lunch breaks or minimum wages. He utilized non-violent protests, such as hunger strikes, boycotts(wine boycott), worker strikes(5-year grape worker strike), sit-ins, and non-violent marches. 



United Farm Workers (UFW): Led by Cesar Chavez, and focused on fighting for the rights of laborers(specifically agricultural/farm workers) and Latin Americans.



Community Service Organization (CSO): Founded in 1947, and focused on registering Latin American voters and providing citizenship classes for them. In the 1950s, Dolores Huerta began her career in activism by joining the CSO.



LaRaza Party: Previously a political party. It is currently the largest community that works to help Latin Americans and is now known as UnidosUS.



Delores Huerta: Activist for the rights of Latin Americans and women. Started with the CSO(Community Service Organization) and began working with Cesar Chavez and the UFW in the 1960s. She joined the feminist movement in the 1960s after meeting Gloria Steinem.



Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): Part of Obama’s plan(Executive orders) to promote a path to citizenship, as people who are in the U.S. undocumented can not become citizens. Allows those who were children when they arrived in the U.S. to apply for legal status and qualify for financial aid.



Issues Today: Deportation by ICE/college visas, path to citizenship, immigration, border crisis, representation in government and media, and job opportunities(especially in upper-level and STEM careers).



Native Americans



American Indian Movement (AIM): Advocates for the rights of Native Americans, primarily through protesting.



National American Rights Fund(NARF): Advocates for the rights of Native Americans, primarily through fundraising.



The Trail of Tears: The forced relocation of Native Americans(west), particularly the Cherokee Nation, from the Southeastern US to Indian Territory(modern-day Oklahoma). Occurred due to westward expansion and the Indian Removal Act(1830), which authorized the relocation of Native tribes west. Not explicitly considered a genocide, however, many scholars still consider it to be one.



Issues on Reservations: Many reservations generally have poor living conditions.

  • Lack of running water

  • Lack of jobs, high levels of poverty

  • Massive alcoholism, diabetes, and obesity rates / health-care

  • Significantly higher high school dropout rate



Mascots: Native American mascots/logos have been used in schools, sports teams, and even professional franchises. They are classified as racist caricatures depicting stereotypes, which can affect Native Americans' view of their communities and culture. In the 1960s, Native activists began a movement to end the use of Native-themed mascots.



The Dakota Pipeline: An expansive pipeline that transports oil through Native American reservations. The pipeline contains various leaks, which can contaiminate the water supply and affect the quality of the land, and the construction of the pipeline was antagonized by Natives and environmentalists; some tribes, such as the Sioux tribes have protested against it, but lost. Has created many jobs and improved the economy. 



Madonna Thunder Hawk: Native American civil rights activist who works with AIM(American Indian Movement).



Issues Today: Poor reservation conditions(lack running water, high levels of poverty, a lack of jobs, massive alcoholism, diabetic, and obesity rates, health care, high school dropout rates), mascots in sports/media, violence against Native American women, underrepresentation in government, and the Dakota Pipeline.




LGBTQ +



Stonewall Riots: June 28th, 1969; began the Gay Rights Movement. A series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in New York City. 

During the police raid, patrons resisted arrest, marking the first instance in American history where the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system. 



Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT): Policy enabled by President Clinton in 1993, which would allow homosexuals to serve in the military so long as they did not disclose their sexuality; the military would not ask them about it. Those who disclosed their sexuality would be discharged from the military. However, the persecution of lesbian and gay military personnel soared instead of declining as expected, as the policy made everyone suspicious of each other, causing them to jump to conclusions or make assumptions about others. Caused more prejudice.



President Clinton: Originally ran in support of gay rights. However, during his presidency, he signed the DADT policy in 1993, increasing prejudice and the persecution of gay people, and signed in DOMA(Defense of Marriage Act), which passed in 1996, which attempts to define marriage as ‘a union between one woman and one man’, and allowed states to deny recognition of same-sex marriages that have originated from other states.



(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)AIDS: Is also known as HIV. In 1981, when it was first discovered and caused an epidemic, it was thought to only affect gay people, causing others to fear them and discriminate against them. It was not until the government realized AIDS wasn’t exclusive to gay people that they finally began conducting research to develop a cure. It was previously considered a death sentence, but it is now treatable.



(Defense of Marriage Act)DOMA: Signed into law and passed in 1996 by President Clinton. Attempts to define marriage as ‘a union between one woman and one man’, and allowed states to deny recognition of same-sex marriages that may have originated in other states(No Full Faith & Credit/recognition of other state laws). Because of this act, the LGBTQ+ movement began to focus on marriage as a primary issue. 

In 2013, DOMA was ruled unconstitutional in U.S. v. Windsor, and same-sex marriage was made legal under the Federal government.



President Obama: Originally ran with no mention of gay rights. During his presidency, in 2010, he repealed DADT, allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military. During his presidency, DOMA was ruled unconstitutional(2013). During his presidency, he made a national address in favor of same-sex marriage and promised to do more for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.



Obergefell v Hodges: Supreme Court case from June 2015. The Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment, making same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.



Bostock v Clayton County: Supreme Court case from June 2020. The Supreme Court ruled that under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it was illegal for businesses across the nation to fire employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Before this case, some states made it legal to be fired for being gay.



Human Rights Campaign (HRC): The largest civil rights group fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. 



Issues Today: Transgender rights and violence/hate crimes, lack of anti-discrimination laws in some states, “Don’t Say Gay” Laws preventing LGBTQ+ from being taught in schools, education in school(discussion in health regarding LGBTQ+ community), lack of healthcare coverage and refusal of healthcare by doctors, and adoption rights.







People with Disabilities



Buck vs. Bell: Supreme Court case from 1927. Buck was sterilized at an institution without her knowledge, and only found out years later, when she was trying to have a baby with her husband. 

The Supreme Court ruled against Buck, and the sterilization of the ‘feeble minded’, was deemed legal. Today, it is still legal, especially in detention centers and prisons.



Sterilization: A procedure that permanently prevents someone from reproducing. Performed in institutions/asylums to prevent disabled people or anyone deemed ‘unfit’ from reproducing and passing on their genes; also known as Eugenics, the practice of breeding better humans with desired traits. This was almost always without their consent and against their will. 

Reasons people were sterilized: being ‘feeble-minded’, sexual promiscuity, mental illness, being physically disabled, being homeless, a criminal, etc. 

Debated in the Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell, where it was ruled that sterilization is legal.



Capital Crawl: Disability rights protest in 1990. Hundreds of protesters left behind their wheelchairs/other mobility devices and crawled up the steps of the Capitol building to show the government that even they were not accessible to them, and to demand equal rights. The ADA was passed because of this protest.



(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)IDEA: Act from 1975 that everyone/anyone to have an education. It made schools responsible for figuring out how to teach students with disabilities. Guarantees students with disabilities IEPS(Individualized Education Program), which outline their education needs, allowing them to receive accommodations to help them learn.



(Americans with Disabilities Act)ADA: Signed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 after the Capitol Crawl. The act aimed to prevent discrimination based on disabilities and ensure that accomodations and accesibility were widely available in public spaces.



The Arc: Largest community-based organization advocating for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.


Issues Today: Accessibility, lack of representation in media, inaccessibility of media for the blind and/or deaf, discrimination against “invisible” disabilities.


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Rights

Workers - Progressive Era: Time period from 1890 to 1920. Characterized by multiple political and social reform efforts, pushing change in the Laissez-faire government. Journalists known as Muckrakers exposed the working conditions and corruption in the government and businesses, and various laws and government regulations for businesses and working conditions were passed.


Laissez-faire: Economic system/philosophy that the government does not need to regulate business, and that the market can regulate itself. A Laissez-faire government is a “hands-off” government based on this system that does not interfere with or regulate anything, especially businesses. Existed in America until the Great Depression.


The Big 3: Monopolies controlling specific industry(ies). 

Carnegie: A Monopoly that controlled the steel industry. Also controlled various other industries, such as the transportation industries, as they required steel for rails and other products. Created an incredibly powerful multi-billion dollar company, which later led to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, adding regulations to interstate trade and outlawing monopolistic business practices or attempted monopolization.


Rockefeller: A Monopoly that controlled the oil industry. Had power over many other industries, such as transportation, housing, heating, etc. The Supreme Court ruled that the Standard Oil Company violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, and the company was broken down into around 34 different companies.


Vanderbilt: A Monopoly that controlled the railroad/transportation industry. He started with steamships and coal, but began investing in railroads later on. His business practices and influence gave him significant control over the railroad/transportation industries.


Muckrakers: Journalists and writers from the Progressive Era who wrote/reported on, and exposed the corruption and horrible conditions in businesses. Ex: The lack of safety and health precautions taken in businesses creating products for consumption.


Ida Tarbell: A Journalist who is known for investigating and exposing the business practices in the oil industry and showing that the Standard Oil Company was a monopoly. Her work helped to break up the Standard Oil Company in the early 1900s.

Jacob Riis: A Journalist and photographer who uncovered the reality of living in the slums, which were unsanitary and overcrowded. Raised awareness on the living conditions of people in poverty. He would later work with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to enforce change. Wrote a book.


Upton Sinclair: A Muckraker journalist who revealed issues of corruption and oppression in the government. Wrote The Jungle in 1906, which was originally published in a socialist newspaper; led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act.

 

Ida Tarbell: A Journalist who is known for investigating and exposing the business practices in the oil industry and showing that the Standard Oil Company was a monopoly. Her work helped to break up the Standard Oil Company in the early 1900s. Went primarily after Rockefeller’s monopoly.


Jacob Riis: A Journalist and photographer who uncovered the reality of living in the slums, which were unsanitary and overcrowded. Raised awareness on the living conditions of people in poverty. He would later work with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to enforce change. 


Tenements: Often 1 bedroom; small, cheaply built apartments with rooms for working immigrants. Had no toilets, showers, and were meant to be cheap housing for immigrants. They were dark and crowded, and incredibly unsanitary, unventilated, and unsafe. 

The Tenement Law of 1901 was passed to improve the safety and living conditions of immigrants in tenements, requiring windows, air ventilation, etc. 


Child Labor: A result of people not making enough money. Children often worked in factories, mines, farms, and streets, and worked dangerous jobs with low pay for long hours; they would often die young. Although various laws were passed/tried to be passed, they faced resistance from powerful companies in various industries, and many states did not enforce any change. Banned after the Fair Labor Standards Act. 


The Jungle: A book written by Upton Sinclair. Exposes the horrifying processes of food manufacturing, the lack of safety precautions for workers, and food safety, which scares the people who consume these products. Revolutionized food safety; led to the Pure Food and Drug Act, preventing misbranding of products,  and later the creation of the FDA(Food and Drug Administration). 


Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Created in response to The Jungle, which exposed the unsanitary practices in the food industry. The Pure Food and Drug Act, which established the Bureau of Chemistry, was later changed to the Food and Drug Administration. Currently responsible for protecting public health by ensuring that all food supplies/products and drugs are safe for consumption.




Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Also known as the Wages and Hours Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. It established a national minimum wage(25c), maximum working hours(40), and banned child labor in specific industries. First time workers’ rights were seen by the government, and meant the government was no longer completely Laissez-faire, as they now had regulations. Exempted industries such as the fishing and agricultural industries, and domestic workers.


Issues Today: Unemployment rates, job security, and being trapped in an economic cycle.




Women


Carrie Chapman Catt: Activist in the 1900s fighting for women’s suffrage. Wanted to gain the right to vote slowly through a state-by-state campaign approach. She believed that gathering support for women’s suffrage from the states would help gather enough support to eventually pass a constitutional amendment; she was generally more patient, less aggressive. Part of NAWSA(National American Woman Suffrage Association). 


Alice Paul: Activist in the 1900s fighting for women’s suffrage, who initially fought for suffrage in England. Wanted a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote immediately. Pushed for change, was more militant, used tactics such as hunger strikes, silent sentinels, parades, lobbying, petitioning, etc. She formed the NWP(National Women’s Party) after leaving NAWSA.


President Wilson: 28th U.S. President. Initially(1917), he did not support women’s suffrage; however, during WWI, the protests, hunger strikes, and wartime pressures pressured him into endorsing women’s suffrage. In the late 1910s, he publicly endorsed the suffrage movement and spoke in favor of a constitutional amendment to the Senate. The amendment was only ratified after the war was over.


Gloria Steinem: Led the Women’s Liberation Movement, which wanted the ERA(Equal Rights Amendment) to be passed. Although there is an Equal Pay Act, there is no amendment that grants women equal rights under the Constitution. Founder of NOW(National Organization for Women), 1966.


Betty Friedan: Wrote Feminine Mystique in 1963, discussing the unhappiness of women living as housewives. Included interviews of women who were unsatisfied with their lives as housewives, and wanted to have a career; gave women a voice in a male-dominated system.


National Women’s Party (NWP): Founded in 1916 by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns(after they left NAWSA). American political organization that fought for women’s suffrage and equality. Focused on achieving a constitutional amendment that would grant women the right to vote, and they often used militant tactics, such as protests, marches, demonstrations, and hunger strikes. After the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, they began focusing on the ERA.


National Organization for Women (NOW): Founded by Gloria Steinem in 1966 to support equal pay and job opportunities. 


19th Amendment: Ratified in 1920, and gave women the right to vote. Product of the women’s suffrage movement. 


Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): An Amendment to ensure that all people, regardless of sex, are equal under higher law. Drafted by Alice Paul, and was the main focus of the NWP after 1920 and the Women’s Liberation Movement. It is currently not an amendment.


Hunger strikes: Refusing to eat in an act of protest. During WWI, NWP members were arrested for picketing the White House, and initiated a hunger strike to protest their treatment by police and in prison, and to gain public traction. To stop the hunger strikes, many activists were force-fed, which would draw attention to their cause and help garner public sympathy.


Roe v Wade(then and now): Supreme Court case in 1973. Roe wished to have an abortion, but her state(Texas) outlawed abortion. The Court rules in favor of Roe under the 14th Amendment, and it sets a precedent that abortion is legal in the first trimester of a pregnancy(about 3 months) without any state interference.


Now: In June of 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson, where it was ruled that abortion was not a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment, which means it is left up to the states. Some states allow abortion, while others restrict it or outlaw it completely. 


Title IX: Signed into law in 1972. Part of the Civil Rights Act. States that schools must have equal funding for men's and women’s sports, as well as equal opportunities to play sports. Ex: If the school’s boys’ basketball team gets new equipment, the girls would get funded equally, so maybe they would get new uniforms. 


Intersectionality: How having various social identities(based on race, class, sexual orientation, gender, etc) can affect personal experiences of privileges and discrimination. Ex: A Native American woman.


Issues Today: Fighting for the ERA(Equal Rights Amendment), equal pay, reproductive rights(abortion, birth control, fertility, etc), equal job opportunities, rape culture, body image.






Latinos


Cesar Chavez: Led UFW(United Farm Workers) in the 1950s, whose goal was to fight for the rights of laborers and Latin Americans; he wanted people working in farms to be treated fairly, as many did not receive lunch breaks or minimum wages. He utilized non-violent protests, such as hunger strikes, boycotts(wine boycott), worker strikes(5-year grape worker strike), sit-ins, and non-violent marches. 


United Farm Workers (UFW): Led by Cesar Chavez, and focused on fighting for the rights of laborers(specifically agricultural/farm workers) and Latin Americans.


Community Service Organization (CSO): Founded in 1947, and focused on registering Latin American voters and providing citizenship classes for them. In the 1950s, Dolores Huerta began her career in activism by joining the CSO.


LaRaza Party: Previously a political party. It is currently the largest community that works to help Latin Americans and is now known as UnidosUS.


Delores Huerta: Activist for the rights of Latin Americans and women. Started with the CSO(Community Service Organization) and began working with Cesar Chavez and the UFW in the 1960s. She joined the feminist movement in the 1960s after meeting Gloria Steinem.


Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): Part of Obama’s plan(Executive orders) to promote a path to citizenship, as people who are in the U.S. undocumented can not become citizens. Allows those who were children when they arrived in the U.S. to apply for legal status and qualify for financial aid.


Issues Today: Deportation by ICE/college visas, path to citizenship, immigration, border crisis, representation in government and media, and job opportunities(especially in upper-level and STEM careers).


Native Americans


American Indian Movement (AIM): Advocates for the rights of Native Americans, primarily through protesting.


National American Rights Fund(NARF): Advocates for the rights of Native Americans, primarily through fundraising.


The Trail of Tears: The forced relocation of Native Americans(west), particularly the Cherokee Nation, from the Southeastern US to Indian Territory(modern-day Oklahoma). Occurred due to westward expansion and the Indian Removal Act(1830), which authorized the relocation of Native tribes west. Not explicitly considered a genocide, however, many scholars still consider it to be one.


Issues on Reservations: Many reservations generally have poor living conditions.

  • Lack of running water

  • Lack of jobs, high levels of poverty

  • Massive alcoholism, diabetes, and obesity rates / health-care

  • Significantly higher high school dropout rate


Mascots: Native American mascots/logos have been used in schools, sports teams, and even professional franchises. They are classified as racist caricatures depicting stereotypes, which can affect Native Americans' view of their communities and culture. In the 1960s, Native activists began a movement to end the use of Native-themed mascots.


The Dakota Pipeline: An expansive pipeline that transports oil through Native American reservations. The pipeline contains various leaks, which can contaiminate the water supply and affect the quality of the land, and the construction of the pipeline was antagonized by Natives and environmentalists; some tribes, such as the Sioux tribes have protested against it, but lost. Has created many jobs and improved the economy. 


Madonna Thunder Hawk: Native American civil rights activist who works with AIM(American Indian Movement).


Issues Today: Poor reservation conditions(lack running water, high levels of poverty, a lack of jobs, massive alcoholism, diabetic, and obesity rates, health care, high school dropout rates), mascots in sports/media, violence against Native American women, underrepresentation in government, and the Dakota Pipeline.



LGBTQ +


Stonewall Riots: June 28th, 1969; began the Gay Rights Movement. A series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in New York City. 

During the police raid, patrons resisted arrest, marking the first instance in American history where the homosexual community fought back against a government-sponsored system. 


Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT): Policy enabled by President Clinton in 1993, which would allow homosexuals to serve in the military so long as they did not disclose their sexuality; the military would not ask them about it. Those who disclosed their sexuality would be discharged from the military. However, the persecution of lesbian and gay military personnel soared instead of declining as expected, as the policy made everyone suspicious of each other, causing them to jump to conclusions or make assumptions about others. Caused more prejudice.


President Clinton: Originally ran in support of gay rights. However, during his presidency, he signed the DADT policy in 1993, increasing prejudice and the persecution of gay people, and signed in DOMA(Defense of Marriage Act), which passed in 1996, which attempts to define marriage as ‘a union between one woman and one man’, and allowed states to deny recognition of same-sex marriages that have originated from other states.


(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)AIDS: Is also known as HIV. In 1981, when it was first discovered and caused an epidemic, it was thought to only affect gay people, causing others to fear them and discriminate against them. It was not until the government realized AIDS wasn’t exclusive to gay people that they finally began conducting research to develop a cure. It was previously considered a death sentence, but it is now treatable.


(Defense of Marriage Act)DOMA: Signed into law and passed in 1996 by President Clinton. Attempts to define marriage as ‘a union between one woman and one man’, and allowed states to deny recognition of same-sex marriages that may have originated in other states(No Full Faith & Credit/recognition of other state laws). Because of this act, the LGBTQ+ movement began to focus on marriage as a primary issue. 

In 2013, DOMA was ruled unconstitutional in U.S. v. Windsor, and same-sex marriage was made legal under the Federal government.


President Obama: Originally ran with no mention of gay rights. During his presidency, in 2010, he repealed DADT, allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military. During his presidency, DOMA was ruled unconstitutional(2013). During his presidency, he made a national address in favor of same-sex marriage and promised to do more for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.


Obergefell v Hodges: Supreme Court case from June 2015. The Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment, making same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.


Bostock v Clayton County: Supreme Court case from June 2020. The Supreme Court ruled that under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it was illegal for businesses across the nation to fire employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Before this case, some states made it legal to be fired for being gay.


Human Rights Campaign (HRC): The largest civil rights group fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. 


Issues Today: Transgender rights and violence/hate crimes, lack of anti-discrimination laws in some states, “Don’t Say Gay” Laws preventing LGBTQ+ from being taught in schools, education in school(discussion in health regarding LGBTQ+ community), lack of healthcare coverage and refusal of healthcare by doctors, and adoption rights.






People with Disabilities


Buck vs. Bell: Supreme Court case from 1927. Buck was sterilized at an institution without her knowledge, and only found out years later, when she was trying to have a baby with her husband. 

The Supreme Court ruled against Buck, and the sterilization of the ‘feeble minded’, was deemed legal. Today, it is still legal, especially in detention centers and prisons.


Sterilization: A procedure that permanently prevents someone from reproducing. Performed in institutions/asylums to prevent disabled people or anyone deemed ‘unfit’ from reproducing and passing on their genes; also known as Eugenics, the practice of breeding better humans with desired traits. This was almost always without their consent and against their will. 

Reasons people were sterilized: being ‘feeble-minded’, sexual promiscuity, mental illness, being physically disabled, being homeless, a criminal, etc. 

Debated in the Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell, where it was ruled that sterilization is legal.


Capital Crawl: Disability rights protest in 1990. Hundreds of protesters left behind their wheelchairs/other mobility devices and crawled up the steps of the Capitol building to show the government that even they were not accessible to them, and to demand equal rights. The ADA was passed because of this protest.


(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)IDEA: Act from 1975 that everyone/anyone to have an education. It made schools responsible for figuring out how to teach students with disabilities. Guarantees students with disabilities IEPS(Individualized Education Program), which outline their education needs, allowing them to receive accommodations to help them learn.


(Americans with Disabilities Act)ADA: Signed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 after the Capitol Crawl. The act aimed to prevent discrimination based on disabilities and ensure that accomodations and accesibility were widely available in public spaces.


The Arc: Largest community-based organization advocating for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.


Issues Today: Accessibility, lack of representation in media, inaccessibility of media for the blind and/or deaf, discrimination against “invisible” disabilities.