Women’s Rights Movement
1. 1957: Betty Friedman
a. She was a housewife who was unhappy with the status-quo of the time
b. Wrote a book on how bad “house life” actually is.
2. Gloria Steinem
a. Made Ms. Magazine
3. NOW
a. National Organization for Women
b. Primary feminist organization
c. Defined feminism as equal rights for any gender, anywhere.
4. ERA
a. Equal Rights Amendment
i. Stated that there is no difference between men and women
b. It was passed through congress, but failed because not all the states approved it.
5. Phyllis Schlafly
a. Fought against the ERA because she said it would be demeaning to women
b. “we have a place, we have to keep it.”
c. She convinced the undecided states to vote the ERA down.
6. Title IX
a. It states that if there is any government funding, there has to be equal opportunities for everyone – including the equality between men and women.
7. Roe vs. Wade
a. 1973
b. The Supreme Court decided that women have the right to choose if they want an abortion or not.
i. They made it constitutional.
c. It resulted in the conservatives realization that they need to start doing things and be more active.
8. 1970’s
a. There was a huge backlash to all things the movements had accomplished
i. Ex: resurfacing of racism
b. It was a more conservative time.
c. Ronald Reagan was president.
1. Latino Movement
a. César Chávez
i. Lead the Hispanic crop farmers in California
ii. Formed unions and pushed farm owners for better pay and working conditions
iii. He convinced Americans not to buy table grapes.
1. The owners realized they were losing money, and they cared, so they raised pay and bettered working conditions.
b. La Raza Unida
i. A political party (kind of) that pushed for latino rights.
c. Arizona stopped funding all foreign classes
2. American Indians
a. AIM
i. American Indian Movement
ii. It was the combination of all American Indian groups
b. 1968-1969: Took over Alcatraz
i. The American Indians claimed it was the “perfect reservation” because there was no water, jobs, education, rights, food, etc.
ii. It resulted in the American Indian’s right to build casinos to raise money for the reservations
1. Helped tame the diabetes, alcoholism, education programs, etc. that were so prominent in the American Indian population.
c. Wounded Knee II
i. Lived on the reservation in North Dakota
ii. He shot the FBI agents when they came to arrest an American Indian
1. He claimed he was doing it for the AIM
2. It lead to a shootout
d. Longest Walk II
i. Three years ago
ii. From Fresno to Washington D.C.
iii. It was to show that nothing has changed
iv. The feel that the only way they can progress is by having casinos to raise money and help their population.
3. Gay Rights
a. 1968 in New York it was illegal to be gay.
b. Stonewall Riots
i. Stonewall was a gay bar and when it was raided by the police, the people in the bar fought back
c. 1973: it was claimed that it was a mental illness to be gay
d. 1976: San Francisco elected its first gay supervisor, Harvey Milk
e. 1978: Dan White killed Milk and SF Mayor George Moscone
i. Served 5-7 years
ii. He committed suicide when he got out of prison
f. “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
i. Military policy that said if you were gay you would be arrested, investigated, and questioned to see if you were gay.
ii. Clinton tried to cancel the whole policy, but he didn’t get it all cancelled
1. The investigations were dropped, but if they found out, then you were kicked out of the military.
iii. Obama officially ended it in December of 2010.
g. Vermont had the first civil unions (not the same as marriage) in 2000
Texas had the last anti-homosexual law cancelled out in 2003
h. 2004: gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts
i. 1980’s: AID’s epidemic was blamed mainly on the Gay population
4. Disability Rights
a. The independent living movement
b. Before the 50’s and 60’s they would put the disabled people in “homes (institutions)”
i. Out of sight, out of mind
ii. There was no support structure for them
c. 1990: American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA)
i. All access (ex: ramps, parking, etc.)
d. Individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA)
i. Kids get modifications in school, like special classes and curriculum
ii. Developed special exceptions for kids with disabilities