The 1960s was a decade of rebellion and protesting all across the United States. Protesters were standing up for their beliefs and challenging the norms. Feelings of being surpressed and being infereior according to scoieties terms led the individuals to protest for change. Each movement set out to accomplish a different set of goals and raise awareness for their cause. The 1960s saw a huge variety of movements and marches all accross the country including the Environmental, American Indian, and Womens Movements. The Environmental Movement addresses the environmental issue and hazards that have been brought to the public's attention. Protests, a book, and a song were the rallying items of this movement by allowing the younger generation to get involved. The American Indian Movement was a response to President Johnson trying to integrate the Native Americans and pour funding into their reservations. Wanting independence from the United States and influenced by the Black Power Movement, they responded with their own Red Power Movement. One of the larger movements was the Women’s Movement where women began to protest for equally in the workplace and to dismantle the wage gap between the sexs. They also wanted to empower …show more content…
“Silent Spring” was released and showed the dangers of DDT, a common pesticide, sparking an outcry from environmental enthusiast. As a result of the movement and protest several acts were passed aimed at protecting the environment, including the start of the first Earth Day. Along with the first Earth Day, acts were passed such as Clean Air, Water acts, and Endangered Species Act. The Clear Air Act established air pollution standards, the Water Quality Act established water quality standards, and the Endagered Species Act established conservation methods for endangered species and the ecosystems they lived
Many historians view the 1950s as an era of prosperity, conformity, and consensus, and view the 1960s as turbulences, protest, and disillusionment. I agree with many historians and their point of view to this era. Socially speaking, although the Civil Rights movement had started roughly around 1954, the 1960s was the period where the Civil Rights movement skyrocket. The 1950s were viewed as a prosperous and conformist for the reason of the development of the suburbs.
The 1960s were a time of revolution and a time of civil rights, movements were being held left to right by very influential political and union leaders. During the 60s there was spectacular change but not all was good. It also kept the nation from turning on each other. Rebellions, wars and threats of nuclear warfare were in the voices of everyone. This was a time of racial and sexual identity.
The United States during the 1960s was a very racially-tense time period. African Americans all over the South and the entire nation, were protesting through the Civil Rights Movement. One of the most crucial aspects to this protest was the Selma marches. On March 7th, 1965, 600 people intended to march from Selma, AL to the state capital of Montgomery. They were protesting the denial of voting rights for African Americans in the state of Alabama.
The women’s rights movement in the 1900’s fought for women’s right to vote and equality, for the most part. Women of color and women of different religions were sometimes excluded and Alice Paul, the leader of the National Women’s Party was no exception “Paul 's charismatic speaking and organizing abilities won her and the National Woman 's Party many supporters, but her domineering elitism, aloofness, anti-Semitism, and dilution of black women 's participation in the suffrage fight evoked criticism from others” (“Commentary on Alice Paul”). So, my advice to Alice is when fighting for equality you can not forget about groups of people and dismiss them. They deserve the same rights as you. this way, in the future it will make it easier for these groups of people that are already fighting against injustice to improve their lives, instead of fighting against what leaders of the time say.
A time when we were racing to get a man on the moon. All of these things were going on during the 1960s. So why was this time period interesting and unique within the United States? People were fighting for social rights and equality during this time. It was a battle to create equal opportunities.
The 1960s was a time of racial differences; privileges were given only to the whites. Blacks, mexican, and other races were discriminated for the color of their skin. Not only that, the blacks weren't able to use the whites fountains or bathrooms. Violence was commonly used to express how they felt over a colored person. September 15th 1963, a baptist church in Birmingham Alabama had a bombing, killing 4 children and injuring others.
The first decades of the twentieth century marked a significant shift in the roles of women in society. As the country shifted into a new era of industrialization and modernization, women began to challenge traditional societal expectations and advocate for greater freedom and equality. Different groups of women defined freedom in different ways. For middle-class white women, the suffrage movement was about gaining the right to vote and having a say in the political process. For working-class women, the fight for freedom was about gaining economic independence and the right to work outside of the home.
2 It is essential to go back to the fifties to be able to understand the sixties historically and sociologically. The fifties brought relief since the Depression and war were over, and now “science was mobilized by industry, and capital was channeled by government as never before.” 3 This new affluence gave the United States the ability to create suburbia and conform to moving in. This affected the sixties because conformity resulted in people rebelling.
The social and cultural movements of the 1960s began to upset the traditional “norms” of gender constructs, family and social structures, racial biases, and portrayals of white suburbia that existed in the 1950s. In February 1960 black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina sat in on a “white’s only” lunch counter, as similar sit-ins began to happen in other southern cities as well. In 1961 the Freedom Rides which supported integration in transportation, began taking place on buses. In August 1963, men and women gathered in Washington DC for a “March on Washington” where they called for freedom, justice and equality, and expressed concerns over minimum wage and unemployment.
Civil rights were a massive issue in the 1960s. Peaceful resistance impacted the movement in a great way. Peaceful leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Mahatma Gandhi are historical figures that fought racial division and changed the nation. Race was not the only issue, the fight for gender equality has been going on since before the nineteenth century and is still going on today. Betty Friedan is an American feminist icon that challenged the societal stereotypes towards women.
In the 1960s, the movements to defend the civil rights of women and African Americans were starting to rise in the nation. In 1974, the Women’s Rights movement came to a climax with the campaign to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which stated: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” By 1974, thirty-one states adopted the amendment, including Mississippi. African Americans were making great progress in their movement as well; resulting in integrated public spaces and a step up in social class. With many progressive movements happening right in their front yard, the sisters in Crimes of the Heart: Babe, Lenny, and Meg remained stuck in a patriarchy environment that lead to their individual downfall.
During the 1960’s, America was undergoing changes technologically and socially. During this time period the concept of feminism was brought back. During the early 1900’s, the first-wave of feminism occurred, where protests happened demanding the right for women to vote. This movement was successful, as white women gained the right to vote but nothing else was fixed. Women were still at a lower social standpoint then men at the time and nothing would change until the 1960’s.
Tensions were high between the U.S. and outside countries, but they weren't the only tensions America was experiencing. During the Sixties the Civil Rights movement was making big changes. Many people staged sit-ins and many strides were made to improve the environment and education of segregated students in school. The Freedom Rides took place to celebrate and embrace their new found freedom when riding on public buses. The Civil Rights Movement experienced a lot of pushback from Southerns and KKK members while traveling the country during the Freedom Rides.
The 1960s feminist movement raised awareness to the crimes such as sexual harassment, rape, and domestic violence. Feminists also helped refocus the fault on the attacker and not the victim. In several rape prosecutions during this time, the defense attorney would talk about the woman’s style of clothing and sexual history. This was indirectly implying that a provocatively dressed woman was to be partially blamed for being attacked. Women's legal civil services worked to change the rules of these a cases to help stop sexism.
Following the economically successful post-WWII period, the 1960s decade was characterized by the upheaval of American norms at the time. No longer would various groups of people conform to the legislation and social norms of the United States. The Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement best illustrated this resistance against the status quo. Although these movements were made up of similar people, their tactics were immensely different. The Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement provided a foundation for student activism on college campuses.