feminism
and immigration
*the counterculture of the 1960s challenged women’s role in
society, whereas the birth control pill allowed women to
avoid or delay pregnancy making it easier for those who
wished to delay marriage or those who wished to stay at work
to do so longer.
*the social role of women also changed because the feminist
movement, which had lost focus for some time after the xix
amendment gave women the right to vote, began to reorganise
and become more active in the early 1960s.
*one of the most influential members of the new feminist
movement was betty friedan, who wrote the feminist mystique
in 1963, suggesting that a woman’s traditional role as wife
and mother was unsatisfying, that as a woman ‘lay beside her
husband at night—she was afraid to even ask herself the
silent question—“is this all?”’
*friedan later helped found the national organization of
women (now). they wanted to end stereotypical
presentations of women on tv and in movies, wanted women to
have full access to birth control and even abortion (then
illegal in most places), wanted equal rights in the
workplace and education, and ultimately wanted to amend the
constitution with the equal rights amendment (era).
*some feminists thought now was not moving fast
enough. gloria steinem, a feminist reporter, got a job
at a playboy club and reported on how the bunnies were
treated badly. she later founded ms. magazine to
promote feminist ideas--even the title of the magazine was a
feminist statement, using a title that did not refer to a
woman’s marital status.
*some people were opposed to these changes, even some
women. the most famous of these was phyllis schlafly
who mounted a nation-wide campaign against the equal rights
amendment, which she said would take legal protections away
from women, and even make women eligible for the draft--a
powerful argument during the vietnam war.
*despite some opposition to women’s rights and the failure
of the equal rights amendment, feminists did get much of
what they wanted. title vii of the civil rights act of
1964 outlawed many types of discrimination based on sex, and
title ix of the higher education act of 1972 banned
discrimination in education based on sex.
*in 1973, the supreme court ruled in the case of roe v. wade
that having an abortion was a private matter between a woman
and her doctor and that that right to privacy was protected
by the constitution. after that, abortion was legal
across the united states.
*by 2000, over 60% of women worked outside the home (up from
30% in 1950). in 1981, sandra day o’connor was named
to the supreme court, the first woman to serve in that
capacity.
*other groups began to insist on the equal rights ostensibly
guaranteed by law.
*one group who wanted better treatment were latino, or
hispanic, americans. many hispanic people had come to
america in the early and mid-1900s to find work. some
came illegally, while others came as part of the bracero
program, which allowed farm workers to come to america
temporarily (although some stayed longer than their permits
allowed).
*many hispanics were deported in the 1950s, but in 1965, the
immigration and nationality act made it much easier for
latin americans to come to america legally, and the
percentage of americans of latino background grew from 4.5%
in 1970 to 16.3% in 2010, making them the largest minority
group in the united states.
*many of these people came from mexico, looking for work in
the southwest, but puerto ricans came to cities on the east
coast and cubans fleeing community cuba went to florida.
*in 1962, cesar chavez organised a mainly hispanic
farmworkers’ union in california, which he later merged with
a filipino union to form the united farm workers. they
led a series of successful strikes and boycotts in
california, eventually winning the right for farm workers to
negotiate with farm owners for better pay and treatment.
*other mexican americans, some of whom called their work the
chicano movement, began to celebrate their mexican heritage
and to focus on winning political power. by 1980,
there were six hispanic members of congress.
*american indians formed the american indian movement (aim)
in 1968 to demand more rights for their people. they
occupied alcatraz island in san francisco (although the
prison was already closed by then). they held on to
the island from late 1969 until mid-1971, despite efforts by
the coast guard to force them off.
*in 1973, aim took over the indian village of wounded
knee--the site of the last battle between american indians
and the us army--and insisted the government investigate
problems on the reservation. when government agents
arrived to force them to leave, 2 aim members were
killed. nonetheless, aim controlled the village from
february to may, and the government eventually agreed to
re-examine the rights granted by the typically one-sided
treaties that governed the relationship between the united
states and american indians.
*despite this, american indians (as a group) remain poor and
dependent on the government (aside from those that control
casinos or natural resources on their reservations).
*japanese-americans also began to demand apologies and
compensation for the property they lost when they were
interned during world war ii. this was eventually
granted, but not until the 1980s.