Chapter 23: An Era of Social Change
Section 1: Latinos and Native Americans Seek Equality
Cezar Chavez- Mexican farm worker who tried to organize a union for all California’s Spanish speaking farm workers
Latino Presence Grows
Latinos- large diverse group of Latin American decent including countries of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Central America, and South America (population grew from 3 mil to 9 mil in the 1960’s)
-Barrios- communities that started to form in Spanish speaking neighborhoods
-Cuban Communities started to grow in New York, Miami, an New Jersey to escape Castro’s rule in Cuba
Latinos Fight for Change
Latinos wanted an equal opportunity and formed the National Farm Workers Association led by Dolores Huerta which then joined with….
United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC)- a labor union formed in 1966 to seek higher wages and better working conditions for Mexican-American farm workers in California
-Chavez organized a boycott of California grapes as a bargaining tactics. Chavez went on a three week fast and believed in nonviolence loosing 35 pounds. In 1970 a deal was settled with the grape growers and the union workers finally got better wages and other benefits.
“brown power” similar to black power was among Latinos and they began to demand that schools offer Spanish speaking classes and other cultural classes.
Bilingual education Act of 1968- government provided funds to develop cultural heritage programs
Chicanos- “Mexicanos” young Mexican Americans used this to express their pride
Brown Berets- led by David Sanchez organized walkouts in schools and tried to develop programs to prevent Latino dropouts
Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) helped elect Los Angeles Edward Roybal to the House of Representatives. 1960’s 8 Hispanics served in the House and one senator Joe Montoya of New Mexico.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)helped desegregate schools and get Latinos the right to serve on juries
La Raza Unida (Mexican American’s United) established by Texan Jose Angel Gutierrez which helped in 1970 Latinos run for mayor in 5 states and get elected. Also Positions on School boards and City Council.
Native Americans Struggle for Equality
-Native Americans are seen as a single homogenous group unlike Latinos
-Native Americans were among the poorest and highest unemployment rates as well as having the highest rate of tuberculosis and alcoholism
-native Americans had twice as high death rate than other cultures
-1954 Eisenhower enacted the “termination policy” where the Native Americans were relocated from isolated reservations into mainstream urban population. The plan failed and Native Americans became poor and homeless in the cities.
1961- Native Americans (61) met in Chicago to draft Declaration of Indian Purpose “Choose their own way of life”
1968 LBJ established the National Council on Indian Opportunity to “ensure programs reflect the needs and desires of the Indian people.”
American Indian Movement (AIM)- militant Native Americans rights organization. 1968 were largely a self-defense group against police brutality and grew to protect NA rights.
1972- Russell Means AIM leader confronted the government and organized a march on DC called the “Trail of Broken Treaties.” Goal was to abolish Bureau of Indian Affairs (they believed it was corrupt) and restore 110 million acres of land back to the NA population.
In 1973 AIM led 200 Sioux to Wounded Knee in South Dakota, where US in 1890 had massacred the Sioux village; the Sioux took hostages and negotiated with FBI for the government to reexamine Native American treaty rights. Shoot Out resulted with 2 deaths.
1972 Indian education Act
1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act- Native Americans had more control in their children’s education
1970- Regained possession of BlueLake in New Mexico
Chapter 23: An Era of Social Change
Section 2; Women Fight for Equality
Betty Friedan- “The Feminine Mystique” women want more in life and this book is about the problem that has no name. Women were dissatisfied
A New Women’s Movement Arises
Feminism- belief that women should have economic, social, and political equality with men
1950- 1/3 women worked for wages. Many jobs were considered “men’s work”
Women’s jobs included: clerical work, domestic service, retail service, social work, teaching, and nursing. These jobs were all paid poorly
1961 Kennedy appointed the Presidential Commission on the Status of women which reported in 1963 women were paid far less than men even doing the same jobs. Even today women make 60 cents to the dollar of a man.
Women became involved in civil rights and antiwar movements although they were assigned lesser roles and men brushed them aside.
Women then formed their own discussion groups to talk about problems of sexism and discrimination. “The Feminine Mystique” and the women’s liberation movement evolved.
The Movement Experiences Gains and Losses
National Organization for Women (NOW)- an organization founded in 1966 to pursue feminist goals, such as better childcare facilities, improved educational opportunities, and an end to job discrimination.
Women felt that the Civil Rights act and Equal Employment Opportunities Committee did not address women’s grievances
NOW had 175,000 members by 1969 and was growing rapidly
Gloria Steinem- political advocate for women and a journalist who coined Ms. So women could have a status that was not based on marriage. MS also became a magazine and a voice for women.
-Girls exclusion from sports became a question
-women refusing to adopt their husbands last name
- Ms over Miss or Mrs
-1972 government banned gender discrimination in education as a part of the Higher Education Act. Many all male colleges opened the door to women
- 1972 government gave a tax break to women for childcare
Roe v. Wade- NOW supported women’s right to have an abortion and the Supreme Court case stated women were allowed to have an abortion in the first trimester (1st 3 months). After this case many thought it would solve the issues but it still divides American today
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)- 1972 a proposed and failed amendment to the US constitution that would have prohibited any government discrimination on the basis of sex.
Many women opposed the amendment and launched a Stop-ERA. Phyllis Schafly- conservative felt that ERA would “lead to a parade of horribles” drafting women, ending laws protecting homemakers, end the husband providing for the family, and promote same sex marriages. Schafly felt that feminist hated Men, Marriage, and Children.
New Right- Pro-family movement and pro-abortion coalition who focused on social cultural and moral problems strongly against the women’s movement
The Movement’s Legacy
The New Right clashed with the women’s movement over ERA. In 1977 ERA won approval in 35 states but needed 38 and went down in defeat. The women’s movement made an impact on society and lasting impressions today.
Chapter 23: An Era of Social Change
Section 3: Culture and Counterculture
Counterculture- a movement made up of mostly white, middle class college youths who had grown disillusioned with the war in Vietnam and injustices in American during the 1960’s. Rather than challenging the system they turned their backs on traditional American and established a whole new society of Peace and Love.
The Counterculture
Hippies- shared beliefs in the new left movement but specifically felt that American society and its materialism, technology, and war –had grown hollow. Influenced by the Beat movement they formed a philosophy “Tune in, tune on, drop out”
Hippie culture- The hippie era aka the Age of Aquarius marked by:
- Rock’n’roll music
- Outrageous clothing (ragged jeans, tie-dyed shirts, military garments, love beads, and Native American ornaments.
- Long hair (many conservatives felt it was disrespectful and would have signs that said “make American beautiful give a hippie a haircut
- Sexual license
- Illegal drugs (marijuana, LSD/Acid a new hallucinogenic)
Haight-Ashbury- Hippie capital in San Francisco
The movement only lasted a few years because their peace and love gave way to violence. The philosophy of “do your own thing” did not provide enough guidance on how to live.
By 1970 many had fallen victim to drug addiction and mental breakdowns. Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix both died of drug overdose.
By 1970 thousands of hippies lined up at government offices to collect welfare and food stamps.
A Changing Culture
Art- popular art led by Andy Warhol was attempted to bring into the mainstream. Pop Art was famous for bright silk-screen portraits of soup cans, Marilyn Monroe, and other icons of mass culture. “Cookie cutter” lifestyle.
Rock Music- Rock’n’roll was the countercultures anthem of protest. The movement was offset by African American rhythm and blues music.
Beatles- band that more than any other propelled rock music into the mainstream. British band made up of four youths from working class Liverpool, England arrived in American in 1964. Although the Beatles had inspired countless numbers of other youths and other bands they broke up in 1970.
Woodstock- A music and art fair in 1969 on a farm in upstate New York which represented “the 60s movement of peace and love and some higher cultural cause. For three days the most popular bands and musicians preformed, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Joan Baez, The Greatful Dead, Jefferson Airplane. Although it was one of the biggest festivals even today it was not the greatest experiment because of the rain, over crowdedness (400,000 people) and drugs.
Sexual behavior became more casual and permissive leading to the sexual revolution. Magazines, books, and TV started to address subjects that had once been prohibited particularly sexual behavior
-Although many hailed to the permissiveness other felt it was a decline and moral decay
The Conservative Response
At the 1968 Republican convention Richard Nixon expressed his anger and that American society was plummeting and anarchy rising. This growing conservative movement would propel Nixon into the white House and set the nation to a more conservative course.