Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s, two groups of people tried to create a change in order to better their future, transforming American society along the way. Both the Women’s Rights movement and the Civil Rights movement began to gain momentum in 1848 and 1954, respectively. In 1848, women began to make their mark in American history when the first woman’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls. There, the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted, and signed by 100 men and women. This declaration necessitated equal rights, as well as voting rights for women. As females throughout the country continued to fight for equality, the Civil Rights Movement began its very own upheaval. African Americans had begun their struggle against inequality and segregation. Both Women and African Americans tried to regain the control over their lives, trying to fight the oppression that was placed upon them by the white man. Women forced their way into the workplace, breaking out of their usual “stay-at-home mom” role, and they also began to take control of their own bodies. African Americans forced people to recognize their struggle for equality, which lead to legislative action being passed in their favors. The endeavor of both the Women’s Rights Movement and Civil Rights Movement transformed American society during the 1960’s and the 1970’s.
The Women’s Movement had a great impact on American society during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Before the start of the movement, the role of the woman was very limited. They were expected to commit all of their time to their marriage, children, and home. In 1960, many women had begun their very own careers, even though they were limited to jobs such as teachers, nurses, or secretaries. [1] The second wave of feminism is said to have been ignited by the publishing of Betty Friedman’s book, The Feminine Mystique. Friedman’s book helped capture the sense of frustration and unfulfillment felt by women who longed to find a stable workplace outside of the home. Most women were unsatisfied being employed as a domiciliary worker, and felt ashamed to admit it. As Friedman puts it, ¨What kind of woman was she if she did not feel this mysterious fulfillment waxing the kitchen floor? She was so ashamed to express her dissatisfaction that she never knew how many other women shared it…For over fifteen years, women in America found it harder to talk about this problem than about sex.¨ [7] What women believed to be a feeling of discontent that only they felt personally, turned out to be a feeling of unhappiness among all women throughout the country. This idea is further supported by the following statement, “The atmosphere was claustrophobic for any girl with ambition or spirit of competition, which was viewed as grossly unfeminine.” [8] Again, women were discouraged when they had an ambitious mindset. They were characterized as unfeminine, with the possibility of them being labelled as undesirable, or a not a good fit to be a wife. In the 1960’s, the role of the women was beginning to change the cultural roots of American society, one of the biggest changes being in the workforce. [2] Women were no longer limited to working as teachers, nurses, or secretaries. They were working more ‘manly’ jobs, such as managers, officers, technicians and even in the military. For example, in 1976, the first females were admitted into service academies, such as West Point, to be trained in military science. This opened the pathway for women to serve on non-combat ships as technicians and officers. Furthermore, with the increase of working women, the rate of childbirth decreased. In 1960, Margaret Sanger and Katherine McCormick created the first oral contraceptive approved by the FDA. (PBS) Margaret Sanger “believed in a woman’s right to sexual gratification…” [9] The pill and this way of thinking sparked another wave of feminism. For the first time, women were taking control of their bodies and they weren’t afraid to explicitly state it. Almost a decade after the release of the pill, it was under attack over it’s unknown health risks. In the 1970’s, a series of Senate hearings called for the lowering of hormonal dosage in the pill. (PBS) Of course, the panel was made up completely of men, who had never taken the pill. This attack on women’s number one source of sexual liberation outraged many. Feminists believed that these hearings were an attempt for the patriarchy to regain control over them. Protests broke out, and women argued that they were the ones taking the pill, not men or the company that makes them. Eventually, the composition of the birth control pill was changed but it was still legal. The Women’s Movement for birth control hit the biggest milestone of the 1960’s and 1970’s movement on March 22, 1972, with the Baird v. Eisenstadt case. In a 6-1 majority, the Supreme Court decided that unmarried people should have the same basis of right to have access of contraception as married couples do. [3] After dealing with so many years of oppression, women altered American society by forcing themselves into the workplace, as well as taking control over their own bodies.
The Civil Rights Movement also greatly impacted American society during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Resulting events from the African American struggle for equality profoundly affected a myriad of white Americans. The media was constantly showing the riots, the beating, and the murders throughout all of their available platforms. One of the main ways African Americans would protest inequality by civil disobedience, and filling up state jails. If the jails were filled up, then people could continue their protests. One of the most famous letters written from a jail was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s, Letter from Birmingham Jail. In his letter, Dr. King used logic and emotion to support his and his follower’s perspective on segregation. He states, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to dramatize the issue so it can no longer be ignored.” [10] Here, Dr. King explains that since the white community chose to ignore the obvious issue of segregation, and the only nonviolent option left for the African American community was to protest. Protesting forced the Caucasian community to realize the harm being done, since they had refuse to treat them as equals. For instance, in a letter written from a father to a son, it is stated, “You must realize that the sacrifice you are making in having your dad away and the sacrifices of the thousands of the black and white men are forcing the dream of freedom forward.” [11] Once again, the dream of achieving freedom for African Americans had to be forced and didn’t come without any sacrifices. The change seen here is that now, both black and white Americans had joined forces to create a change and freedom for those who couldn’t grasp it due to racism. Furthermore, in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws discrimination based on race, religion, and sex, as well as limited the use of literacy tests for voters. [4] A year later, on March 7th, the Civil Rights movement took a violent turn. Six hundred peaceful protesters were beaten and tear-gassed by police officers when they tried to push past them and get onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This march from Selma to Montgomery was to protest the death of a black civil rights activist by a white police officer. Protesters hoped that this march was going to encourage the enforcement of the fifteenth amendment. This day became known as “Bloody Sunday”, and although some activists wanted to respond with violence, Dr. King further preached that nonviolent protests were the right way to get something done. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was one of many legislative acts passed, but even with the passing of these laws, the Civil Rights Movement had new issues to confront, especially with housing. For example, lines that divided neighborhoods were very difficult to get rid of. This was known as redlining. Redlining took place in the 1960’s and 70’s when government officials would break up neighborhoods into what they considered safe, those who were considered hazardous, due to the fact that African Americans and minorities lived in the area, were redlined. Once an area was redlined, whites fled left by the thousands. [12] This affected all areas of life, as property taxes were not as high for low-income minorities as it was for the white people. Schools often lacked the needed supplies as they were underfunded by unequal property tax. This left those students at a disadvantage since the American economy now needed highly educated people to run companies and businesses, furthering the ever-growing wage gap. [5] In order to minimize the spread of redlining, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board was forced to adopt fair lending regulations. This made it illegal for banks to refuse the granting of a loan to a person due to the location of the person’s house, their age, or any other form of discrimination. Anyone who fails to receive the loan they asked for, has the right to have their application reviewed by the superintendent of the bank. [6] This system guarantees that there would be no discrimination when someone wanted to get a loan to better their lifestyle. It was an attempt to break out of a endless cycle of discrimination and limitation of rights. During their long and hard struggle for equality, African Americans altered American society by forcing the recognition of their fight against inequality by the means of civil disobedience and protests, as well as the passage of legislative reforms which helped minimize the gap of rights between black and white Americans.
Both the Women’s Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Movement helped change American society in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Both groups underwent large amounts of criticisms while trying to gain equal rights. Women had to break out of the norm, and force themselves into the workplace, as well as finally taking control of their own bodies. Black Americans had to force people to pay attention their issue of racism and segregation by protesting and using civil disobedience. Eventually, both groups integrated themselves into American society. After long, hard battles against oppression, women and African Americans got small victories here and there, but they created an impact on American society that opened the path to future change for all.