Reshaping American Society Civil Rights to 1990s

Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision that segregated schools are unequal and must desegregate Key people: Thurgood Marshall – NAACP Legal Defense Team and Oliver Hill – NAACP Legal Defense Team in Virginia

Virginia Response Massive Resistance – closing some schools Establishment of private academies White flight from urban school systems

1963 March on Washington Participants were inspired by the “I have a dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. The march helped influence public opinion to support civil rights legislations The march demonstrated the power of non-violent, mass protest. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. The day after giving his “I have been to the mountain top” speech.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The act prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender. It also desegregated public accommodations. President Lyndon B. Johnson played an important role in the passage of the act.

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The act outlawed literacy tests. Federal registrars were sent to the South to register voters. The act resulted in an increase in African American voters. President Lyndon B. Johnson played an important role in the passage of the act. NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of colored People It challenged segregation in the courts.

Civil Rights With the death of John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Civil Rights Movement was championed by Johnson. Lyndon B. Johnson was the president who did the most to help move civil rights legislation forward and bring equality to all in America

Contemporary America Increased participation of women in the labor force An increasingly large percentage of America’s labor force Many working mothers Women in nontraditional jobs

Nontraditional jobs Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court Sally Ride was the first female astronaut in the United States

Issues of working women Need for affordable day care Equitable pay “Pink collar” ghetto (low prestige, low paying jobs) “Glass ceiling” (perception that career advancement for women is not equal to men)

Immigration Issues New and increasing immigration to the United States has been taking place from many diverse countries, especially Asian and Latin American countries. Reasons for immigration Political freedom Economic opportunity

Effects of Immigration Bilingual education/English as a Second Language (ESL) courses Effects on public policy (Cuban Americans and policy toward Cuba) Politics/voting Contributions of immigrants Popularity of ethnic food (salsa as opposed to ketchup), music and the arts Role in labor force

Technology In the early 1960s, President John Kennedy pledged increased support for the American space program. The race to the moon continued through the 1960s. U.S. astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth. In 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to step onto the moon’s surface. He proclaimed, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Technology Technological advances Cable TV/24-hour news (CNN) Personal computers (PC) Cellular phones World Wide Web

Changes in work/school/health care Telecommuting – working from home Distance learning – using computer to earn degrees Growth in white collar careers Breakthroughs in medical research, including the development of the vaccine for polio by Dr. Jonas Salk

1990s and Beyond Many places today are known to violate human rights. That is what the world thought was going on in Kosovo by Yugoslavians and Serbians. In 1999 NATO forces started bombing missions to get the Yugoslavians and Serbians to allow the return of the refugees and allow peacekeeping forces to take over. NATO intervened because they thought hundreds of thousands had been killed, later they would find out it had been thousands.

1990s and Beyond In September of 2001 the twin towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists who had come to this country on visas but then over stayed and were here illegally. This attack started a war that is still ongoing. In order to “help” our government make us safer, President Bush’s administration came up with what they called the Patriot Act, which allows for surveillance of possible terrorist through tapping into their computers and cell phones without getting a search warrant.

Patriot Act To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes.

1990s and Beyond That is still going on today, only it has been extended to include all US citizens without having to show they are tied to terrorists or their organizations. They get by doing this by saying that they get the OK from judges, but these judges are secret and all information is secret. 97% of the asked for surveillance has been granted.

1990s and Beyond In this way, our freedoms have been compromised and continue to be. During this time period the economy has fallen due to industry leaving the country to go to other countries where they can get workers cheaper and do not have to pay the taxes that are required here. The Federal Reserve has lowered the interest rates in order to stimulate the economy.

1990s and Beyond Immigration in this country has come to the forefront due to the millions of people who have come to this country illegally or who have come here legally and then overstayed their visas as the terrorists did. Most immigrants today come from Asia and Latin America. The immigration system in this country needs to be addressed, but not the way that this current administration is doing so (in my opinion).