Movements And Ideologies

The Women’s Movement Dates back to the Seneca Falls Convention in 1842… And its first wave culminated with the 19th Amendment in 1920. Inspired by the civil rights movement, it was reborn in the 1960’s… And led by Betty Friedan “The Feminine Mystique”… Who argued that women deserved more opportunities than becoming housewives.

NOW The National Organization for Women—established by Friedan… With the goal of “true equality” for women. Its first targets were discrimination in schools and universities… And in the workplace. NOW is a very militant organization… Members often spell “women”, “womyn”… And men are usually not allowed to attend meetings.

The Legal Goals of NOW To pass the Equal Rights Amendment… Which would guarantee gender equality under the Constitution… Critics worried that it would create unisex restrooms, and cause organizations like the Boy Scouts to allow entry to females… It was never ratified. To guarantee the right to abortion… Which was granted by the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

Cesar Chavez and the Latino Movement Also influenced by the civil rights movement, Latino groups began fighting for equal rights in the 1960’s. The most influential activist was Cesar Chavez— Who founded United Farm Workers… A union for migrant farm workers… Who, traveling from farm to farm, worked long hours for few benefits. Because of Chavez, the lives of migrant workers gradually improved.

The Environmental Movement By the 1960’s, the effects of industrialization were apparent in American cities… Toxic chemicals and sewage were routinely pumped, untreated, into rivers around the country. In 1969, the Cuyohoga River in Cleveland caught on fire… An event that horrified the American public. Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” described the impact that chemicals were having on birds and other animals… Causing the pesticide DDT to be banned by Congress… And leading to the first Earth Day, in 1970.

Nixon and Environmentalism Under Nixon, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created… To limit pollutants and to clean and protect the air, water and wildlife in the United States. The Clean Air Act (1970)—limited emissions from factories and cars… The Clean Water Act (1973)—monitors the health of our rivers, streams and lakes… The Endangered Species Act (1973)—protects endangered plants and animals.

Liberals and Conservatives Democrats are labeled as “liberals”— Liberals believe in ECONOMIC CONTROL and SOCIAL FREEDOM. Businesses should be strictly regulated—for wages, pollution and safety standards… Taxes rates should be higher; tax revenues should go to education, healthcare and social/welfare services. Personal freedoms should be protected, drug laws reformed, church and state kept separate, gay rights upheld, abortion kept legal. Roosevelt’s New Deal firmly established the dominance of the liberals in the United States.

The Conservative Movement Beginning in the early 1960’s, a conservative movement—led by Barry Goldwater—began to emerge. The movement was partly in reaction to the threat posed by communism… And was also a disgusted reaction to the drug-taking, sexually-experimental youth culture. Although Goldwater lost the 1964 presidential election to liberal Democrat Lyndon Johnson… Goldwater’s ideas were taken up by a new generation of politicians… Most notably, Richard Nixon and Ronald Regan.

Conservative Beliefs Republicans tend to be labeled as CONSERVATIVE… Conservatives believe that the government taxes citizens and businesses too heavily… And spends too much money on federal programs like Medicare and Social Security… They believe that the national debt--$15 trillion—is a threat to the continued existence of the United States… They believe that welfare rewards laziness and punishes hard work… And that federal assistance for unmarried women encourages IRRESPONSIBLE behavior.

Religious Conservatism Conservatives also usually have strong religious beliefs… And the conservative movement continues to fight for the overturning of Roe v. Wade… For the return of prayer to public schools… They strongly support capital punishment… And are strongly against gay rights.

The War on Drugs Finally, conservatives tend to be supportive of continuing the Drug War… Which is described as a government effort to completely eliminate illegal drug use in the United States. The war was announced by Richard Nixon… He created the “Drug Enforcement Agency” to conduct the “war”. For the first time, money shifted from treatment to prosecution and incarceration. It initially involved stiff new penalties for marijuana possession… And as the “crack epidemic” stuck during the 1980’s… “Mandatory Minimums”—minimum prison sentences for the possession of small amounts of drugs. The US currently has 700,000 people behind bars for drug violations… And has spent $500 billion since 1980.

US Prison Statistics The US has 2.2 million prisoners—1 in 138 people—the most in the world… China is second with 1.5 million, but has four times the population of the United States. 1/3 of the US prisoners are non-violent drug offenders with little or no criminal history. The majority of those are for marijuana offenses. States spend approximately $22,000 per inmate annually and approximately $9,000 per student. Prison industry revenues exceeded $40 billion in 2006. Between 2002 and 2004, private prison companies contributed $3.3 million dollars to various politicians.