1. Gender and Ethnicity in the 1960s – 1970’s
Counter-Culture
Gender and Ethnicity in the 1960s – 1970’s
A Time of Social Change

2. Culture and Counterculture
The Main Idea
The counterculture that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s left a lasting impact on American life.
Reading Focus
What led to the rise of the counterculture?
What was life like in the counterculture?
How did mainstream American society react to the counterculture?
What legacy did the counterculture leave behind?

3. The Rise of the Counterculture
The counterculture of the 1960s was a rebellion of teens and young adults against mainstream American society.
Young Americans believed that society’s values were hollow and its priorities were misplaced.
They called the mainstream the Establishment.
They wanted to create an alternative culture based on peace and love.
Beliefs
Anti- Draft
Pro- Civil Rights
Anti- Traditional values (family, complacency)
Rebelled with sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll
Opposed authority (Anti- Establishment)

4. Where did the counterculture come from?
The number of teens and young adults in the United States rose dramatically in the 1960s.
These young people were living in turbulent times: threat of nuclear war, racial discrimination and segregation, the Vietnam War, and environmental pollution.
Rebellion against the dominant culture was not new. The Beat generation of the 1950s questioned traditional values, challenged authority, and experimented with non-conformist lifestyles.

5. Rising Student Activism
Students on college campuses began rebelling against school policies they considered restrictive, unjust, or not relevant.
At the University of California at Berkeley students protested when school officials banned speech making and political organizing at the entrances to the campus.
The events at Berkeley marked the beginning of the Free Speech Movement, which swept campuses across the nation.
The students used the tactics of civil disobedience to protest injustices.
Mainstream Americans were shocked as they expected young people not to question authority.

6. Life in the counterculture
Thousands of teens and young adults left school, jobs, and traditional home life.
Rejected materialism and the work ethic of the older generation
Hippie Culture
Sought new experiences
Eastern religions, astrology, the occult, and illegal drugs
Casual and colorful clothes
Men began wearing longer hair, beards, or Afros.
Flower children
Decline
Height of hippie movement was summer of 1967 (Summer of Love)
Freedoms often led to problems with addiction
No means of supporting themselves
Lack of rules led to homelessness or death

7. Legacy of the Counterculture
Attitudes
Americans became more casual in the way they dressed and more open-minded about lifestyles and social behavior.
Attitudes about sexual behavior loosened.
People explored topics that were once taboo.
Art and Film
New style called pop art emerged.
Aimed to appeal to popular tastes
Andy Warhol led the movement.
Film broadened its subject matter as censorship rules relaxed.
Film industry adopted a rating system.
Music
The Beatles brought new techniques and ideas to rock and roll.
Bob Dylan wrote political songs and became the spokesperson for his generation.
Woodstock Music and Art Fair was the celebration of an era.
(beatles revolution)

8. Mainstream Reactions to the Counterculture
Some observers of the counterculture were put off by the unkempt appearance of hippies.
On a deeper level, many mainstream Americans objected to the unconventional values of the counterculture.
They saw hippies as disrespectful, uncivilized, and threatening.
To many in the Establishment, it appeared that society was unraveling.
The television show All in the Family highlighted the older generation’s distrust of the counterculture and the younger generation’s desire to change society.
(All in the Family)

10. The Women’s Liberation Movement
The movement for women’s rights had many different names: the women’s liberation movement, the feminist movement, and the equal rights movement.
Core belief of the women’s liberation movement was feminism—the conviction that women and men should be socially, politically, and economically equal.
Feminists cheered the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination in employment.
Still, fighting gender-based discrimination was given low priority.

11. Proposed Equal Rights Amendment
3 years after women won the right to vote, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was introduced in Congress by Sen. Curtis and Rep. Anthony.
It was authored by Alice Paul, head of the National Women's Party, who led the suffrage campaign.
Echoing the efforts of Alice Paul, the Amendment was introduced into each session of Congress since 1923 to 1970.
Alice Paul

12. The Legislative Road to Title IX (1972)
As the women's rights movement gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s, Americans focused on inequities that inhibited the progress of females in education.
Gender bias moved into the public policy realm when Rep. Edith Green introduced a higher bill with provisions for gender equity.
President Nixon signed Title IX in June 1972.
The final regulations were published in July 1974.
President Gerald Ford signed the Title IX regulations in May
Rep. Edith Green

13. Phyllis Schlafly Founder of the Eagle Forum
- “pro-family”
- Antifeminist
Launched “Stop ERA” movement
Very popular in conservative regions
“What I am defending is the real rights of women. A woman should have the right to be in the home as a wife and mother.”

14. Phyllis Schlafly and the ERA
One item on the agenda of social conservatives in the 1970's was the defeat of the ERA.
Many felt that felt that "traditional family values" had been undermined by the women's movement.
Others were repelled by what they believed was intervention by the state into the private sphere.
The campaign to stop ratification was led by activist and self-described homemaker Phyllis Schlafly.
ERA died in 1982, just three votes short of passage.

15. Text of Proposed ERA
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3.  This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

16. Defeat of the ERA The statute passed by Congress in March 1972.
The amendment provided that ratifications must occur within 7 years. 
35 states out of the 38 needed ratified by 1978. 
Congress extended the deadline to June 1982.
The amendment failed to achieve the necessary 38 ratifications.

18. Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW)
Executive Order 10980
Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW)
Eleanor Roosevelt, Chair
Research and report on status of women
Two-year deadline

19. The Status of Women 1963 Report
Women discriminated against in workplace
Women need paid maternity leave
"one of the most pervasive limitations is the social climate in which women choose what they prepare themselves to do."
However, re-affirmed traditional role of woman as wife and mother in combating communism

20. I Am Woman Helen Reddy (1971)

21. The Feminine Mystique Written by Betty Friedan
Put the lie to the “Happy Housewife” of the 1950s
Book initiated the “second wave of feminism”
Co-founder and first president of NOW
"The problem that has no name — which is simply the fact that American women are kept from growing to their full human capacities — is taking a far greater toll on the physical and mental health of our country than any known disease."
(interview)

22. Worked as Playboy Bunny to research how women were treated
Gloria Steinem
Journalist
Worked as Playboy Bunny to research how women were treated
Feminist spokesperson
Founded “Ms.” Magazine

23. Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential Candidacy (1973)
After successfully being elected to Congress, Shirley Chisholm’s next political move was a run at the presidency.
From the beginning Chisholm knew her chances were slim, but to the surprise of other candidates and the American public, her campaign was more successful and inspirational than ever thought possible.

24. Geraldine Ferraro: Vice-Presidential Candidate (1984)
A teacher and then attorney, Ferraro became a Congressional Representative of New York in 1978.
She was a women's and human rights advocate, working for passage of the ERA, sponsoring the Women's Economic Equity Act, and seeking job training for displaced homemakers.
In 1984, Ferraro ran for Vice President with former Vice President Walter Mondale.
The ticket lost, but Ferraro's candidacy reshaped the American political and social landscape.

25. The Women’s Liberation Movement
NOW
The National Organization for Women (NOW)
“True equality for all women”
Full and equal partnership of the sexes”
Fought gender discrimination in the workplace, schools, and the justice system
Lobbied government, filed lawsuits, staged rallies and marches
ERA
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Promised equal treatment for men and women in all spheres, not just employment
Some saw the ERA as a threat to family life
Phyllis Schlafly and other conservatives campaigned to defeat the ERA
Roe v. Wade
Supreme Court case that struck down state laws that banned abortion
Argued that such laws violated a constitutional right to privacy.
Sparked a debate that continues to this day.
Pro-Life v. Pro-Choice

26. Effects of the Women’s Movement
The number of women holding professional jobs increased.
More women moved into senior positions in the government.
More female politicians were elected to Congress.
The feminist movement slowed its pace in the late 1970s.
There was a perception that it only benefited wealthy white women.

27. Women in Politics

28. Women in Politics

30. Latinos Fight for Rights
The Main Idea
In the 1960s Latinos struggled to achieve social justice.
Reading Focus
What were the lives of Latinos like in the early 1960s?
What event launched Latinos’ struggle for social justice?
What were the main goals of the movements for Latino rights?

31. Latinos in the Early 1960s
More than 900,000 Latinos lived in the United States in A Latino is any person of Latin American descent.
One-third of Mexican American families lived below the poverty line and twice as many Mexican Americans as white Americans were unemployed.
Latinos faced discrimination in education.
Schools had less qualified teachers, fewer resources, and shabbier facilities.
Few teachers were able to speak Spanish.
In politics Latinos had far less power than the size of their population warranted.
Electoral district boundaries kept Latino votes scattered.
The number of Latinos in political office was very small.
Latinos were often excluded from serving on juries.

32. Latinos’ Struggle for Social Justice
Latinos sought social justice—the fair distribution of advantages and disadvantages in society.
Social
Justice
Migrant agricultural workers, many of whom were Latino, received low wages for backbreaking labor.
In 1965 Filipino farmworkers went on strike in Delano, California. The National Farm Workers Association soon joined them.
Delano
Grape
Strike
He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association—a union of Mexican American farmworkers.
His leadership inspired many Mexican Americans to fight discrimination in their lives.
César
Chávez

33. The Delano Grape Strike
In 1965 Filipino farmworkers went on strike and demanded a 15-cent increase in their hourly wage.
Dolores Huerta and César Chávez agreed to help.
Some 5,000 grape workers walked off their jobs.
The Delano Grape Strike lasted for five years.
Strikers picketed the fields.
Chávez led a 250-mile march to the state capital.
Huerta sent union activists around the nation to set up local boycott committees.
Union activists and sympathetic volunteers stood in front of grocery stores nationwide, urging Americans not to buy grapes.
The growers finally gave in and finally settled with the union.
The success of the strike made César Chávez a national figure.

34. The Movement for Latino Rights
Chicano Movement
A shortened form of mexicanos
Wanted to convey ethnic pride and commitment to political activism
Reies López Tijerina was an early Chicano leader who formed the Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Alliance of Land Grants).
Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, another leading figure in the Chicano movement, founded the Crusade for Justice.
A group of college students in Texas formed the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO).
José Angel Gutiérrez founded La Raza Unida Party (RUP).
Working-class Chicano students in Los Angeles formed the Brown Berets, one of the most militant organizations in the Chicano movement.

37. Movement for Latino Rights
Alianza
Reies López Tijerina
Focused on the enduring issue of land rights
Despite the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexican Americans had lost thousands of acres over the years.
Rio Arriba County courthouse
Crusade for Justice
Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales
Promoted Mexican American nationalism
Provided legal aid, a theater for cultural awareness, a Spanish newspaper, and other community services
Sponsored the National Chicano Liberation Youth Conference
MAYO
José Angel Gutiérrez
Wanted to achieve economic independence for Mexican Americans, gain local control over the education of Hispanic children, and a third political party
Organized school walkouts and mass demonstrations
Crystal City, Texas

38. Movement for Latino Rights
La Raza Unida
Gutiérrez formed RUP (“the united people”) political party
Campaigned for bilingual education, improved public services, education for children of migrant workers, and an end to job discrimination
RUP candidates were elected to offices in several Texas cities.
RUP expanded into Colorado and other parts of the Southwest.
Disagreements among RUP leaders caused the party to fall apart in the late 1970s.
Brown Berets
One of the most militant organizations in the Chicano movement
Began by protesting against police brutality in East Los Angeles
Fought for bilingual education, better school conditions, Chicano studies, and more Chicano teachers
Supported efforts of Chicanos to regain their historic lands, the National Farm Workers’ campaigns, and protested high number of Chicano deaths in Vietnam
Disbanded in 1972

39. Movement for Latino Rights
Boricua Movement
Name by which many Puerto Ricans refer to themselves
Expresses ethnic pride and support for political activism
Many Puerto Ricans migrated to the United States after World War II.
Immigrants experienced social and economic discrimination.
Movement’s goals shifted to self-government for Puerto Rico and better conditions for all Puerto Ricans.
Young Lords—a militant boricua organization
Taller Boricua—community arts organization
Cuban Americans
Many well-to-do Cubans fled Castro’s Communist government for the United States.
The majority of immigrants were professionals and business people.
Most Cuban Americans who organized for change were seeking changes for Cuba—the overthrow of Castro and communism.

40. Native Americans in the Early 1960s
Living Conditions
Did not share in the prosperity of the 1950s
Highest unemployment rates in the nation
Average income was less than half that of white American men
Suffered disproportionately from poor health
Termination Policy
Plan to draw Native Americans out of the isolated reservations and into mainstream society
Method used was to stop federal services to reservations and relocate Native Americans to cities
Policy was a disaster
A Movement
In 1961 a group of 700 Native Americans held a conference to oppose the termination policy.
Drafted the Declaration of Indian Purpose
Marked the beginning of the Red Power movement

41. Native Americans Fight for Fairness
President Johnson established the National Council on Indian Opportunity to get Native Americans more involved in setting policy regarding Indian affairs.
Real change, however, came from the efforts of Native American political activists.
During the period of Red Power activism, Native Americans made important legislative gains.
Congress passed laws that enhanced education, health care, voting rights, and religious freedom for Native Americans.

42. Native Americans Fight for Fairness
Occupation of Alcatraz
A group of Native Americans tried to reclaim Alcatraz Island.
Claimed that the Treaty of Fort Laramie gave them the right to use any surplus federal territory
The occupation lasted for 18 months, until federal marshals removed the group by force.
This incident drew public attention to the plight of Native Americans.
Partly as a result, New Mexico returned 48,000 acres of land to the Taos Pueblo in 1970.
AIM
The American Indian Movement was founded in Minnesota in 1968
Became the major force behind the Red Power movement
Called for a renewal of traditional cultures, economic independence, and better education for Indian children
Russell Means—one of AIM’s best-best known leaders
AIM sometimes used forceful tactics
the Trail of Broken Treaties
Occupation of Wounded Knee

43. Other Organizations in the Fight for Fairness
National Indian Education Association—fought to improve access to education
Native American Rights Fund—provided legal services
Council on Energy Resource Tribes—helped its member nations gain control over their natural resources and choose whether to protect or develop them
These groups and others worked to protect Native Americans’ rights, improve standards of living, and do it all in a manner consistent with Native Americans’ cultures and traditions.

44. Accessing the Progress of the Fight for Fairness
Congress passed a number of laws in the 1970s to enhance education, health care, voting rights, and religious freedom for Native Americans.
The Red Power movement instilled greater pride in Native Americans and generated wider appreciation of Native American culture.
Despite these accomplishments, Native Americans continued to face many problems.
Unemployment remained high and the high school dropout rate among Native Americans was the highest in the nation.