Social Reform Movements in the 1960s and 1970s[1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Objective: 

 

• This activity requires that you understand the demands of three social reform movements in the 1960s and 1970s: The Civil Rights Movement, Second Wave Feminism, and La Causa.  By so doing you will discover (1) what these three movements had in common and (2) how they differed from one another.
• This activity will be the basis for an online threaded discussion as well as an exam essay.

 

Timing & Assessment: 
 

• Due December 8. No exceptions
• Up to 30 points

 

Overview: The 1960s and 1970s mark a time in American history filled with diverse social reform movements.  Prompting these social reform movements were groups of peoples that had been marginalized or excluded from full equality in American society. 

 

Initiating these reform movements was the Civil Rights Movement in the southern states. Led, in large part, by Martin Luther King, this movement demanded an end to segregation, intimidation, and laws that were designed to keep African Americans “in their place.” This movement began in the communities and towns where its African American residents decided that it was time for a new beginning. Most often the Supreme Court ruling on Brown v. the Board of Education (1954) is considered the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.  In the mid-1950s, Martin Luther King emerged as the leader of this movement because he had the vision and charisma to make the movement powerful through its tactics of non-violent confrontation and organized boycotts.  By so doing, he made the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans a moral, as well as a social and political, cause.

 

Following the lead of civil rights activists were the women who initiated the modern women’s movement. (This movement became known as Second Wave Feminism by 1968). Various constituencies joined forces to make clear that women, who comprised 53% of the population, no longer would be pushed aside by a male-dominated political, economic and social power structure.  They, like the African American civil rights activists, wanted full equality in all aspects of their lives. By 1966, women united to found the National Organization for Women (NOW).  Betty Friedan, who had been instrumental in defining the grievances of women, was elected NOW’s first president.  Her vision and leadership for the next four years secured the success of NOW and made Second Wave Feminism a visible reality in American politics and society.

 

Simultaneous to the demands for change by African American and feminist activists were the demands of Hispanic workers from Mexico, those individuals that populate the vast agricultural fields of the southwestern states. The reality of oppression for seasonal Mexican-American field workers has a long history. Since first migrating to California in the 1920s, they have been subjected to substandard wages and housing. At various junctures Mexican Americans had tried organizing into labor unions so they could present a united protest against their employers; their efforts failed.  But in the 1960s, things changed:  In the San Joaquin Valley, migrant workers had discovered a leader: Cesar Chavez -- founder of the United Farm Workers, architect of the Plan of Delano and the energizing force behind La Causa.  He, like King and Friedan, used his qualities as a leader to make visible the plight of farm workers, thereby, making their cause visible, moral, and essential to change.

 

Activity:  You are required to read the key statement of demands for each of these social reform movements.  These are:

• “I Have a Dream,” Martin Luther King, August 1963  
• NOW’s “Statement of Purpose,” Betty Friedan, October 1966
• “Plan of Delano,” Cesar Chavez 1968

 

Requirements for Written Analysis:

 

Part One (15 pts.): Answer the questions below.  Be specific in your answers for each of the activists; use specific examples from their respective statements.

 

1. The writer (King, Friedan, or Chavez) identifies a group who is oppressed by existing laws and practices in American society, politics and economics.  Who makes up this oppressed group?  Why is this group oppressed?
   
2. Specifically, what is the “central message” in the statement?  Does this statement have a direct connection to America’s belief in equality and liberty for all human beings?  If so, what is a precise example from the text?
   
3. Provide two to three specific examples of specific actions that need to be taken to end oppression and assure equality and equity in American society.

 

Part Two (15 pts):  Select the activist (King, Friedan, Chavez) that has the greatest relevance to you in today's society.  Write a reflection telling how and why this activist is most relevant to you; include some observations about the positive actions that happened because of this person and about your view of the  problems left unsolved.