Human Rights, Civil Rights and Social movements in the post-WWII period 1950-2000

1. Human Rights, Civil Rights and Social movements in the post-WWII period1950-2000 Ms. Whitfield CHC2D1

2. The establishment of the United Nations, 1945 • Goals: to provide a way for countries to work together to end hunger and disease, to improve people’s lives and create a world without war. • The idea for the UN- “The Atlantic Charter” came from a discussion between Roosevelt and Churchill in 1941 on a British battleship, involving a plan for international cooperation that would end the war.

4. 6 months later, 26 allied nations signed a declaration wherein they agreed: • not to break ranks to negotiate peace with the axis powers. • not to increase their territory at the expense of the enemy • A different approach than the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 • The declaration helped the allies to win the war

6. June 1945 50 nations send delegates to San Francisco to create the United Nations (they represented 80% of the world’s population) They all wanted a more just and peaceful world

7. 4 Goals of the UN Save succeeding generations from the scourge of war that has brought untold sorrow to mankind. Reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, ... In the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. Establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained. Promote social progress and better standards of life.

8. Canada and the UN in the 1950s Played the role of the quiet diplomat and respected mediator of disputes Lester B. Pearson was elected President of the UN General Assembly and helped to bring an end to the Korean War Canada helped to found the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948-an organization which helped to eradicate small pox. 1945-Conference in Quebec hosted by Pearson proposed the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

9. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1968 Written by Canadian law professor John Peters Humphrey with the support of Rene Cassin who made minor changes. At the outset Humphreys took no credit saying “it is the author’s anonymity that gave the document its greatest prestige and dignity.”

10. Humphreys set up the UN Division of Human rights in 1946, conducted research and brought together a team to give recommendations to the Commission of Human Rights. December 10th, 1949 the General Assembly adopted the document. The UN has been a model for many human rights documents including “Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms”

13. Factors affecting social and economic change The ideal family of the 1950s as depicted on television was a white-father breadwinner, a white mother—a house wife, with 2 or more children Many families didn’t meet this criteria including: single-mothers who had to work outside of the home, those who couldn’t afford clothing or gadgets of the more dominant class

14. Cast of Leave it to Beaver

15. Groups who faced obstacles to success and in gaining acceptance into mainstream society First Nations, Métis, Inuit New immigrants to Canada Visible minorities Working women Physically and developmentally challenged Canadians

19. Increasing awareness about social and economic inequalities Canada of the 1950s wasn’t a land of equality in the law or in spirit The fight against Fascism and the revealing of the horrors of the holocaust made Canadians aware for the importance of protecting human rights for everyone

20. Changing population and significant rise in new immigrants Population was becoming more diverse, and younger New immigrants brought new sensibilities and cultures There was an increasing influence from the US through radio and television too. The Civil rights movement in the US was making Canadians more aware of discrimination in our own country.

22. The role of the media Journalism had been previously dominated by men, but now women and members of minority groups were writing and reporting the news. TVs, magazines and movies began to show Canadians more of Canada and the world Ex. Mining incident in Springhill, NS, October 1958

24. The right to vote • In the late 1950s almost all Canadian adults had the vote • Chinese and Japanese Canadians got the vote in 1947 • Inuit got the vote in 1950, and FNMI could all vote if they had given up their rights as status Indians. In 1960, all FNMI had the vote without qualification

25. Changing discriminatory laws • Women were still not paid the same as men for doing the same job • “men’s rates and women’s rates were stated in job ads” • 1956-Illegal to pay women less than men for work that was essentially identical • 1955-government struck down a law that forced women to resign when they got married.

26. Canadian Bill of Rights • P.M. John Diefenbaker introduced the first Bill of Rights in 1958 • Recognized individual rights, freedoms and equalities before the law (only applied to federal laws)

28. Creation of Federal Social Programs • Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF-later the NDP) under the leadership of J.S. Woodsworth introduced new social programs including: • Family Allowance, 1945-Baby Bonus-fixed amount for each child regardless of family income • Employment Insurance-(then called unemployment insurance)-created in 1935. Employees paid a small amount to provide income for those who lost their jobs. Unemployment Insurance Act became law in 1941 • Health programs-immunization programs against polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and small pox. Health care coverage began to be extended to all Canadians • Old Age Security Act, 1951-gave $40 to all elderly Canadians

29. Improving conditions in the workplace • Canadian Union Movement • 1944-King’s government gave workers the right to organize themselves. • Management had to recognize and negotiate with unions and unions were obliged not to strike during a term of negotiated agreement • Canadian Congress of Labour and Trades and Labour Congress joined to form the Canadian Labour Congress.

30. 1960s-right to health care Introduction of Universal Health Care-all people have equal access to medical care. Every man, women and child can see a doctor and receive health care paid for by the government, regardless of where they live and how much money they have. Tommy Douglas, leader of the CCF made it happen first in Saskatchewan when he was head of the party in SK and in 1961 across Canada when he became a federal leader in Ottawa(p. 323)

31. Generation Gap In the 1960s-teens and young adults dominated the society proportionally They began to reject the consumer culture of their parents-including suburbia, fashion, cars and 9-5 jobs They didn’t follow conventional expectations-men threw out their business suits, grew their hair long; women burned their bras and started to fight for better hiring practices “Never trust anyone over 30”

34. Protest Songs –Music of Peace and Protest Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Buffy St. Marie, Many learned to play guitar so they could sing along to anti-war and civil rights protest songs 1969-Woodstock music festival in New York brought 400,000 people to be part of a movement around peace, love and freedom

35. TV raised and increased awareness to the inequality • Broadcasts of the realities and horrors of the Vietnam War • War was increasingly unpopular in the US and Canada. • Americans came to Canada to “dodge the draft” so that they wouldn’t have to enlist • Protests were broadcast on tv which affirmed to the protesters that they were being heard-this influenced a sooner end to the war