1 / 24

An Era of Activism

An Era of Activism . In May 1970 thousands of students converged on New Haven to protest the trial of Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, on charges that he was involved in the killing of a suspected informant. Counterculture “hippies”. Largest generation yet

martin-stein
Download Presentation

An Era of Activism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. An Era of Activism In May 1970 thousands of students converged on New Haven to protest the trial of Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, on charges that he was involved in the killing of a suspected informant.

  2. Counterculture “hippies” • Largest generation yet • Valued youth, spontaneity, and individuality - also called hippies - they promoted peace, love, and freedom. • Experimented with different ways of dressing, sexual relationships, and recreational use of drugs such as LSD • Music was a big part of this culminating in Woodstock (huge 3 day music festival in 1969, upstate NY)

  3. SDS – one of most radical student protest groups

  4. Woodstock 1969

  5. Andy Warhol’s Pop Art!

  6. Women • Feminism-First used 1895 to describe the theory of political, economic, and social equality of women and men. During the 1960’s Feminists took action to bring this about. • The Feminine Mystique-Betty Friedman • Chronicles unhappiness of women; starts second wave of feminism in America • also founded NOW – National Organization of Women • Ms. Magazine-Gloria Steinem • Title VII of Civil Rights Act (no discrimination in employment), Title IX (public ed. Must give women equal sports access) • 1961 the Pill • 1973-Roe v Wade-legalizes abortion

  7. Modern Women's Rights Rally

  8. Split in the Feminists • More militant…WITCH (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell) • 1968-Miss America pageant protest • Protests with trash cans full of items of oppression: bras, girdles, dishcloths…. • Want full equality including military service compared to other feminists that advocate defending gender difference such as maternity leave and special protection in the workplace

  9. Kathrine Switzer will always be best known as the woman who challenged the all-male tradition of the Boston Marathon and became the first woman (1967) to officially enter and run the event. Her entry created an uproar and worldwide notoriety when a race official tried to forcibly remove her from the competition

  10. Equal Rights Amendment • Passed by Congress in 1972-failed to be ratified by enough states, died in 1982 • If it was passed it would have made discrimination based on a person’s gender illegal • Opposition to the amendment: Phyllis Schlaflyled the “STOP ERA” campaign- women already have legal rights, don’t want coed bathrooms, no alimony • Not all women behind it, some men outspoken against it, some more worried about racial discrimination • Would this mean women are eligible for the draft???

  11. New Approaches to Civil Rights • Controversial topics: • Affirmative Action – preferential status in hiring and college admissions for minorities • Forced busing to integrate schools • More politically organized like the Congressional Black Caucus and La RazaUnida (an all-Hispanic political party founded in Texas in 1969. Ethnic minorities • Hispanic-Large influx of immigration; Problems w/ segregation on the West Coast leads to student protests. • Migrant workers exploited )UFW and Caesar Chavez fought for legal changes.

  12. Chavez UFW protest

  13. Ethnic minorities • Asian-Americans-Increase in immigration, problems from WWII & Vietnam, JACI got small claims for internment • Native Americans-Form AIM, a coalition to fight for NA treaty rights, better conditions and opportunities • Became militant pushed for autonomy • Militant protest at Wounded Knee, 1973

  14. Nader’s Crusade, “Nation’s Nag” • After learning that auto accidents were the fourth leading cause of death (behind heart disease, cancer, and strokes), he launched a study of auto injury cases. His research convinced him that the law placed too much emphasis on driver mistakes and not enough on the unsafe design of cars. • Unsafe at Any Speed, which charged that automakers stressed styling, comfort, speed, power, and a desire to cut costs at the expense of safety • two dozen landmark consumer protection laws, including the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Consumer Products Safety Act, and the Freedom of Information Act

  15. Environmental Changes • Rachel Carson writes Silent Spring to expose the dangers of DDT. Leads to ban on DDT in the U.S. and stricter standards on pesticides. • First Earth Day! April 22, 1970-Everyone backs that • Other changes-EPA, Clean Air & Water Act, Rare & Endangered Species Act, Safe Drinking Water, etc. • Also increased pressure on industry to clean up their act causes some companies to relocate facilities in other countries were standards are more relaxed

  16. 3 Mile Island, Penn. • March 28, 1979, was the most serious disaster in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community. • It brought about sweeping changes involving emergency response planning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation protection, and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations. • U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to tighten and heighten its regulatory oversight.

More Related