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Purpose and Impact of the Equal Pay Act 1963
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed by John F. Kennedy as a part of his New Frontier Program and was a US labor law amending the Fair Labor Standards Act. The goal of it was to end wage disparity based on sex. It was the first federal anti-discrimination law that affected wage differences based on gender. Helped women earn a place in the working world. -
Start and Goals of the California Grape Boycott
Filipino American grape workers walked out on strike to protest years of poor pay and conditions. Cesar Chavez was asked to join their strike. Cesar pushed for non-violence as well as many marches. He also protested by going 25 days with no food. He eventually got over hundreds to grape strikers to travel with him across the US and Canada, and they were joined by thousands of others who supported the boycott. The strikes and boycott were successful. -
NOW
The National Organisation for Women (NOW) was created by a group of feminists who were actively challenging Sex discrimination. There are 500,000 active members and is the largest organization of Feminists activists in the US. Their goal has always been “to take action” in bringing equality to all women. They have taken action by promoting feminist ideas, lead to societal change, eliminate discrimination, and to achieve and protect the equal rights of all women in all aspects of life. -
United Farm Workers Movement
A workers rights organization that turned into a union as a result of strikes that happened in 1965. It was led by Cesar Chavez and the union contributed a number of innovations to the art of social protests. Chavez welcomed contributions from numerous ethnic and racial groups, from men and women any age. It is still used today to regulate and enforce workers rights. -
Chicano “Blowouts”
A series of protests by Chicano students against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District high schools. The students who carried out the protests were concerned with the quality of their education. This movement was the first mass of mobilization by Mexican-Americans in Southern California. The student walkouts also occurred in Denver and East LA. -
American Indian Movement (AIM)
An organization dedicated to the Native American civil rights movement. Its goals are the sovereignty of Native American lands and peoples, preservation of their culture and traditions, and enforcement of all treaties with the US. Although their objectives were straight forward their public image was harmed by well-publicized and controversial times of law-breaking, vandalism, and violence. It was founded in Minneapolis by Dennis Banks, Clyde Bellecourt, Eddie Benton Banai and George Mitchell. -
Stonewall “Riots”
Police raid a gay club, the Stonewall Inn, because of the lack of liquor license but the gay community thought the police department was targeting gay clubs so they began to throw bottles at the police. The protest started to spill over into the streets and order was not restored until New York’s riot police were called in. The Stonewall Riots were followed by lots of demonstrations and was part of what lead to the formation of the Gay Liberation Front as well as other LGBTQ civil rights groups. -
Occupation Of Alcatraz
Native Americans took over and held Alcatraz Island as Indian Land. It was a 19-month process where 89 American Indians and their supporters occupied Alcatraz. It was led by Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, and others. The group lived on the island together until the protest was forcibly ended by the US government. This protest had a brief effect on federal Indian Termination policies. -
La Raza Unida
La Raza Unida is translated to the National United People’s Party and is a Chicano nationalist organization. It was created to combat the dissatisfaction with the Democratic party, which was typically supported by Mexican-American voters. It only secured Official party status in Texas, but it did not do well. Most of its success was at the local level when the party won most of the city council, school board, and mayoralty elections in Crystal City, Cotulla, and Carrizo Springs. -
Brown Berets
A pro-Chicano organization that was founded by David Sanchez, the group was seen as part of the Third Movement for Liberation. Their movements largely revolved around farm workers struggles, educational reform, and anti-war activism. They have also organized against police brutality. This all started in 1966 when a team of high school students talked about different issues affecting Mexican Americans in their barrios and schools. -
Trail of Broken Treaties
A cross country protest that was staged by American Indians. It started to bring attention to American Indian issues like treaty rights, and inadequate housing. The starters included the American Indian Movement, the National Indian Brotherhood, and more. They started on the west coast of North America where they traveled by car, bus, or van. From there it reached Washington DC where they wanted to meet with the government to talk about their needs and negotiate a new relationship. -
Equal Rights Amendment
The goal of this amendment was to guarantee equal rights to all American citizens regardless of sex. It was first proposed by the National Women’s political party in 1923 but wasn't introduced to Congress until nearly four decades later. With the leadership of US representative, Bella Abzug, and feminists Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, it won a two-thirds vote from the House of Representatives. Then by March 1972 it was approved by the US Senate and sent to the states. -
Roe vs Wade
Roe vs Wade was a landmark decision on the issue of abortions. The court agreed that a right to privacy, under the 14th amendment, must be extended to a woman's decision to have an abortion. However, it must be balanced against the state’s interests in regulating abortions. To achieve this the Court ruled the regulation of abortion to the third trimester of pregnancy. The only time a third-trimester abortion should happen is when fetal viability is in question. -
The Siege at Wounded Knee
200 American Indian Movement leaders and supporters occupied South Dakota reservation town of Wounded Knee. This protest followed the failure of an effort of the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization to impeach the tribal president Richard Wilson. The protestors also criticized the US government’s failure to fulfill treaties with Native American people and demanded the reopening of treaty negotiations. The activists controlled the area for 71 days. -
Phyllis Schlafly and the defeat of the ERA
Phyllis Schlafly had very conservative political views and supported anti-feminism and successfully campaigned against the ERA. She organized the STOP ERA campaign and believed the ERA would take away gender specific privileges. Schlafly said that the ERA was designed for the benefit of young career women only and that social condition would threaten middle-aged housewives with no job skills. -
Murder of Harvey Milk
San Francisco Mayor, George Moscone, and San Francisco Supervisor, Harvey Milk, were assassinated by a former supervisor, Dan White, who was mad about not being re-elected as supervisor. Milk and White had different opinions on LGBTQ rights which lead to Milks win over White. White supporters worried this would lead to a more liberal representative. -
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
A US federal law that establishes the jurisdictional framework that governs Indian gaming. The purpose of the act includes providing a legislative basis for the operation of Indian gaming as a means of generating revenue for the tribes. Also protecting the enterprises for negative influences. It established the National Indian Gaming Commission and gave it a regulatory mandate. -
Repeal of Don’t ask Don’t tell
Established a process for ending the Don’t Ask Don’t tell policy which meant allowing LGBTQ people to serve in the US army. It ended the policy that had been in place since 1993 that allowed them to serve only if they said nothing about their sexual orientation secret and the military didn’t learn of their sexual orientation. The act, however, did not ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the army. This was signed into law by Barack Obama on December 22, 2010. -
Murder of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard was a gay American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten and tortured, then left to die. He was found a flown to a hospital in Colorado but he died six months later due to severe head injuries. It was thought that Shepards sexual orientation was the motive for his murder but his killers denied it. Matthew Shepard's death brought attention to the issue of hate crimes. -
Obergefell V. Hodges
The supreme court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples. It’s allowed by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This 5 to 4 ruling requires all 50 states to perform and recognize the marriages of same-sex couples on the same conditions and rules of opposite-sex couples. Before this ruling same-sex marriages had already been established by law, court ruling on voter initiative in 36 states.
