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Period: to
Era of Activism
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Publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
Silent Spring is a book written by Rachel Carson and published by Houghton Mifflin on 27 September 1962. Silent Spring is generally accredited with assisting the launch of the environmental movement. -
Publication of Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique
The Feminine Mystique was published on February 19, 1963 by W.W. Norton and Co. Feminine Mystique is a nonfiction book written by Betty Friedan. It is extensively accredited with sparking the commencement of second-wave feminism in the United States. -
Publication of Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed
Unsafe at Any Speed by Ralph Nader was published on March 31, 1965. It is a book detailing confrontation by car manufacturers to the introduction of safety features in vehicles including seat belts, and their general unwillingness to spend money on refining safety. It was a revolutionary work and contained substantial references and material from industry insiders. -
NOW is founded
The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded on March 31, 1966. NOW is the largest feminist organization in the United States. From being founded in 1966 NOW currently has a membership of approximately 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. -
Woodstock
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, publicized as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". Woodstock took place at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm nearby the community of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York. The Woodstock Festival took place from August 15 to August 18 in 1969. There were approximately 500,000 people attending the music festival. -
Congress passes the Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act was passed by congress on March 31, 1970 and is one of a number of pieces of legislation concerning the decrease of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution overall. The use of this act by governments to implement clean air standards has contributed to an enhancement in human health and more extended life spans. This act improved environmental air quality and has created more jobs than it has eliminated. -
First Earth Day celebration
Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970. It was founded by a United States Senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in. The first Earth Day was focused on the United States. An organization that was launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original nationwide coordinator in 1970, took it to an international outreach in 1990 and organized Earth Day events in 141 nations. -
The EPA is established
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an agency of the United States federal government in charge of protecting human health and the environment. They do this by writing and administering regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA was proposed by former President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 2, 1970. Nixon submitted a reorganization plan to Congress and it was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate. Creation of EPA was part of the response -
Supreme Court rules to legalize abortion in the Roe v. Wade case
Roe v. Wade was a controversial decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Supreme Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's personal decision to choose to have an abortion. However that right of abortion must be balanced against the state's two legitimate interests for regulating abortions which include protecting prenatal life and protecting the mother's health. -
Protesters from the AIM take over the reservation at Wounded Knee
The Wounded Knee event began February 28, 1973 when the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota was apprehended by followers of the American Indian Movement (AIM). The AIM occupiers controlled the town for 71 days while the United States Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the town. When AIM was initially asked to come out to the reservation the AIM people claimed they wanted to keep out of local politics of the Sioux nation.
