student / women movements Flashcards
(18 cards)
reasons for the student movement
- vietnam war - taxes increased due to increased fundings for vietnam, against republic / lassiez faire policies
- support of the corrupt vietnamese government in the south just because they were not communist
- remains of the red scare
sds
students for democratic society, started at the university of michigan in 1960
- against the racial injustice, campaign for human rights and war
- involved in sit-ins, freedom riders, teach-ins
- allowed students to have more say in government policies
- paved the way for more anti-war movement
berkeley free speech movement
1964-65
- uc berkely put in place policies that did not allow discussion of political topics, and restriction on political activities
- berkely students involved the SDS, made an impact in sit-ins and teach-ins
- 14,000 students were involved, adn the decision ended up revoked
mario savio and jack weinberg
- leaders of berkeley free speech movement from 1964-65
- drew lots of media attention to student protests and their powers, inspired other student campaigns
- involved protests against racial discrimination
- change in the role of students in political landscape
“make love, not war”
-1960s and 1970s hippie movement, somewhat similar to flapper movement in 1920
- showed an alternative lifestyle based on peace, love, also sharing (communal living)
- equality, no matter gender, race, sexuality etc.
- community of self expression and personal freedom, connections with nature also involved
impacts of women’s movement
generated lots of publicity and media attention, showed the strength of young people
- how young people were involved in the political landscape
- again inspired more future student protests
causes of the women’s movement
- they were viewed as unequal to men and ‘second class citizens’
- many were not allowed to have jobs, and although they took over men’s jobs in ww1/2, they were forced to give them back after the war (no real change)
- were also paid significantly less in the same jobs
- new technology = women had more free time, more time to think / contemplate their life / rigihts
eleanor roosevelt
- helped more women to be elected into congress, pressured her husband
- worked behind the scenes to help women and create policies for their equality
- drafted and adopted universal declaration of human rights, addressing women’s rights and advocating for them
- was “more than just the president’s wife”
presidential commission on status of women
- created by eleanor roosevelt in 1961, and she was the first chair of this group
- group was active in helping with women’s rights issues, and introducing things like better funding for education for women and equal employment opportunities
“the feminine mystique”
- book published by betty friedan, a catalyst for the women’s movement
- publicised the women’s rights movement, drew public attention to this movement
- book ‘ignited’ the second wave of feminism in the USA
NOW
national organisation of women, founded and initially presidented by betty friedan
- advocate for legal change and government reform
- encouraged increased access to birth control/safe abortions
- pushed for legal and societal change, to advance women’s rights
- only middle/upper class women helped, not much impact was made for lower class women
impact of women’s movement
- legalisation of abortion 1967 (colorado), supreme court in 1973
- challenged the perceived gender roles of women and men
- became more acceptable for women to have careers, more women working in 1974
equal credit opportunity act
1974 - led to the abolishing of sexual discrimination in education
ERA
equal rights amendment
- passed in 1972, even though its been presented to congress since 1923
- for women to be treated completely equally and identical to men under the US constitution
opposition to the women’s movement protests
- verbal abuse and attaacks
- lots of negative media coverage, ridiculing and making fun of protestors
- many preconceived prejudices against women, lack of sympathy for other protest groups
- some women themselves believed heavily in the traditional gender roles, and that their jobs was for family life and towards society
phyllis schafly
- leader of the anti-feminist movement
- believed in the traditional roles of women (eg. i the house, helping with family etc.)
- fierce opponent of abortion
“stop ERA”
- founded by phyllis schafly
- argued that ERA would take away gender-specific privileges, eg. dependency of husband
- take away privilege that women will definitely not be drafted into the millitary
- argued that ERA would take away the importance of family (eg. women dependency on husband)
anti vietnam war movement
draft dodging 1960s-70s, many young men burnt their draft cards, (>35000), “We wont go” groups forming at universities eg. cornell, causing the government to have all these people as “wanted”. Many americans left the country, fleeing to canada
- in equal between black and white students - white students were able to defer the draft as they were in school, but this was disproportionate for black students bc many of them were not allowed into uni, and they didn’t have the option of deferring
