theme 3 - the extent of progress in individual and civil rights Flashcards
(14 cards)
what laws were there on abortion before 1973?
a crime in 30 states
- caused women to risk backstreet abortions
legal in certain cases in 20 states
- 1967: Colorado was the first to allow abortions in cases of rape, 13 other states having similar law by 1972
what was the case of Roe v. Wade?
case of a poor woman from Texas who didn’t want to bear a child that would also grow up in poverty
Supreme Court ruled that women could abort in the first 13 weeks
what opposition was there to Roe v. Wade?
National Right to Life Committee campaigned against it
anti-abortion activists used methods such as mass-mailings
- 1978: anti-abortion mailing which contained graphic pictures
Phyllis Schlafly - representative of a resurgent social conservatism
1977: Supreme Court supported Henry Hyde and banned federally funded abortions
What did the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) propose?
equality of rights mustn’t be denied on account of sex
was not enforced due to strong opposition, such as Shlafly’s ‘Stop ERA’ organisation (1972), attracting 50,000 members
what rights did workers have before 1973?
many received benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, paid vacations, and pension
non-union members did not have such rights, but legislation did provide minimum wage and maximum hours
1970: over 19m Americans in unions, and there were many strikes
why was there a decline in the use of trade unions?
public opinion was often anti-union because of:
- anticommunism
- corruption scandals
- the belief that unions and strikes damaged the economy
unions were traditionally strongest in heavy industries, which slowly declined after WW2 as there was an increase in white-collar workers
unemployment
influx of foreign workers willing to works for lower wages undermined American labour
workers often lacked unity
what progress was made towards gay rights after 1973?
1973: the NOW finally endorsed gay rights
1974: American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of psychological disorders
1980: Democratic Party platform supported quality for all
what limitations were there still for gay Americans?
rise of the Religious Right and conservative backlash
1977-78: Jerry Falwell and Tim LaHaye gained national attention in successful battle against a Miami pro-gay rights ordinance
1980: millions of homosexuals refused to come out for fear of harassment, job loss, etc.
politicians remained fearful of promoting gay rights
homosexuality remained illegal in many states
what hardships did Native Americans face before 1973?
extreme poverty and high unemployment
44-year life expectancy
encroached rights
high suicide and alcoholism rates
what methods did the AIM use to gain rights for Native Americans?
stressing positive imagery
monitoring police racism
establishing survival schools - e.g the Heart of the Earth Survival School in Minneapolis
organising marches to publicise the need for compensation
what improvements had been made for Native Americans by 1980?
1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act
- gave tried control over federal aid programmes and reservation education
- insufficiently funded
1976 Indian Health Care Improvement Act
- $1.6b to improve healthcare
1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act
- right to practice cultural traditions
1980: Red Power had contributed to greater awareness of Native American rights
what was the economic status of black Americans by 1980?
1/3 were middle class
but, 1/3 also lived below poverty line
infant mortality rate 19% higher than that of some developing nations
benefited from the Great Society programmes
social security and welfare payments had doubled under Nixon
what was the educational status of black Americans by 1980?
de facto segregation was hard to combat
percentage of Southern black American children in segregated schools fell from 68%-8% under Nixon
what was the political status of black Americans by 1980?
Supreme Court sometimes acted to ensure equal political status
more black Americans elected as mayors of major cities
- 1973: Detroit, LA
- 1974: Washington DC
- 1979: Birmingham
however, black candidates rarely won white cotes
- only 1% of elected officials in 1980 were black
