The Importance of the Civil and Feminist Rights in the 60’s to Shape American Culture
The 1960’s was a critical time in the adolescence of the United States. Its history of
racism and chauvinism had finally caught up to it, forcing these issues to the forefront. With
feminism and civil rights having their own movements, it was only a matter of time before
someone had to make up their mind about what side they were on. The people who felt the
most this burden of choice were women. If a woman were African American, she would have
to choose to fight either for women or for her race, whereas white women could choose to
ignore what was going on with race, so that she could promote her own cause. These moral
and social conundrums forced tensions to run high, like every time the country faced great
changes. To explore the conflict and or collectivism of the 60’s equality movements, it is crucial
to understand the history of each movement separately, as well as the moment when they
came into contact. It is also important to analyze white women who fought for civil rights and
African American women who fought for woman’s rights, since they are the bridges of the gaps
between these two movements. Once there is a clear understanding of the history of each group
separately, it is possible to examine where and how they may have come into contact with each
other, and whether or not this contact was beneficial to either of the movements.
The Feminist movement began in a chapel in upstate Ney York on July 19, 1848, where
a group of women, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, met collectively to declare that they had the
same rights as men. Using the declaration of independence as their framework, they crafted what
they dubbed “a declaration of sentiments,” a document demanding that, “they have immediate
admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United
States.” With this finally declared, the long journey began toward getting these demands met.
For the next 72 years,
racism and chauvinism had finally caught up to it, forcing these issues to the forefront. With
feminism and civil rights having their own movements, it was only a matter of time before
someone had to make up their mind about what side they were on. The people who felt the
most this burden of choice were women. If a woman were African American, she would have
to choose to fight either for women or for her race, whereas white women could choose to
ignore what was going on with race, so that she could promote her own cause. These moral
and social conundrums forced tensions to run high, like every time the country faced great
changes. To explore the conflict and or collectivism of the 60’s equality movements, it is crucial
to understand the history of each movement separately, as well as the moment when they
came into contact. It is also important to analyze white women who fought for civil rights and
African American women who fought for woman’s rights, since they are the bridges of the gaps
between these two movements. Once there is a clear understanding of the history of each group
separately, it is possible to examine where and how they may have come into contact with each
other, and whether or not this contact was beneficial to either of the movements.
The Feminist movement began in a chapel in upstate Ney York on July 19, 1848, where
a group of women, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, met collectively to declare that they had the
same rights as men. Using the declaration of independence as their framework, they crafted what
they dubbed “a declaration of sentiments,” a document demanding that, “they have immediate
admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United
States.” With this finally declared, the long journey began toward getting these demands met.
For the next 72 years,
References: Cornwall, Andrea, and Maxine Molyneux. "The Politics of Rights—Dilemmas for Feminist Praxis: an introduction." Third World Quarterly 27.7 (2006): 1175-1191 Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. Kerber, Linda K and De Hart, Jane Sherron. Woman’s America: Refocusing the Past. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004 Morris, Aldon. "Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America, 1967-1975 (Book)." American Journal of Sociology 96.3 (1990): 799