How And Why Did Minority Rights Become Significant, 1960-80?

Question 1

What was ‘termination’?

Answer 1

Policy by which Native Americans were freed from federal control and protected by US federal and state laws
Tribal lands would now be open to sale
Resisted by many
Later ruling said needed tribes consent

Question 2

Issue of tribal homelands for Native Americans

Answer 2

Federal govt made treaties (many by force) with tribes
Giving land and money for their removal
Many wanted to return after treaties made

Question 3

Issue of self determination for Native Americans

Answer 3

Tribes independent nations
Ran own affairs under control of BIA and in own reservations
Setting up of Indian Boarding schools: speak English, cut hair, dress in ‘proper’ clothes, give up native customs

Question 4

Organised protest of Native Americans

Answer 4

1968: Indian Civil Rights Act banned tribes from restricting the civil rights of tribal members
American Indian Movement (AIM) more liberal, young, radical, used sit ins and demonstrations, issue of homelands and demeaning of culture, ‘Red Power’
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) worked with the system

Question 5

Gains and limitations to Native Americans

Answer 5

Nixon sympathised
Rejected termination and forced assimilation
Advisors consulted tribal leaders
Nixon brought bills to Congress for Indian autonomy
1972 Indian Education Act (help to tribal schools)
1974 Indian Financing Act (lent tribes funding)
1975 Indian Self Determination Act (kept BIA but contracted services if health and education)

Question 6

What was the bracero programme?

Answer 6

Mexican immigration programme run by US govt

Mexicans signed contracts to work and guaranteed level of housing and working conditions

Question 7

Support for Native Americans

Answer 7

Govt policies managed by Bureau of Indian Affairs
Roosevelt reversed trend of assimilation under Indian New Deal
After Roosevelt, became assimilation again

Question 8

Issue of land for Hispanic Americans

Answer 8

American- Mexican war settled border between USA and Mexico

Issue of land rights in what became New Mexico became a focus of protest

Question 9

Issue of workers’ rights for Hispanic Americans

Answer 9

Hispanic farm workers, particularly of the bracero programme often had appalling living and working conditions
Most workers had no unions
Large pool of illegal migrant workers

Question 10

Issue of discrimination for Hispanic Americans

Answer 10

Hispanics faced the same problems of racial discrimination as Barack Americans
Lived in Spanish speaking areas
Worst parts of town
Poor govt provision

Question 11

Issue of deportation for Hispanic Americans

Answer 11

US immigration services from 1953 onwards deported millions of Hispanic people
Operation Wetback

Question 12

What was operation wetback?

Answer 12

US govt drive

Find illegal immigrants and return to Mexico

Question 13

Cesar Chavez

Answer 13

Rights of farm workers
Focus of working conditions
Farm workers’ union and organised strikes, marches and protests

Question 14

Reies Lopez Tijerina

Answer 14

Protests about Mexican land rights in New Mexico
Held marches, mass demonstrations and camp-ins on National Forest land
Worked with Black power leaders

Question 15

Rodolfo Gonzales

Answer 15

Focus on race 
Hispanic rights within the system 
Director of Denver War on Poverty Campaign 
More radical methods 
Crusade for Justice

Question 16

Work through political influence

Answer 16

La Raza Unida party to encourage Hispanics to vote

Campaigned for better work, housing and education

Question 17

Brown Berets

Answer 17

Young, militant organisation
Wore uniform and beret
Campaigned against police brutality and led school walk outs

Question 18

Gains and limitations legally Hispanic

Answer 18

Legal acceptance slow coming
1954 Hispanic Americans ruled as equal citizens
1966 congress Cuban american adjustment act all those living for one year were permanent residents
Limited English Proficient (LEP) lead to 1974 Equal Opportunities Act
1975 Voting Rights Act extension provided language assistance at polling stations

Question 19

Gains and limitations of campaigns Hispanic

Answer 19

Chavez’s campaign made significant difference to conditions for farmers
Local campaigning did improve schools and housing
Land issues raised have still not been settled

Question 20

Why were gay people discriminated against?

Answer 20

Not part of a visible racial group
‘Lavender Scare’ ran parallel to ‘Red Scare’ to root out homosexuals
Not decriminalised across US until 2003

Question 21

The formation of the gay rights movement

Answer 21

Incident at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in 1969
Police raided the bar, supposedly due to liquor licensing laws but actually as it was known as a gay bar
Something snapped when a police man was too rough
400 fought back by throwing things and yelling at the police
Several nights following there were protests and clashes with the police
Creation of the Gay Liberation Front

Question 22

Development of the Gay Liberation Front

Answer 22

Set up following Stonewall Inn
Public support and the liberal climate of the late 60s and 70s meant that the gay rights movement expanded very rapidly
People discovered that people whom they liked and knew were gay

Question 23

Early resistance to Gay Liberation

Answer 23

Certain groups very anti gay such as the KKK

Rural ‘Bible Belt’ religious fundamentalism

Question 24

Success of Gay Liberation

Answer 24

Kathy Kozachenko first openly gay candidate elected to public office
Harvey Milk elected to public office and supported many minority groups rights
Open stand against proposition 6
First gay official to admit his sexuality affect politics and private life

Question 25

What was Proposition 6?

Answer 25

Law proposed in California to ban gays, lesbians and supporters of their rights from working in state funded schools in California

Question 26

Gains and limitations of gay liberation

Answer 26

Gay support at federal level slow coming
Gay pressure in some states led to positive gay initiatives at state and local level
1979-81 gov. Of California appointed four openly gay judges
1980 gay teenage boy allowed to bring male date to prom

1970 Conservative backlash
Anita Bryan sets up Save Our Children
Groups projected image of gay men preying in the young
Proposition 6 (Briggs initiative)