Social Movements in the Americas Flashcards
Founding Fathers
The group of men who drafted the US Constitution in 1787 and established a system of checks and balances that later affected civil rights progress.
Plessy v. Ferguson
The 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine, thereby legitimizing Jim Crow laws.
Jim Crow
The set of state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States following the Civil War.
NAACP Litigation
The legal strategy used by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to challenge segregation and discrimination in American society.
Dixiecrats
Southern Democrats who split from the Democratic Party in 1948 to oppose civil rights reforms and support segregation.
Truman Civil Rights Initiatives
Efforts by President Truman (1945–53) to address racial inequality, including establishing a civil rights commission and taking steps toward desegregation.
Eisenhower Civil Rights Actions
Limited federal interventions during President Eisenhower’s term (1953–61), including responses to crises like Little Rock and enforcement of desegregation rulings.
Kennedy Administration Civil Rights
A period marked by increased black activism and federal responses—including the Freedom Rides, SNCC voter registration, and James Meredith’s enrollment—during President Kennedy’s term.
Civil Rights Act (1964)
A landmark law aimed at ending discrimination in employment, education, and public accommodations, which built on earlier federal civil rights efforts.
Korean War
The 1950–53 conflict whose pressures indirectly accelerated actions such as military desegregation in the United States.
Baby Boomers
The post–World War II generation whose size and cultural attitudes helped fuel the counterculture and student protest movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
Counterculture
A broad social movement in the 1960s–70s that rejected conventional values, embraced communal living and free expression, and opposed the Vietnam War.
Free Speech Movement
A student-led protest at the University of California, Berkeley in 1964 demanding the right to free expression on campus.
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
A New Left organization that mobilized student protests against the Vietnam War and social injustices during the 1960s.
Berkeley Protests
Mass demonstrations at UC Berkeley during the 1960s—led by figures such as Mario Savio—challenging university policies and the Vietnam War.
Columbia University Protests (1968)
Student demonstrations at Columbia University addressing issues of racism, the Vietnam War, and institutional complicity, which led to significant campus disruptions.
Draft Card Burning
A form of protest during the Vietnam War era where students publicly burned their draft cards to oppose compulsory military service.
Tlatelolco Plaza Massacre
The violent suppression of a 1968 student protest in Mexico City near the Olympic site, which resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.
New Left
A political movement in the 1960s that questioned established authority and advocated for radical reforms in society, politics, and culture.
ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps)
A college program that prepares students for military service; its presence on campuses became a focal point for anti–Vietnam War protests.
Student Peace Union
An organization formed in the early 1960s by students dedicated to anti-war and peace initiatives.
Kent State Shooting
The 1970 incident where National Guard troops shot and killed unarmed student protesters at Kent State University during a demonstration against the Vietnam War.
Betty Friedan
Author of ‘The Feminine Mystique,’ whose work helped spark the modern feminist movement by articulating the dissatisfaction of many suburban housewives.
The Feminine Mystique
The 1963 book by Betty Friedan that challenged the notion of domestic fulfillment and ignited the women’s liberation movement.
Women’s Liberation Movement
The social and political movement that emerged in the 1960s aiming to end gender discrimination and secure equal rights for women in all spheres of life.
Domesticity
The idealized role of women as homemakers and caregivers—a norm that feminist movements challenged as restrictive.
SDS Sexism
Instances of gender discrimination within the Students for a Democratic Society that contributed to the emergence of separate feminist organizations.
Equal Pay for Equal Work
A central feminist demand for wage parity between men and women performing the same job responsibilities.
Sexual Harassment
Unwanted sexual advances or conduct in the workplace, one of the critical issues that feminist activists worked to address.
Feminist Consciousness
The awareness and recognition of systemic gender inequalities that spurred women to demand social, economic, and political reforms.
‘The Problem That Has No Name’
A phrase from Betty Friedan’s work describing the vague, unspoken dissatisfaction of many housewives with their limited roles.
Civil Rights Movement Influence on Feminism
The inspiration many women drew from the broader civil rights and anti-war movements to challenge traditional gender roles and advocate for equality.
Royal Commission on the Status of Women (Canada)
A government commission established in 1967 that investigated gender discrimination and proposed reforms in education, employment, family law, and childcare.
National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC)
A broad-based Canadian feminist organization that lobbied for women’s rights, including access to abortion, equal pay, and anti-discrimination measures.
Judy LaMarsh
A Canadian politician known for her role as Minister of Health and Welfare and for advancing women’s rights, including helping to establish the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.
Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Canada)
Part of Canada’s Constitution Act (1981) that guarantees equality rights, including provisions aimed at promoting gender equality.
Glass Ceiling
A metaphor describing the invisible barriers that prevent women from reaching top positions in business and government despite their qualifications.
Consciousness-Raising
A process in feminist activism where women share personal experiences to highlight systemic inequalities and mobilize collective action.
Hispanic-American Movements
The organized efforts by Hispanic-Americans to achieve social, political, and economic equality in the United States from the 1960s onward.
LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens)
A civil rights organization founded in 1929 that worked for the assimilation and rights of Mexican-Americans, sometimes critiqued for its conservative stance.
Operation Wetback
A 1954 INS initiative aimed at repatriating illegal Mexican agricultural workers, reflecting the era’s anti-immigrant sentiment.
Mendez v. Westminster (1946)
A landmark court case that ended school segregation for Mexican-American children in California.
The GI Forum
An organization founded in 1948 by Mexican-American veterans to combat discrimination and promote civil rights, especially in the wake of unequal treatment despite military service.
Assimilation
The process through which Mexican-Americans were encouraged or pressured to adopt Anglo-American cultural norms, often diminishing distinct cultural heritage.
Zoot Suits
A style of clothing popular among Hispanic and African American youths in the 1940s, which became a symbol of cultural pride and resistance.
Bracero Program
A temporary labor program during and after WWII that brought Mexican workers to the U.S., later criticized for exploitative working conditions.
Cisneros v. Corpus Christi ISD
A 1970 federal court ruling that recognized Mexican-Americans as an identifiable minority eligible for affirmative action.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
A group formed in 1976 by Hispanic Democratic members of the US House to advocate for issues affecting Hispanic communities.
NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials)
An organization established in 1976 to increase Hispanic political representation and influence in government.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)
A key legal organization dedicated to fighting discrimination and advocating for the civil rights of Hispanic-Americans.
Proposition 187
A 1994 California ballot initiative designed to withdraw public benefits from undocumented immigrants, which sparked significant political mobilization among Hispanic-Americans.
Affirmative Action
Policies aimed at increasing opportunities for historically marginalized groups in education, employment, and government, instrumental in advancing Hispanic-American rights.
Gerrymandering
The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor certain groups; in the 1980s, it was used to increase Hispanic representation in government.
Latino
A term increasingly used to refer to Hispanic-Americans, emphasizing cultural and ethnic identity.
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, a major union federation that, from the 1990s onward, began including more Hispanic workers.
Central American Activism
The political and social efforts by Central American immigrant groups in the 1980s and 1990s to advocate for their rights both in the United States and in their home countries.
Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986)
A federal law that legalized the status of many undocumented immigrants, marking a significant milestone in Hispanic-American activism.
