U.S. American Culture & U.S. Social Movements

Question 1

PLESSY V. FERGUSON (“Jim Crow” Laws)

Answer 1

• May 18, 1896 = court decision
• Song “Jump Jim Crow” was popular throughout the 19th century.
• Term “Jim Crow Laws” - used as early as 1837 in Vermont and Southern and border states before Plessy v. Ferguson
• Eventually the term “Jim Crow” was used for the federal Plessy v. Ferguson law of “separate but equal”

Question 2

PLESSY V. FERGUSON (“Jim Crow” Laws) Timeline

What event happened in 1890?

Answer 2

The state of Louisiana passed Act 111 –also known as, the Louisiana 1890 Separate Car Act

Question 3

PLESSY V. FERGUSON (“Jim Crow” Laws) Timeline

What event happened on June 7, 1892?

Answer 3

Homer A. Plessy was arrested and jailed for boarding a car of the East Louisiana Railroad that was designated for use by white patrons only

Question 4

PLESSY V. FERGUSON (“Jim Crow” Laws) Timeline

What event happened on April 13, 1896?

Answer 4

Homer A. Plessy v. Ferguson was argued in the Supreme Court of the United States

Question 5

PLESSY V. FERGUSON (“Jim Crow” Laws) Timeline

What event happened on May 18, 1896?

Answer 5

In a 7 to 1 decision the “separate but equal” provision of public accommodations by state governments was found to be constitutional under the Equal Protection Clause.

Question 6

PLESSY V. FERGUSON (“Jim Crow” Laws) Timeline

What event happened in 1828?

Answer 6

New York comedian Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice (1808-1860) created a character, Jim Crow, in blackface (blackface is when the performer uses black soot to blacken their skin to make fun of the enslaved African of early 19th century). The Jim Crow character is the first act of blackface in the US.).

Question 7

Civil Rights Movement

Answer 7

• The civil rights movement was an organized effort by Black Americans to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights under the law. It began in the late 1940s and ended in the late 1960s.
• July 2, 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, preventing employment discrimination due to race, color, sex, religion or national origin. Title VII of the Act establishes the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to help prevent workplace discrimination.
• April 11, 1968: President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act providing equal housing opportunity regardless of race, religion or national origin.

Question 8

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Answer 8

• AIM is a US American Indigenous grass roots movement, founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968 to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police brutality against Native American that is still working today.
• Originally the 1968 meeting was called CIA (Concerned Indian Americans)–too close to the name of the US Intelligence Agency.
• Alberta Downwind suggested the name “American Indian Movement” (AIM)
• AIM soon focused on Indigenous Tribal issues that American Indian groups have faced due to settler colonialism in the Americas.
• Founders: Russell Means, Dennis Banks, Clyde Bellecourt
• On August 11, 1978 - just days after the Longest Walk arrives in Washington DC, President Jimmy Carter signs the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, lifting the ban on Native American spiritual practices.

Question 9

Women’s History Milestones

Answer 9

• Four waves of accomplishments
• Aug. 18, 1920: Ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution is completed, declaring “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” It is nicknamed “The Susan B. Anthony Amendment” in honor of her work on behalf of women’s suffrage.
• Jan. 22, 1973: In its landmark 7-2 Roe v. Wade decision, the US Supreme Court declares that the Constitution protects a woman’s legal right to an abortion. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling.

Question 10

Women’s History Milestones

First Wave

Answer 10

• 1848-1920
• “The first organized movement aimed at gaining rights for American women effectively began in July 1848, with the convention organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott at Seneca Falls, New York. Attendees signed the Declaration of Sentiments, which affirmed women’s equality with men, and passed a dozen resolutions calling for various specific rights, including the right to vote.
• Although the early women’s rights movement was linked to abolitionism, passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870 angered some women’s rights leaders who resented Black men being granted suffrage before white women. Similarly, the women’s suffrage movement also largely marginalized or excluded Black feminists like Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells. Though ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 fulfilled the principal goal of feminism’s first wave—guaranteeing white women the right to vote—Black women and other women of color faced continued obstacles until passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

Question 11

Women’s History Milestones

Second Wave

Answer 11

• 1963-1980s
• “In 1963, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, which argued that women were chafing against the confines of their roles as wives and mothers. The book was a massive success, selling 3 million copies in three years and launching what became known as the second wave of feminism. Inspired by the civil rights movement and protests against the Vietnam War, second-wave feminists called for a reevaluation of traditional gender roles in society and an end to sexist discrimination.
• Feminism—or “women’s liberation”—gained strength as a political force in the 1970s, as Friedan, Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. High points of the second wave included passage of the Equal Pay Act and the landmark Supreme Court decisions in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Roe v. Wade (1973) related to reproductive freedom. But while Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, a conservative backlash ensured it fell short of the number of states needed for ratification.
• Like the suffrage movement, second-wave feminism drew criticism for centering privileged white women, and some Black women formed their own feminist organizations, including the National Black Feminist Organization (NBFO). Despite its achievements, the women’s liberation movement had begun to lose momentum by 1980, when conservative forces swept Ronald Reagan to the White House.”

Question 12

Women’s History Milestones

Third Wave

Answer 12

• 1990s-Present
• “While the advances of second-wave feminism had undoubtedly achieved more equality and rights for women, the movement that emerged in the early 1990s focused on tackling problems that still existed, including sexual harassment in the workplace and a shortage of women in positions of power. Rebecca Walker, the mixed-race daughter of second-wave leader Alice Walker, announced the arrival of feminism’s “third wave” in 1992, while watching Anita Hill testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her accusations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. That same year, dubbed the “Year of the Woman,” saw an unprecedented number of women elected to Congress.
• Embracing the spirit of rebellion instead of reform, third-wave feminists encouraged women to express their sexuality and individuality. Many embraced a more traditionally feminine style of dress and grooming, and even rejected the term “feminist” as a way of distancing themselves from their second-wave predecessors. “Riot grrl” groups like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile and Heavens to Betsy brought their brand of feminism into pop music, including songs that addressed issues of sexism, patriarchy, abuse, racism and rape.
• Third wave feminism also sought to be more inclusive when it came to race and gender. The work of scholar and theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw on the concept of “intersectionality,” or how types of oppression (based on race, class, gender, etc.) can overlap, was particularly influential in this area. Third-wave feminists also drew on the work of gender theorist Judith Butler, including support for trans rights in this type of intersectional feminism.”

Question 13

Women’s History Milestones

Fourth Wave

Answer 13

• Present Day
• “Though fourth wave feminism is relatively difficult to define—as some people argue it’s simply a continuation of the third wave—the emergence of the Internet has certainly led to a new brand of social media-fueled activism. Launched by Tarana Burke in 2006, the #MeToo movement took off in 2017 in the wake of revelations about the sexual misconduct of influential film producer Harvey Weinstein.”
• “In addition to holding powerful men accountable for their actions, fourth-wave feminists are turning their attention to the systems that allow such misconduct to occur. Like their predecessors in the feminist cause, they also continue to grapple with the concept of intersectionality, and how the movement can be inclusive and representative regardless of sexuality, race, class and gender.”

Question 14

Women’s

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Answer 14

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services.

Question 15

LGBTQIA Movement

Answer 15

• 1924-Present
• US American Gay & Lesbian Movement

Question 16

LGBTQIA Timeline

What event happened on June 28, 1969?

Answer 16

• Stonewall Inn Riots
• Patrons of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village riot when police officers attempt to raid the popular gay bar around 1am.
• Since its establishment in 1967, the bar had been frequently raided by police officers trying to clean up the neighborhood of “sexual deviants.”

Question 17

LGBTQIA Timeline

What event happened on June 28, 1970?

Answer 17

• Christopher St. Liberation Day (Pride)
• This event commemorates the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Following the event, thousands of members of the LGBT community march through New York into Central Park, in what will be considered America’s first gay pride parade.
• In the coming decades, the annual gay pride parade will spread to dozens of countries around the world.

Question 18

LGBTQIA Timeline

What event happened on December 15, 1973?

Answer 18

• The board of the American Psychiatric Association votes to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.

Question 19

Me Too Movement

Answer 19

• Founder = Tarana Burke (born Sept. 12. 1973)
• “In 2006, the ‘me too.’ Movement was founded by survivor and activist Tarana Burke. In those early years, we developed our vision to bring resources, support, and pathways to healing where none existed before. And we got to work building a community of advocates determined to interrupt sexual violence wherever it happens.”
• “In 2017, the #metoo hashtag went viral and woke up the world to the magnitude of the problem of sexual violence. What had begun as local grassroots work had now become a global movement — seemingly overnight. Within a six-month span, our message reached a global community of survivors. Suddenly there were millions of people from all walks of life saying ‘me too’. And they needed our help.”

Question 20

Black Lives Matter

Answer 20

• Started in 2013
• “In 2013, three radical Black organizers — Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi — created a Black-centered political will and movement building project called #BlackLivesMatter. It was in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman.”
• “The project is now a member-led global network of more than 40 chapters. Our members organize and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.”
• “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”
• “As organizers who work with everyday people, BLM members see and understand significant gaps in movement spaces and leadership. Black liberation movements in this country have created room, space, and leadership mostly for Black heterosexual, cisgender men — leaving women, queer and transgender people, and others either out of the movement or in the background to move the work forward with little or no recognition. As a network, we have always recognized the need to center the leadership of women and queer and trans people. To maximize our movement muscle, and to be intentional about not replicating harmful practices that excluded so many in past movements for liberation, we made a commitment to placing those at the margins closer to the center.”