9.6 Expanding Rights Movements

Notes

The civil rights movement inspired other groups to seek equality.

• Women's movement: Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique (1963) described the frustration of many suburban women. The National Organization for Women (NOW, 1966) pushed for equal pay and opportunity.
• Title IX (1972) banned sex discrimination in federally funded education, greatly expanding girls' school sports.
• The Equal Rights Amendment passed Congress in 1972 but fell short of ratification by the deadline. Opponents like Phyllis Schlafly argued it would remove legal protections for women.
• ***Roe v. Wade* (1973)** recognized a constitutional right to abortion, sparking a lasting national debate. (It was overturned in 2022 by Dobbs v. Jackson.)
• César Chávez and Dolores Huerta organized farmworkers in the United Farm Workers and led a national grape boycott.
• The American Indian Movement (AIM) protested broken treaties, including the occupation of Wounded Knee (1973).
• Environmental movement: **Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) warned about pesticides. The first Earth Day and the EPA came in 1970**.