Previous

American Indian Movement, Chicano, and Gay Liberation Protest Movements

     

THE IMPACT OF CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS FOR NATIVE AMERICANS

a. How were Native Americans discriminated against?

    •  Native Americans were not U.S. citizens until 1924 and confined to reservations under Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) control.

    •  BIA-run boarding schools sought to erase Native languages and traditions.

    •  Post-1953, over 100 tribes were terminated, with land assets seized, and 35,000 Native Americans relocated to cities.

    •  The 1966 Report highlighted educational failures, leading to stigma and self-hatred.

    •  A 1966 White House report revealed poor health and sanitation among Native Americans.

b. The Campaign for Native American Rights

    •  1961: National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) was founded to boost cultural awareness.

    •  1969: National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was created to promote equal education.

    •  AIM conducted major protests, including Alcatraz Island occupation (1969), BIA headquarters occupation (1972), and occupation (1973).

c. What civil rights did Native Americans achieve?

    •  1968: Indian Civil Rights Act granted legal and religious rights (but excluded some legal protections).

    •  1972: Indian Education Act established bilingual and bicultural programs.

    •  1973: Restoration Act ended the 1953 Termination Program.

    •  1974: Indian Financing Act provided loans for tribal businesses.

    •  1975: Self-Determination and Education Act granted tribes self-government.

    •  1976: v. Itasca County restricted state taxation on reservations, enabling tribes to open casinos, generating significant wealth.

 

THE IMPACT OF CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS FOR CHICANOS

a. How were Mexican Americans discriminated against?

    •  Long-standing presence in the U.S. increased after the 1942 Bracero Program and the 1965 Immigration Act.

    •  Farm workers faced exploitative contracts, low pay, and long hours.

    •  Segregated schools offered substandard education.

    •  Many lacked voting rights and faced violence, such as the Zoot Suit Riots.

    •  1953–58: "Operation Wetback" deported 4 million Mexican Americans, often illegally.

b. The Campaign for Chicano Rights

    •  1960s: ‘Chicano’ identity emerged.

    •  1962: Reies 's Land and Freedom campaign began; he later formed La Alianza (1963) and led marches and courthouse raids.

    •  1962: Cesar Chαvez founded the , achieving labor reforms via grape boycotts.

    •  1968: Chicano students, under ‘Brown Pride’, organized school walkouts to demand better education.

    •  1970: political party was established to advocate for social and political rights.

    •  Protests like the Chicano Moratorium (1970) opposed disproportionate Chicano casualties in the Vietnam War.

c. What civil rights did Latino Americans achieve?

    •  1946: Mendez v. Westminster ruled school segregation unconstitutional.

    •  1954: v. Texas affirmed full citizenship rights.

    •  1974: Equal Educational Opportunity Act mandated bilingual education.

    •  1975: Voting Rights Act required Spanish-speaking assistance at polling stations.

 

THE IMPACT OF CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS FOR GAY AND LESBIAN AMERICANS

a. How were Gay and Lesbian Americans discriminated against?

    •  Homosexuality was widely regarded as deviant in the 1950s.

    •  Post-WWII "Lavender Scare" saw homosexuals fired from federal jobs; Eisenhower’s 1953 Executive Order banned them from federal employment.

    •  Police and FBI tracked homosexuals; gay bars were shut down, and transvestism banned.

    •  Homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder until 1974.

b. The Campaign for Gay and Lesbian Rights

    •  1950: Society was formed to defend gay men and advocate for normalcy.

    •  1958: ONE won a Supreme Court case against postal censorship of its gay magazine.

    •  1968: The first ‘Gay-in’ protest occurred in Los Angeles.

    •  1969: Riots sparked the and peaceful protests by the Gay Activists Alliance.

    •  1970: First Gay Pride marches in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, later spreading globally.

c. What civil rights did LGBTQ Americans achieve?

    •  1973: Homosexuality removed from the list of mental disorders.

    •  1974: Kathy Kozachenko became the first openly gay elected official.

    •  1977: secured workplace protections in San Francisco and led opposition to anti-gay laws.

    •  1982: Wisconsin banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.

    •  However: laws against homosexual sex were only abolished in 2003, military service was barred until 2010, and same-sex marriage was not legalized until 2015.