Final Exam Essay

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The 1960s was a period well remembered for all the civil rights movements that occurred during that time frame and the impact these movements had on the social and political dynamics of the United States. The three largest movements that were striving in the 1960s were the African American civil rights movement, the New Left movement and the feminist movement. These three movements were in a lot of ways influenced by each other and were very similar in terms of their goals and strategies. However, within each of these movements there were divisions in the way they tried to approach the issues they were fighting against. Looking at each of these movements individually will reveal the relationship they all share as well as the changes that were brought forth as a result of each groups actions. The first movement to be examined is the African-American civil rights movement. Coming out of World War II, American economy was pretty affluent with a growing economy and a rise in morale due to the success of winning the war. African Americans generally considered the 1950s to be a good time for them despite the ongoing racism they faced during this time. Some of this racism included job discrimination with blacks still getting hired for the worse jobs and them usually being the first to be fired. They were still excluded from buying houses and faced segregation in schools. One of the key moments that led to the great success this movement had in the 1960s was the ruling of the Brown v. Board of Education supreme court case in 1954. The case directed by the NAACP was an attempt to overturn the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that occurred in the late 19th century. The court made a unanimous decision in support for overruling the previous case ... ... middle of paper ... ...ay men viewed women. This was a less political group that for the most part was made up of women only. One of the most notable cases of this feminist groups actions was the boycott of the Miss American pageant where they protested that a women's values should not be based on her appearance. Reviewing the relationships between each of these movements shows the connection they all shared in influencing each other. The development and growth of the African-American civil rights movement ultimately led to their success in realizing their goals being met. The New Left movement stemmed from this growth and success and as a result made their own impact on America through their similar tactics and approach to the issues of war and injustice. Feminism stemmed from the inequality with the New Left groups and the awareness brought on by the civil rights movements of the 1960s.

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