Group #2: Tommy C. || Emilie H. || Rachel M.

 

American Diversity

The diversity of the American people and the relationships among different groups. The role of ethnicity, class, and gender in the history of the United States.

 

 

 

American Diversity in Chapter 25: World War II 

I. Ethnicity

    A. The Japanese

1. During WWII, many Japanese migrate to the United States, especially to the west coast, in search of new jobs and new lives.

- In these times, the American people see foreigners as a threat, afraid that their jobs will be taken away as they are replaced by immigrants. The Americans are not mistaken -- the Japanese are willing to work for less money, and therefore are given more jobs, often cutting Americans short in the work field. Americans are upset that they need to work for less money when holding a job, because they feel that they are entitled to higher salaries and better conditions than they actually receive. This causes many Americans to become a prejudiced and racist people against the Japanese even before the war begins.

 

2. The Japanese have an easily distinguishable appearance.

- The fact that the Japanese people look different in comparison to Americans makes them easier to single out and hate. People can easily tell a Japanese person from a White Anglo Saxon American. The prejudices the Americans have may have caused the people of the United States to undermine the Japanese people before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 

3. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, forcing Japanese Americans into tight concentration camps. The concentration camps are small and located in the terrible desert areas of the United States frontier.

- The United States government claims that it fights for peace and freedom in the world, yet they force their own citizens into confinement camps. Why was confining the Japanese Americans into camps any more moral than the Germans forcing Jews into concentration camps? Although the U.S. does not execute an entire race, they still contradict their own goals for the war. It is not even clear that any Japanese Americans are an imminent threat, but racism seems to get the best of the American people.

 

4. The Japanese Americans confined in these camps loose all their possessions, jobs, and pride.

- This may account for the widespread poverty amongst the Japanese in the United States during this period.

 Source

 

    B. African Americans

1. Schools, bathrooms, drinking fountains, and even restaurants remain segregated at this time. African Americans work for less money and are treated terribly.

- Once again, while the U.S. government claims that it is against the oppression of the Jews in Europe, as well as other racist policies abroad, it still has its own problems of racism and oppression at home.

 

2. A. Philip Randolph is a member of the NAACP group called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He and his group are upset about the continued segregation and decide to hold a march on Washington. Randolph calls off the strike when FDR agrees to pass the Fair Employment Practice Commission, which ensures that the U.S. military may not discriminate by race when giving army positions.

- It is interesting to think that the military, although in the middle of a huge war with massive injury and death numbers, discriminates against African Americans in recruiting army members. It is hard to imagine that even before the largest social rights movement of the '60s, a planned march on Washington resulted in the government actually doing something about the issue. The Commission is a large step in WWII, but ultimately, it does not defeat racism within the army.

 

3. Africans take many jobs originally held by white men, who leave to fight oversees. This causes a movement of African Americans into the cities. The cities become overcrowded, upsetting those racist against the African Americans. A riot in Detroit occurs, involving looting and vicious murders.

- U.S. cities are one of the few places in which African Americans are able to find work, so they had little choice but to move there. Also, African Americans are needed as laborers to make war products. The riot demonstrates the stress brought onto the people by WWII and the Great Depression, all mixed with racial tension. Even in modern times, there is still a large African American population in large urban areas and cities.

 

    C. Mexicans and Hispanic Americans

1. Hispanics profit and gain jobs during wartime, but like other racial groups, they face prejudice as well. They are segregated in many areas like African Americans, and tend to live in tight quarters. Because Hispanics are commonly arrested for insignificant crimes, it appears that the police kept and eye out specifically for Hispanics.

- Although Americans disliked Germans and Italians during World War II, it seems that their strongest dislike is for people within their surroundings. With Hispanics, African Americans, and Japanese so easily identifiable and share common property with whites, they are an easier target than foreigners overseas. A modern example is the remaining racism against Mexicans -- they still experience racism because Americans claim that the Mexicans steal jobs. Then why are not all immigrants to blame? It is easier to connect a certain group of people to a stereotypical action when they are easily identified visually.

 

2. Mexican gang members popularize the fashion of zoot-suits in the 1940s, and because of the large hispanic prejudice in the west, zoot-suiters are attacked in the streets of Los Angeles.

- The "zoot-suits" make it even easier to identify Mexicans, and in a time of war and recovery from depression, it seems that many citizens feel the need to release stress -- evidently, it is released in the form of violence.

 

3. Mexicans, like African Americans, enlist in the army and military.

 

    D. Native Americans

1. Native Americans are allowed to join the army, and some even become important characters of the war. American code is often sent in Native American Languages, making it difficult to decipher messages even if codes are broken.

 

2. Though Native Americans play a role in the war, they are still treated poorly. They are denied veteran benefits, as well as voting rights and liquor.

- Because the Native Americans live on federal land, they are not given the Veteran Benefits that they desperately need. Ironically, the federal lands which the Natives live on are the same lands that the U.S. and England stole in the late 1400s.

 

 

II. Social Classes

    A. The Upper Class

1. The upper class expands as the war reaches its climax, since businessmen profit from the extreme need for finished products, such as guns and planes.

- Wars usually cause the expansion of an economy due to its increased initiative, as well as increased need for goods. The U.S., a country recovering from depression, has trade embargoes before it joins the war, which undermine the economic state. Once the war is at full force, the U.S. economy is able to recover.

 

2. Amongst the rich are television and radio celebrities.

- Americans become increasing fans of radio and TV as they depend on familiar voices to bring them news about the current state of the war. Citizens begin to idolize such figures, thus creating the celebrities of present day America.

 

3. The upper class is mainly comprised of white businessmen.

- Surprised? =)

 

    B. The Working Class

1. The working (lower and middle) classes of America begin to gain in prosperity. Their wages increase towards the end of the war, and many social programs assist the stability of those wages. Also, the government controls inflation by creating various administrations to ensure that the "good times" stay.

- The working class was substantially different from the wealthy. The large gap between the two classes during the Great Depression did not help in bringing them closer together. Like racism, there is tension between the social classes.

 

2. FDR sets up and agreement with Labor Unions to prevent strikes, attempting to focus on and support the war. John Lewis and a band of coal miners, however, set up a strike but are quickly calmed by a deal for higher wages.

- FDR and the government work to ensure that the war effort goes flawlessly.

 

3. The working class is comprised of many different races, and is the majority of the population.

 

 

III. Gender - Women

A. Women begin by working in heavy industry and other jobs. "Rosie the Riveter" becomes a major symbol of this accomplishment.

- Because American men leave to fight in the war overseas, there is an extreme labor shortage which even the African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and immigrants are not able to fill. How could the U.S. possibly fight a war without a home base for weapon-making and goods? When the industry realizes just this, it begins to hire women for less money, but the women rise to the challenge.

 

B. Although women are still not allowed to fight in combat, they are allowed to join the military. Women serve as field nurses and sometimes as physicians. They create the Women's Army Corps and WAVES.

- Knowing that women can be trusted in industry, the military gives more and more credit to women, putting them in places where help is needed. Some of the best doctors during WWII are women.

 

C. Pregnant women are sent home from the military and forbidden from using birth control. Men, on the other hand, are encouraged to use contraceptives, but are not sent home when they get a woman pregnant.

- This is a sign that women are not completely trusted.

 

 

Source

 

 

IV. Terms and IDs

- Blitzkrieg: German term meaning 'lightning war'. Was their successful tactic, which involved fast paced and loud fighting.

- Isolationism: The U.S. policy to stay neutral and uninvolved in any war in Europe. They felt they had a comfortable physical distance from other countries and could ignore them.

- Neutrality: When a country (in this case, the U.S.) agrees not to pick a side in a conflict between two or more nations.

- Office Price Administration: Set prices on consumer goods in order to control inflation.

- National Labor Board: Set a limit on hours, a minimum wage, and standard conditions. 

- Cordell Hull: Secretary of State and head of FDR's administration

- Abraham Lincoln Brigade: A group of American citizens who left the U.S. to fight Franco and fascism in Spain

- Zoot-Suit: The new fashion made popular within the Mexican community, especially in gangs and other hated aspects of Hispanic life.

- Concentration camp: Camp of confinement where the Nazis murdered thousands of Jews and forced others into labor, and where the United States imprisoned thousands of Japanese Americans, fearing they were a danger to American safety.

- Office of War Information: Produced war films and other forms of propaganda.

- Propaganda: Information used to promote and publicize a certain idea or ideology.

 

V. I.D.'s

- Philip Randolph: A member of the NAACP who plans a march on Washington and influences the passage of the Fair Employment Practices Committee.   

- Scott Momaday: A Native American who won a Pulitzer Peace Prize for his book House Made of Dawn

- Franklin Roosevelt: president who enacts many laws dealing with diversity such as Executive Order 8802 and the gathering of Japanese Americans into concentration camps

- Mario Puzo: author of The Godfather 

- Oveta Culp Hobby: director of the WACS

- Adolf Hitler: Nazi leader who called for mass murder of the Jewish race to create one, unified race that was less diverse

- Elenore Roosevelt: President's wife who was admired and appreciated especially by her husband and the African American community 

- Donald Nelson: executive vice president of sears and later head of War Production Board

- John L. Lewis: breaks the "no strike agreement" between labor unions and the government when he calls for a Coal Miner strike

 

 

 

American Diversity in Chapter 26: Postwar Growth and Social Change

I.  Race

    A. African Americans

1. The new age of post-war reconstruction left the African Americans in an even worse minority the low-class poor. They gathered in urban areas such as New York City and were given some of the worst and low paying jobs.

- Like in the past, African Americans were moving into cities.  Agriculture all over the country was becoming more mechanical and there were less demands for human labor. Many fled to the cities where they expected they could find cheap work as factory laborers, but even these jobs were disappearing as companies moved overseas.

 

2. The New Deal promoted synthetic fabrics and robbed the cash crop, cotton, of its value.

- Once again, the African Americans had to move away from Southern farms and look for somewhere else to find work.

 

3. African Americans gathered into tight, horrible areas called "ghettos", partly because of their incomes, but partly due to racial discrimination. Even the passing of the Fair Housing Act, which condemned racial discrimination in selling or renting houses, could not bring African Americans into higher class neighborhoods. As well, African American bathrooms, schools, and even drinking fountains remained segregated.

- People continued to segregate and and condemn people for the color of their skin. Not only were few economic opportunities holding back the African Americans, but the prejudices of the others in the United States at the time held back the African Americans as well. Even if an African American could make a good living, what could they do with it? They could not buy nice houses or go to elegant restaurants. What was there for them to work for?

 

Source

 

4. Despite the hardships, the African American community was still strong. They established numerous churches and institutions and created their own culture, expanding from even beliefs and actions from the days of slavery. The new center of black culture was on Chicago's South Side.

- While the rest of the country was experiencing joy and prosperity, the black community could not, but they still enjoyed life to the extent that they could, and built a culture off of unity and faith.

   

    B. Latin and Native Americans

1. Latin Americans flooded the United States and gathered in areas called Barrios, areas similar to ghettos.

- Like African Americans, Latin Americans look for better jobs in the northern urban centers.  They also all speak the same language and have similar cultures, and so feel comfortable together.  This is why they all gather in areas called Barrios, in order to preserve their culture as well as find affordable housing near jobs.

 

2. The Migratory Labor Agreement allows Mexican Braceros (harvesters) to travel to America to work for farmers. They came legally and illegally, but enjoyed they country, so many stayed and took advantage of the work.

- Although life may have seemed rough in the United States, the economic situation during the 1950s was much better than most other places in the world.  Therefor even the lowest paying jobs paid higher than a majority of the jobs in other countries.  Immigrants were more than happy to come and work.  The problem is that around this same time, American factories begin to move overseas.

 

Source

 

3. Native Americans faced the same discrimination they had always faced, but now began to enjoy technological advances such as televisions and radios.

- No matter how hard the Native Americans had resisted, their culture had been in danger from the moment the first European explorers had reached the Americas. For the longest time, the Natives had resisted change and clung to their culture and lifestyle. However, around the 1950s, they began to conform.  Life was terrible for them and they did need some source of enjoyment.

 

II. Social Class - Middle Class

A. The middle class grew nearly exponentially in size during the 1950's. Families began moving out of cities and into the suburbs.

- The war industry had flourished in the Post-Great Depression era.  During the war, however, people were not able to buy commodities because factories were concentrating on creating war materials such as guns and tanks. Now, people had saved that money, and now that more jobs were available and veterans were receiving their pay, the middle class began to thrive and grow.

 

B. The invention of the car leads to movement to suburbs and the creation of the interstate highway system.

- Automobiles not only opened up a new means of transportation for people of the 1950s but also a brand new market of services. New jobs became available, once again helping to raise many citizens into the middle class. There was new need for maintenance workers and sweepers.

 

III. Gender - Women

A. The "baby boom" or a large spike of infant rates occurred in the 1950s.

- Men return from war and come home to the women, girlfriends, and people they had left. They saw hundreds of their own friends and family members die in the war and they realize that life is too short. They deal with this by having children in mass quantities. They felt as though if they had a child, there would be someone to pick up where they had left off.

 

B. Pediatrician Dr. Spock recommended that women remain at home to take care of families, rather than work.

- Despite proving they can work during the war era, women were still seen as the main keepers of a home. During this time there was a return to traditional views, but why? There were many reasons. First of all, men had been away for so long that many of the women who worked in factories also raised families.  Therefore, when the men came back to them, they saw the job of being only a housewife a break compared to working two jobs, one in a factory and one in a home. 

 

 

C. Despite returning to traditional housewife positions, more women entered the workforce than ever before.

- At the same time as seeing the need to raise a family, women also saw the opportunity to gain respect via the workforce, and many ook advantage of this and got new, stereotypical jobs for women, such the position of secretary and various other jobs.

 

D. Sexuality became extremely important and experimental with things such as Playboy magazine.

- Even though the 1950 restored a traditional view for women as housewives they also were "years of unnoticed but important change." They had once again become important in the house but had become more dramatic, sexual, and involved. They created a whole new market to themselves.

 

IV. Terms and IDs

     Terms

- Ghettos: where African Americans congregated

- Desegregation: to end racial segregation; to integrate races back together

 

       I.D.'s

- New Deal

- Fair Housing Act

- Barrios

- Migratory Labor Agreement

- Mexican Braceros

 

 

American Diversity in Chapter 27: Chills and Fever During the Cold War

 

I. Red Scare (Communist Minority)

A. Truman's Loyalty program is launched, including various items contrasting Soviet life to American life and showing the evils of the Russian way of living.  

- After World War II, Communism became an increasing threat.  There was already a government in the United States and many figures wanted it to remain.  At the same time, Communism in Asia and Eastern Europe was replacing, old democracies and other forms of government.  As the United States became increasingly in conflict with the Soviets, the need to keep the country behind them was very important.  A rebellion of communists and communist spies could devastate the country.

 

B. It is discovered that Pro-Communist magazine "Amerasia" has various classified documents.  Truman appoints a Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty.

- Once again, Soviet and communists encroaching upon the United States government came as a large threat.  Because the magazine was affiliated with communists, who was to say that they could not have shared the classified documents with the Soviet communists?  

           

C. Smith Act makes it illegal to teach or support an overthrow of the US government.  Twelve Communist leaders are arrested.

- As the conflict with the Russians grows, so do rules and restrictions over Communists.  Many were teaching that violence and overthrow was the only way to make a Socialist Utopia exist.  This act was one way to make sure that the teachings were never carried out.  However, was it a mistake with regards to the freedom of speech.

 

D. McCarran Internal Security Act makes it illegal to conspire to support or aide in the establishment of a totalitarian government in the US.  Communists have to register with attourney general to get passport as the party declines in great, steady numbers.

- The communists can now be watched by the attourney general, and it may be impossible for them to travel anywhere without being noticed.  For example, to the Soviet Union to get plans or to Cuba to help the Communists there.

 

E. Joseph R. McCarthy claims to have a list of 205 Communists in the State Department but releases only 57 names.  He falsely accuses many and creates a series of large, outrageous trials.  

- Joe McCarthy, seeking re-election uses the new stereotypes and fears to his advantage.  He uses the fear of Socialism to his advantage and falsely accuses many people of treason.  It is important to see how easily influenced the rest of the country was

 

- Socialists and Communists were becoming less and less popular with the end of WWII.  People were afraid of the Soviets and their ties to American Communists.  Because of their extreme desire to spread communism throughout the eastern hemisphere, the Soviets made the United States nervous enough to deny its people one of the most basic rights, the freedom of speech. In the United States, the conflict became less between races but more about Communism vs. Democracy.  This is even seen with the great tide and of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

 

Source

 

II. Opinions on Vietnam (Supporters vs. Protesters)

 

A. College students begin having antiwar teach-ins which turn into antiwar protests.  The phrase "Make love, not war. " is coined

- The young, liberal population are some of the first to protest the war.  They see no conflict between North Vietnam and themselves and therefor see no reason to fight.  Of course they are a majority of the population enlisting to fight in the war

 

B. Working and Middle class are the first to turn on the war offensive as the Viet Cong begin having psychological victories.

- By winning psychologically, the Viet Cong created new problems for the United States at home.  The average many who watched television saw the death and destruction of their loved ones before their very eyes.  

 

C. Nixon Doctrine aims to allow US to win the war while taking soldiers out of Vietnam.

- The leaders during the current war with Iraq also attempted to use this tactic.  However, they both faced the same problems.  It would take to long to do so and the public demands a speedy return of the soldiers.  Similar to today, there is some question on why they were fighting in the first place.

 

D. Nixon's invasion of Cambodia leads to more and more violent protests, including one at the Kent State University in Ohio where four students were shot to death including innocent bystanders.

- Many people were afraid of protesters.  They were supporters of the war, and saw the need to stop the Soviets or risk other conflicts.  They were right, but, even so, the death of innocent bystanders was unnecessary and tragic.

 

 

Source

 

III. Vocabulary

Viet Cong - Refers to the North Korean soldiers as well as people who were the enemy in the Vietnam war

Containment -  US policy of containing communism within eastern europe, and keeping it from spreading into western European territory

Communism - a political theory derived by Karl Marx, advocating class warfare and leading to a society in which prosperity and wealth is shared by each person and provided according to need.

Smith Act 1940-  made it a crime to advocate or teach the forcible overthrow of the US government.

McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950-  declared that it was illegal to conspire against the government

 

IV. I.D.'s 

Joseph R. McCarthy

Dr. Spock

Whittaker Chambers

Alger Hiss

Harry Truman

Richard Nixon

Fulton Lewis, Jr. 

Red Scare

 

 

 

American Diversity in Chapter 28: High Water and Ebb Tide of the Liberal State

I. Race

US Court rules that “separate but equal” facilities to have no place in public education, in the case Brown v. Board of Education. [See chapter 29 for more details.]

- The decision did not desegregate schools everywhere, as many got around the ruling or outright disobeyed it.  However it was a major step in creating equality between races.

 

 

 Brown V. Board of Education

 

III. Social Class

Radicals accused LBJ’s plans in social reform to be ineffective as they merely imposed middle-class values on the working-class poor. [See chapter 29 for more details.]

- Though welfare is an attempt to abolish poverty, conservatives and radicals both disagreed with LBJ's methods.  Radicals found it too reminiscent of the New Deal, while conservatives, as usual, found such government involvment in social affairs to be wrong.

 

IV. Politics

A. Liberals Gain Office (In this chapter the liberalist movement is most directly related to democrats)

1. Even immediately following World War II, Truman faced issues with liberalism vs. conservativism.

- A largely conservative congress still detested the reforms made in the New Deal days and looked to reform such laws.  On the other side Truman fought to maintain a liberal agenda by vetoing such measures as the Taft-Hartley act that restricted unions in their weaponry.

 

2. Even when Eisenhower takes office (a republican between the two democrats Truman and Kennedy), he recognizes the need to maintain a social reform agenda, and ratifies the welfare state.

 

3. Kennedy begins a liberalist campaign (technically started by Truman, though not as successfully), which LBJ picks up and continues.

- Both presidents heavily pressed reforms such as tax cuts, funding for education and civil service projects, and improving housing and health care.

 

4. Both presidents implemented the Keynesian theory in economics that relied on tax cuts to stimulate the economy.

- Obviously this made conservatives uneasy as it gave much power to the federal government.  In order to placate conservatives and gain their vote, LBJ agreed to cut back on spending.  Tax cuts resulted in a major boom in economy.

 

Tax cuts, made in 1964, took effect and created a boom in income by 1966.

 

5. LBJ succeeds in his advances in civil rights as well as social reforms.

- LBJ is noted for is successes in the areas of civil rights achievements and social improvements (Immigration reform, Medicare-Medicaid, Funding education and housing development, preserving wildlife).  However, many claim (including Mr. Bond as a concrete source) that while he advanced in such areas, he failed dismally in the Vietnam arena, setting the stage for the future disaster that would occur in the Nixon era.

 

6. The Supreme Court sides with liberalism in the rulings of right-defining cases. 

- See terms and ID’s for the cases of the era

 

B. Conservatives Regain Power (In this chapter the conservative movement is most directly related to republicans)

1. Conservatives disagree with the liberal government’s centralization of authority and the increased role in defining the national welfare, as well as the involvement of government in reform programs.

- We can see the beginnings of the issues today concerning liberalism and conservativism, and Obama’s policies.  

 

2. Many Americans also become frustrated with the liberal agenda, questioning its efficency, thus begins the end of the reign of liberalism.

 

3. Nixon takes office and immediatley cuts back on government spending and attempts to deal with the crisis of inflation due to the Vietnam war, the Oil Embargo, and poor fiscal choices (selling wheat to Russia).

 

Nixon marks the end of a liberal reign.

 

4. Nixon attempts to maintain a balance with the welfare state.

- On one hand he recognized the growing conservative movement, but at the same time he did not want to lose democratic support by dismantling the wefalre state on which their workers relied.

 

5. The Watergate Scandal forces Nixon to resign.

- Many Americans lost complete faith in the American system after Nixon's corrupt dealings as well as the Watergate Scandal were uncovered.  With this on top opposition to the Vietnam war, the issue became no longer about liberalism vs. conservativism, but the people vs. the government.

 

6. Following the scandal of Nixon, Ford, though attempting to restore faith in the presidency, ultimately worsens the condition of the United States causing a recession and [in his refusal to create strong, central authority] alienating liberals.

- After Ford came Carter, whom we all recognize openly to be one of the nation's most ineffective presidents.  His policies, upsetting not only liberals, but the American people in general, further alienated civilians from their government, as well as raised unemployment and aggravated the recession.

 

The cherry on the sunday, President Jimmy Carter is the final straw for many

americans who seriously begin to reject the government and presidency.

 

V. Terms and ID’s

Brown v. Board of education

Gideon v. Wainwright

Escobedo v. Illinois

Miranda v. Arizona

Baker v. Carr

Liberalism

Conservativism

Watergate Scandal

Nixon

Carter

Ford

Eisenhower

Johnson (LBJ)

Kennedy

Truman

Vietnam

 

VI. Vocab

Fair Deal – Truman's calling for a series of economic reforms.

Great Society – LBJ's domestic programs designed to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

Medicare -social insurance program providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over, or who meet other special criteria.

Medicaid – Health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources

Recession - A general slowdown in economic activity over a sustained period of time 

 

American Diversity in Chapter 29: The Struggle For Social Reform

I. Race

    A. African Americans

1. Discrimination was yet again brought into question. Upon returning from the war, many African Americans vowed to fight against discrimination as African American leaders quested for black equality. Race was emphasized by events such as Jackie Robinson’s success in major-league baseball – the first African American of many to move into professional sports.

- Remember that although discrimination existed for years before this time period, this was the beginning of many African Americans actually beginning to take action. Much of this was stirred up by Cold War politics; because America wanted support in Africa and Asia, discrimination had to end.

 

Source

 

2. President Truman sends a ten-point civil rights program to Congress in 1948, which barred discrimination in federal establishment and made treatment equality in military services.

- This was the first time that armies would be desegregated in terms of African Americans and Whites. However, there was still the issue of actually enforcing the decision.

 

3. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court decreed that “separate facilities are inherently unequal” in the court case Brown v. Board of Education, and a law executed by President Eisenhower determined that schools be desegregated one year later. Eisenhower also ordered desegregation in navy yards and veterans’ hospitals.

- The Brown v. Board of Education overturns the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which we came across in chapter 17, and is part of the beginning of the success in the civil rights struggle. Again, although it was ordered for schools to desegregate like equal treatment was ordered in military services, there was still the issue of actually making desegregation happen, as demonstrated by the Little Rock confrontation in which many refused to integrate.

 

4. Many African Americans began joining the civil rights movement. This was demonstrated by the memorable December 1955 event, when Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus. Martin Luther King, Jr. is another well-known example, emerging as spokesman of the protest for civil rights, inspiring many to act. Boycotting occurred – African Americans refused to ride buses, and the Supreme Court eventually ruled that buses be desegregated.

- Rosa Park’s actions encouraged African American women to join the civil rights movement. Although some political figures took action, such as Lyndon B. Johnson pushing the Civil Rights Act of 1960 through, most of the success arose from the actions of African Americans themselves and the Supreme Court decisions.

 

Source

 

5. Many new organizations began to form besides old ones that supported civil rights for African Americans: old and new included the NAACP, the Congress of Racial Equality, the Southern Christian Leadership Committee, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Many organized peaceful sit-ins, and confrontations occurred that protested racial discrimination. Responses to these were often violent.

- The consciousness amongst the people to combat racial discrimination was not just amongst African Americans, but also amongst whites. Whites were often part of campaigns to help eliminate racial barriers.

 

6. John Kennedy had won black support in 1960, but did not take action against discrimination until his executive order to end segregation in federally financed housing. Eventually, he took more action. He guaranteed James Meredith the right to attend the all-white University of Mississippi, forced the desegregation of the University of Alabama, and sent federal troops to intervene violent situations.

- In contrast to past presidents, Kennedy made more efforts to combat racial discrimination.

 

7. Lyndon Johnson was the most involved of all presidents in the civil rights (up to that point). He pushed the civil rights bill through, outlawing racial discrimination in all public accommodations and made authorized the Justice Department to act with greater authority in school and voting. He also had the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed to help blacks register to vote.

- Although more acts passed, there was still racial discrimination in the North and the South.

 

8. Malcolm X encouraged African Americans to fight racism “by any means necessary,” speaking out for poor southern blacks. “Black Power” fostered black pride, and the Black Panthers vowed to get rid of racil discrimination and capitalism.

- Malcolm X was basically the opposite of Martin Luther King, Jr. although they both strove to fight racial discrimination. Unlike King, who promoted peaceful demonstrations, Malcolm X encouraged physical action. [Note from Mr. Bond: Don't forget that Malcolm X changed many of his attitudes just before he was assassinated...so, any - perhaps all - descriptions of him are going to be difficult...]

 

Source

 

9. Richard Nixon, unlike Kennedy and Johnson, did little for the civil rights movement. Nixon wished to cut back the federal commitment to civil rights. Gerald Ford, president after Nixon, also did little to help. After Ford was Jimmy Carter, who made more of an attempt but had little support. 

 

    B. Latinos

1. New organizations arose for Latinos for the struggle for equal rights like there were for African Americans. There was the Community Service Organization, the Asociacion Nacional Mexico-Americana, and the League of United Latin American Citizens. The Young Chicanos for Community Action also formed for younger Latinos. The La Raza Unida political party promoted Mexican American candidates for political offices.

 

2. Areas in which there was a large Chicano population witnessed the largest discrimination against Chicanos.

 

3. Chicanos became more politically active in the 1960s and 70s, supporting John Kennedy and gaining positions in the Senate. However, there was also action taken that did not stem from the political area; Cesar Chavez organized migrant farm workers to protest and ask for better wages and working conditions and launched a boycott. Due to Chavez’s work, Chicanos were covered by the National Labor Relations Board.

- This fight for equality in rights, however, was ultimately less successful than that of African Americans, but was the beginning of a greater movement.

 

Source

 

     C. Native Americans

 

1. Native Americans were victimized as the “termination policy” was applied, which proposed settling outstanding claims on land and eliminating reservations as legitimate political entities, far different from the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 which restored lands to tribal ownership and stopped the loss or sale of land to other people.

- This stirred up Indian activism, fostering Native American pride and making whites aware that Indians wished to maintain heritage. They promoted their own culture and demanded honest portrayals of themselves.

 

2. Native Americans strove to protect their remaining land and protest assault on remaining rights, pushing cases to courts. Organizations formed, such as the American Indian Movement. Protests followed, and more personal action was taken as colleges formed to educate Native Americans. Protests did result in Kennedy and Johnson trying to raise living conditions by persuading private industries to settle on reservations and promoting leasing of lands to corporations.

- Although the protests had results, they were not the ones that Native Americans sought for. Instead, they feared they would be crushed by corporation, and were very self-determined. They became involved in their own programs and budgets, along with housing, health, and education.

 

Source

 

3. In 1975, Congress passed the Education Assistance Act and the Indian Self-determination Act.

- These acts indicated that the government began to give in to Indian protests, and marked the beginning of response.

 

 

II. Gender - Women

A. The women’s movement was sparked by the black civil rights movement and by the fact that more women were receiving educations and pushed for change.

- However, not all women supported the movement and not all women were feminists; some women even took action to block the ratification of the ERA (see 2 bullets below). 

 

B. The Civil Rights bill of 1964 allowed women to attack discrimination, since it prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender. 

 

C. A group of women established the National Organization for Women, or NOW, in 1966. The group promoted equal opportunity for women, and wanted to enlighten women about the oppression they were under. Some women of NOW worked to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, which stated that equality of rights would not be denied based on sex. 

 

D. New publications spread principles of the women’s movement, such as Ms., Our Bodies, Ourselves, and The New Woman’s Survival Catalogue. The content of the publications were of abortion, employment, and discrimination, bringing awareness to different subjects.

 

Source

 

III. Terms and IDs

     Terms

- Discrimination: unfair treatment, singling out a person or group

- Desegregation: to end racial segregation; to integrate races back together

 

       I.D.'s

- Jackie Robinson

- Harry Truman

- Dwight Eisenhower

- Plessy v. Ferguson

- Brown v. Board of Education

- Rosa Parks

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

- Lyndon B. Johnson

- Supreme Court

- NAACP

- CORE

- SNLC

- SNCC

- John Kennedy

- James Meredith

- Civil Rights Act of 1964

- Voting Rights Act of 1965

- Malcom X

- Black Power

- The Black Panthers

- Richard Nixon

- Gerald Ford

- Jimmy Carter

- NOW

- ERA

- Chicanos

- Cesar Chavez

- American Indian Movement

 

 

American Diversity in Chapter 30: The Revival of Conservatism 

I. Race

    A. African Americans

1. The new conservative Republicans achieve many things that undermine the Civil Rights movement, including the stoppage of funding for school integrations. In the case Freeman vs. Pitts it is decided that a school in Atlanta is not required to desegregate.

- The 60s was a period of major achievement for the African American people, but they had not won the battle yet. The Republicans of this period do not necessarily try to destroy the Civil Rights Movement, but it was not a part of their plan to bring the U.S. to economic prosperity. As time goes on, respect for African Americans grows.

 

2. Republicans repeal a previous policy of "preferential treatment" of groups who had been previously discriminated against.

- Was this such a wrong act? Consider this: if there was preferential treatment of minority groups and different races, would it not be reverse racism? By treating another race differently, one still acknowledges the difference, but they are more condescending than hateful. The African Americans simply wanted the same rights as everyone else and to be treated as equal, not to be treated better.

 

3. African Americans run and win elections. Many become governors and senators. Jesse Jackson runs for president.

- Now that we have a black president in 2009, it may be hard to see why this is so amazing -- however, it truly is. The African Americans had only just been given the right to sit with whites on busses 20 years before, and they were beginning to recieve better treatment.

 

Source

 

    B. Hispanics and Mexicans

1. The American school system fails the Latino children and college bound adults due to a gap in both culture and language. Bilingual schools are formed in order to teach these children concepts, but Hispanics face discrimination and prejudice within schools.

- By not educating Hispanics, African Americans and other minority groups, the United States guarantee themselves a cheap source of labor. No group deserves treatment such as this, simply due to their race. Language barrier is a large issue.

 

2. Some do make it in the world of politics, and are elected as governors as well as other government positions.

- This proves that many people begin to see the error of racism, and that those who can overcome the language barrier can succeed.

 

3. Hispanics continue to suffer in the labor field because a majority of their labor skills become outdated by machines and faster methods of production. They turn to jobs such as driving trucks and cabs.

- Unfortunately, this has extended into one of the stereotypical Hispanic characteristics of today.

   

     C. Native Americans

1. Many Native American tribes "jump on the band-wagon" of new Conservatism, and begin to study business skill. Many tribes become complex businesses with large incomes.

- Native Americans were making great leaps in becoming a respected people as well.  They followed the crowd and their new ideas worked while they retained some of their own traditions.

 

2. They bring many new jobs, especially to wildlife reserves. However, a majority of Native Americans remain poverty stricken.

- This proves that many people begin to see the error of racism, and that those who can overcome the language barrier can succeed.

 

    D. Immigrants

1. Immigrants continue to travel to the U.S.

 

2. The influx of immigrants leads to greater diversity, a source of cheap labor, and a new social class.

 

 

II. Social Classes

    A. The Upper and Middle Class

1. The upper and middle classes gain the most from the "Reaganomics" of the 1980s because of large tax cuts.

- The idea of "Reaganomics" is that a tax cut for an upper-class citizen would allow him or her to invest that money into business thus creating new jobs for the poor and laborers. Sometimes this proved to be true and "Reaganomics" did work to some extent, although many paranoid people held onto their money anyways.

 

2. The diversity of business shifts as well. The upper-class own labor oriented businesses, but the labor begins to move overseas to where labor is cheaper and strict government regulations do not keep them down. The economy itself becomes a service based economy.

- The U.S. becomes a very different place as factories shut their doors to move elsewhere.

 

Source

 

    B. The Lower Class

1. Millions of those in the lower class begin to lose jobs due to the shift to a service-based economy.

- U.S. citizens had been skilled in factory and farm labor for many years, and in the 1980s these jobs began to disappear. These skilled men and women could no longer use their skills to provide for their families and had to find other ways to make money.

 

2. The lower class becomes ever lower due to job loss.

 

 

III. Gender - Women

A. Republicans support the women's rights movement as Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman on the Supreme Court.

- Although many of their social ideals hurt women to some extent, the Republicans initially attempt to help women gain respect in politics.

 

B. Conservative social policies cause women to loose respect in the workplace, and do not help in getting higher paying jobs. They are confined to being secretaries, cashiers, and few other jobs. Women are also paid much less than men for the jobs they did do.

- This causes the feminist movement to come back even stronger in order to demand more social rights.

 

C. Abortion rights for women become stricter as pro-life and pro-choice arguments heat up.

 

IV. Politics

Although politics is not discussed explicitly in the AP definition of diversity, it is extremely important to this chapter. Chapter 30 discusses a change in politics to a more conservative type of politics, but at the same time it says that liberalism returns in the same era (with Clinton). It is obvious that not all Americans were behind the same political party at all times, and the constant change of which party is the most influential. This is what diversity is. It is when not all humans are the same. In this case, it is the diversity amongst people's ideologies as well as the title they give themselves. Starting around the 1980s, spanning to the present, the political party one supports becomes a type of ethnicity that can cause uproar and even prejudices.

 

A. Ronald Reagan and many other new Conservative officials are elected into office. They propose new ideas including new economic plans. 

- With the changing face of Americans and growing diversity in the class and economic systems after the Carter presidency, the diversity in political parties becomes smaller. More and more Americans begin to support the Republican party, but this all changes when they discover the social programs that are destroyed; thus, again, creating a diversity in political beliefs.

 

B. Bill Clinton wins the presidency, yet Republicans take a majority in the House of Representatives as well as the Senate for the first time in about 40 years.

- Even while there are enough people to support the Democratic Leader as a president, more people trust congress to the Republicans, thus proving the existence of a very large diversity of political minds.

 

Source

 

V. Vocabulary Terms

- Conservative: A return to more traditional values.  Preserves the "status quo."

- Liberal: A move towards more radical and untraditional values.  Generally supports equality for all, freedom of speech, press, and thought.  Traditionally, liberalism stresses limitation in the power of government, but in this era, as in today's society, liberalism favors government interference in the market for the good of the people.

- Affirmative Action: policies that take race, gender, or ethnicity into account in an attempt to promote equal opportunity

- Freeman vs. Pitts: Granted Atlanta school board relief from desegregation

- Immigration Act of 1965 :Authorized the acceptance of immigrants impartially from all over the world

- Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986: Aimed to curb illegal immigration while offering amnesty to aliens who lived in the US since 1982

- Immigration act of 1990: Revised the level and preference system for admission of immigrants to the US

- Communism: socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general

- Capitalism: economic system in which wealth, and the means of producing wealth, are privately owned and controlled rather than commonly, publicly, or state-owned

- Prejudice: (Racial) making a judgment about a person based on their race, religion, class, etc., before knowing information about them

- Service based: Economy that is not fueled by industry, but by service-based jobs, such as teachers, dentists, doctors, lawyers, sanitation engineers, waitors, janitors, etc.

- Reaganomics: Economic policies promoted by Ronald Regan during the 1980s, including reducing the growth of government spending, reducing government regulation, and controlling the money supply to reduce inflation. 

 

VI. I.D.'s

- Ronald Regan- President during the 1980's who helped bring the country to economic superiority. He was the founder of an economic mentality referred to as "Reaganomics".

- George Bush-Vice President of Ronald Reagan, was famous for the slogan "Read my lips, No New Taxes."  He was a Conservative Republican and was involved in and declared the Persian Gulf War.

- Republican- In the American Party System a member of the Republican party who usually follows ideas and ideals that may be called conservative or right wing. (In the Current Day)

- Democrat-  In the American Party System, a member of the Democrat party who usually follows ideas and ideals that may be called liberal or left wing. (In the Current Day)

- Bill Clinton-  President during the 1990s who was a Democrat.  He had to deal with a congress and America that was primarily Conservative Republicans at the time.  He was involved in a few scandals and was acclaimed for appealing to the younger, new generation of Americans.

- Sandra Day O'Connor- First Female Supreme Court Justice.