Embedded Files
Learning Target 28: Summarize the struggle for racial and gender equality and the extension of civil rights that occurred in the United States in the postwar period.
Following World War II, the United States experienced a struggle for racial and gender equality and the extension of civil rights.
African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians and women distinguished themselves in the effort to win World War II. Following the war, movements began to secure the same freedoms and opportunities for these Americans that other Americans enjoyed.
African-American organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the National Urban League (NUL) struggled for equal opportunities and to end segregation. They protested and sought remedy to injustices in the courts to change policies and laws. Their efforts resulted in the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
Mexican Americans organized through the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) to improve the conditions of migrant workers. They organized to persuade farm owners to treat them more fairly. They believed farm owners denied them equal opportunity for employment, fair wages, safe working conditions, and adequate living facilities.
American Indians organized to improve conditions on reservations, protect land rights and improve opportunities in education and employment. They formed the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the American Indian Movement (AIM).
Many women believed that they were discriminated against in the workplace by being paid less than men for the same jobs. They also believed that there were too few women in elected government offices. Women made progress toward equal opportunities through demonstrations, lawsuits and the National Organization for Women (NOW).
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