Protestors at the 1969 Peace Moratorium rally in Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Boston Globe.
impact. Much of the anti-war movement was spearheaded by youth angered not only by the war itself, but by the draft, which threatened their lives and forced them into compulsory military service. As the movement continued, activists took more violent tactics such as bombings or scuffles with police to make their points. As the years wore on into the 1970s, the government could not ignore the protests and moved to remove troops from Vietnam.
Protestors after the raid of Stonewall Inn, 1969. Photo credit: Getty Images.
The LGBTQ+ Rights Movement LGBTQ+ rights groups became more active in the 1960s, but the pivotal moment in the LGBTQ+ rights movement came when police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York in 1969. Patrons fought back in an event which is often lauded as the catalyst for the modern equality movement.
NOW members protest outside the White House. Photo Credit: Getty Images.
The Women’s Rights Movement In 1963 Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, a book challenging the role of women as full-time homemakers, launching what many refer to as the “second wave” feminist movement. Activists such as Gloria Steinem and Angela Davis led protests and calls for action to fight for equal rights for women. The establishment of NOW (National Organization for Women) in the mid-60s set the stage for a reckoning as American society moved towards the 1970s.
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United Farm Workers call for a boycott of California grapes at a 1969 protest. Photo credit: Associated Press.
The Migrant Worker Rights Movement In 1962, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association and later created the United Farm Workers with Dolores Huerta. Chavez and other leaders led labor strikes, week-long fasts, and other protests. The movement secured better pay and working conditions on many farms and earned workers the right to organize.
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