1920's

             1960's

Woman's Issues - The 19th Amendment, that gave women the right to vote, was passed in 1919.  With the Suffrage Movement (scroll down page) women hoped for greater equality but the reality didn't turn out quite like they hoped as reflected in the world of work where some feared that women would take jobs away from men.  The Equal Rights Amendment, which was to ban discrimination based on sex, contributed to division among the feminists, pitting the issues of working class and professional women.

Racial Discrimination - From 1917-1923 some of the most vicious racial violence occurred as Southern Blacks moved North, competing with whites for jobs and with greater access to housing.  The migration North and the increase in immigration led to significant growth of the Ku Klux Klan. Check out a brief video on the history of the Klan.

Immigration - Fear that unskilled immigrants would flood the labor market and compete for American jobs and the Red Scare fueling the fear of dangerous foreign radicals resulted in immigration restrictions in 1924.

  Woman's Issues - Traditional sex roles, and women's exclusion from the workplace and politics were being challenged with the liberation movement in the late 60's. The National Organization of Women (NOW), established in 1966, took on the role of questioning the legality of discrimination in the workplace.  The birth control pill became widely available and in 1967 Colorado and California legalized at cause abortion creating for some women a greater sense of freedom over their bodies. 

  Racial Discrimination - It was a tumultuous time for blacks during this decade as portrayed in this Civil Rights timeline. Martin Luther King led a nonviolent approach driving to establish voting and other rights for blacks. Hear King's I Have a Dream speech. Others, such as Malcolm X, preached Black Nationalism.  As the civil rights movement moved North it became clear that discrimination was not just a problem in the South.  The struggle for civil rights was also expressed by Native American,  Hispanics, and gay and lesbian groups.

 Immigration -  A marked change from previous policies, The Immigration and Naturalization Act was signed into law by President Johnson in 1965.  It opened America's borders to those all over the world and changed the face of America.