Cultural Revolution

1784 Words4 Pages

A Cultural Revolution swept through the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. This revolution brought about change and affected nearly everyone—whether they supported the Cultural Revolution or opposed it. This time period in United States history consisted of radical movements and vicissitudes as cultural revolutionaries struggled for equality of all people of both genders and all races. When people think of this period, the civil rights movement and the fight for desegregation in America comes to mind. Although the struggle for racial equality is an important and unforgettable part of American history, there was another fight against inequality that many people overlook. This important part of our nation’s history was the fight for Equal Rights Amendment, also known as the ERA. Even though advocates for the ERA amendment strongly pushed for its passage during the sixties and seventies, the amendment was actually written in 1923, by Alice Paul, the founder of the National Women’s Party. (http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/) The Equal Rights Amendment pushes to outlaw discrimination based on gender. The ERA seeks equality in the specific areas of voting, employment, and education, as well as equality throughout society. Men have traditionally been considered superior, and women were expected to acknowledge their superiority and respect it. As the ERA states, women want to be recognized as equals and treated accordingly. However, the Equal Rights Amendment does not only protect and defend the rights of women; it also has a positive effect on men. According to a History Matters article on the Era, “The ERA will increase everyone’s freedom of choice within our society—no longer will a person suffer legal limitations or bear extr...

... middle of paper ...

...tution. http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/
Gray, Robert J. The Effect of the Equal Rights Amendment on Men. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7028/
Gloria Steinem, Testimony Before Senate Hearings on the Equal Rights Amendment. http://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/deliberative-topics/civil-rights/gloria-steinem-testimony-before-senate-hearings-on-the-equal-rights-amendment-6-may-1970/ Bella Abzug. http://www.tolerance.org/activity/bella-abzug
The American Presidency Project. Equal Rights Amendment Remarks at a Fundraising Dinner. June 18, 1980. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=44610
U.S. History: Pre-Columbian to the New Millennium. Shaping a New America: The Equal Rights Amendment. http://www.ushistory.org/us/57c.asp
Tchen, Tina. Supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. June 22, 2011. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/06/22/supporting-equal-rights-amendment

Open Document