The 1960’s was a pivotal time in the adolescence of the United States. Its history of racism and sexism had finally caught up to it, forcing these issues to the forefront. With feminism and civil rights having their own movements, it was only a matter of time before someone had to make up their mind about what side they were on. The people who felt this burden of choice the most were women. As a black woman would have to choose to fight for women or for her race, white women had to choose to ignore what was going on with race, so that she can further her own cause. These moral and social conundrums forced tensions to run high, like all times of great change.
To explore the conflict and or collectivism of the 60’s equality movements, it is crucial to understand the history of each movement separately, as well as where they came into contact. We must also analyze white women who fought for civil rights and black women who fought for woman’s rights, as they are the bridges of the gaps between these two movements. Once there is a clear understanding of the history of each group separately, we can examine where and how they may have come into contact with each other, and whether or not this contact was beneficial to either of the movements.
The Feminist Movement
The Feminist movement began in a chapel in upstate Ney York on July 19 1848 where a group of women led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton met to collectively declare that they have the same rights as men. Using the declaration of independence as their framework, they crafted what they dubbed “a declaration of sentiments”, a document demanding that, “they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these united states.” With this finally declared, the long journey began toward getting these demands met.
For the next 72 years, women of all colors, creeds and origins, campaigned around the country in their quest to spread the message of woman’s...