Surname 2
1950s were violent and physical as opposed to those in late 1970s that were peaceful (Imlay
1105-1132).
Additionally, there was minimal women participation in elective positions in the 1950s.
The civil right movements of the time pushed more women to participate in elective positions.
Women had less power to influence political and other civil rights through established processes.
There was the disenfranchisement of the black Americans and women in the segregated South.
Black women were demonstrating in Rhodesia, and this influenced the making of the Voting
Right Act (VRA) of 1965 that allowed women and other minorities to participate in electoral
processes (Berman 4-8).
In the 1970s, the goals of civil right movements of 1950s were realized because most of
the grievances were institutionalized. There were minimal civil right protests during the time. It
was an era of tension brought by changing American society and rejection of those changes.
African Americans continued their struggle for civil rights in the economic and political domain.
Therefore, the 1970s was a period of continuous alterations of the civil rights in the American
society. For example, the extension of Voting Rights Act increased the number of African
elective positions from 1469 to 4890. Nixon Administration made affirmative action a permanent
practice with the passage of Equal Opportunity Employment Act and revised Philadelphia Plan.
In addition, Harrold Carswell got an appointment to the Supreme Court in 1970 with an increase
of between 20% and 100% in job opportunities and better housing. Other minority groups
benefited from civil right movements such as Asian Americans, Indian Americans, and Latinos
through the provision of equal economic opportunities among Native Americans. Additionally,
there was more women participation in elective positions at the time. However, most African
women were more oppressed because most Southern States did not allow immigrants to vote in
