queensoffeminism-blog

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Demographic Profile

             The Women’s Liberation Movement that began in the early 1960s extended until the 1980s. The movement was joined by women of various ages, but they were usually under the age of 30. These young women were the children of the Silent Generation. Their parents fought in World War II and the Korean War. They then sought solitude and fed the rise of consumerism in the 1950s. Their children grew up during the Cold War and became the protesters of the 1960s.

             Many members of the Women’s Liberation Movement participated in the Civil Rights Movements earlier in the decade. The same women that worked in the South with SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, registering people to vote during the Mississippi Freedom Summer also started many feminist groups. They realized their work was not being valued even in the Civil Rights Movement that fought against oppression. Women were often assigned to menial tasks and lacked the chance to take a lead role in the movement. The sexism experienced in their work with Civil Rights inspired many to begin the Women’s Liberation Movement.

                The feminist members of Women’s Liberation varied according to specific organizations. The most widely-known group of the time, the National Organization for Women, boasted many members of the middle-class. Boosted by the Presidency of Betty Friedan, the organization had many women with families join their ranks. The group was helped with its mainstream agenda, compared to radical and lesbian feminist groups from the time. Until 1971, they did not adopt the issues of lesbianism in their group. This coincided with the end of Betty Freidan’s presidency of the group ending in 1970.

             Many feminist groups that formed began in New York City. The city was a hotspot for activism with the mass of people living there. The Gay Liberation Front, GLF, was mainly stationed in the city, gaining momentum after the Stonewall riots in 1969 in Greenwich Village. Not long after its inception, the Lavender Menace members created the group RadicalLesbians. The members were lesbians in the New York City area who felt that they were being overlooked by the feminist groups and GLF. Most of them were under the age of thirty also. Organizations such as New York Radical Women, the Redstockings, and W.I.T.C.H also emerged from New York City. The formation of these groups shaped the Radical feminist sector of the Women’s Liberation Movement.

             The Second-Wave Feminists were mainly young women that resided in urban areas in the Northern United States. They wanted a future different than that of their mothers, many of whom had stayed at home to raise them and keep the house in pristine condition. The young members of the movement wanted to have their own say in the lives they would live, whether that included what occupation they would take or the decision to have children. It was mainly urban dwellers that kept the movement in progression throughout the 1970s.

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New York Radical Women demonstration at the Miss American Pageant in Atlantic City - 1968

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NYRW - Organization Profile

           The radical feminist group, New York Radical Women, was present and active for three years during the Second-Wave of Feminism. The group was founded in 1967 by Shulamith Firestone and Pam Allen. It was also joined by other popular feminist of the time, Robin Morgan, Kathie Sarachild, and Carol Hanisch. The group’s first major protest was at the Arlington National Cemetery in January, 1968. The protest was labeled “Burial of Traditional Womanhood” and signified the liberation of women in the nation. The group’s most widely known act was at the Miss America Pageant in 1968. The group displayed a large banner with “Women’s Liberation” written on it during the televised pageant. They also tossed female products such as bras, corsets, false eyelashes, and mops in a trash can on the Atlantic City Boardwalk to signify the liberation of women. These demonstrations significantly increased the worldwide attention the movement received in the late 1960s.

           Robin Morgan, an early member of NYRW, authored the pamphlet “No More Miss America!” and helped distribute it to other feminists in the New York area. It described the protests that would occur at the Miss America Pageant and also the rules the group had. They would not allow any males to participate in the demonstrators, nor would they grant any interviews to males. The group wanted to leave the focus on women and the problem of a perfect, ideal woman depicted in the pageant. The group eventually broke up in 1969. WITCH and the Redstockings were formed 

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NOW demonstration 

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NOW - Organization Profile

           The National Organization for Women was formed in June 1966 at the Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women in Washington D.C. The conference began originally with the creation of PCSW, the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women started by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. This event drew together various leaders working on rights for women, who believed the commission was not doing enough to help their status in the country. Betty Friedan, along with less than 30 other women, started the group in her hotel room. The first election of officers was at the Organizing Conference in October that same year. Betty Friedan was assigned President of the organization, where she would remain in office until 1970. NOW focused on women gaining full membership into America society, both legal and private. The group is well known for its legal battles over the Equal Rights Amendment and the enforcement of EEOC. In 1970, they organized the Women’s Strike for Equality on the 50th anniversary of the 19th amendment with huge success.

            The National Organization for Women has various task forces to accomplish its goals. Two of the major ones include the Task Force on Equal Opportunity of Employment and also Legal and Political Rights. This liberal feminist group worked its way into mainstream American and helped assist the Women’s Liberation Movement in many legal victories since their inception.

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Rita Mae Brown -  Lavender Menace

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Rita Mae Brown

           Rita Mae Brown was a prominent radical feminist from the Women’s Liberation Movement. Born November 28, 1944, she is best known for her autobiography published in 1973, Rubyfruit Jungle. She was a staunch supporter of women’s rights, especially those surrounding lesbianism. Her novel depicts her life growing up as a lesbian and her experiences thereafter.  She graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree, and shortly after received another degree in cinematography from the New York School of Visual Arts. She also has a Ph.D in literature and political science.

            She was active in NOW until 1970 and later joined the Gay Liberation Movement and the radical feminist group, Lavender Menace. She also was a founding member of The Furies Collective in 1971, a lesbian feminist publication.  She is credited to authoring over 30 books, including The Hand that Cradles the Rock, Songs to a Handsome Woman, and Starting from Scratch. Her political activism helped propel the lesbian organizations into national spotlight in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.

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Shirley Chisholm

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Shirley Chisholm

            Shirley Chisholm is another prominent member of the Second-Wave Feminism that swept through the country beginning in the 1960s. She was born on November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York to immigrant parents from British Guiana and Barbados. She lived with her maternal grandmother from three years old until the age of ten, mainly to attend the British school Vauxhall Primary School and gain a good start on her education. She would be married twice in her lifetime with no children. In 1946, she graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor’s degree. She received her master’s degree in elementary education from Columbia University in 1952.

            Chisholm was elected to the New York State Legislature in 1964 and to the United States Congress in 1968. She became the very first African-American woman elected to Congress with her appointment as a U.S. Representative. She remained in Congress until 1983. In 1972, she ran on the Democratic ticket as a nominee for President, again a first for an African-American woman. Chisholm is credited as a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, an organization for black members of Congress that was created in 1971. Once she left Congress, she taught at Mount Holyoke College until she retired in Florida. Shirley Chisholm championed education and the rights of inner-city people throughout her lifetime. Her most popular work, the autobiography Unbought and Unbossed, was published in 1970.

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Betty Freidan

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Betty Friedan

           Betty Goldstein was born on February 4, 1921 in Peoria, Illinois.  After attending school at Smith College and doing graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, she worked as a journalist for various leftist publications and also a labor union magazine. In 1947, she married Carl Friedan, and became known as Betty Friedan. She had three children with Carl, whom she remained married to until 1969. She was unhappy staying at home with her only duties including caring for her husband and children. She began work on her most famous work, The Feminine Mystique, at her 15th high school reunion by surveying the women there on their quality of life and happiness. Her results were remarkable, considering the mainstream belief that having a family and staying at home was the ultimate reality that could be granted to females at the time. Many women felt unfulfilled by the life they had and felt that something was lacking in themselves. She compiled her research of the “problem that has no name” into the groundbreaking book, The Feminine Mystique. It’s publication in 1963 is often credited with sparking the beginning of Second-Wave Feminism that would not end until the early 1980s.

            In 1966, she co-founded NOW, National Organization for Women, a liberal feminist activist group. She became the first ever president in 1966, until she stepped down in 1970. The group focused on gaining equal rights for women in all aspects of their lives in America. Friedan also fiercely worked to for the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have guarantee equal rights for women. In 1969, she he established the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, NARAL Pro-Choice America. Her later works include The Second Stage, 1982, and The Fountain of Age, 1993.

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This isn't part of my project, but goes along with it perfectly. 

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Primary Document Set

Written Documents

Bender, Marylin. "The Feminists Are On the March Once More." New York Times. December 14, 1967. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10B15FB3D54137A93C6A81789D95F438685F9 (accessed November 11, 2013).

This article featured in the New York Times in 1967 discusses another demonstration day for the National Organization for Women over the laxity of the E.E.O.C enforcing sexual discrimination in the workplace. Her article also briefly describes various members of NOW and their personal contributions to the group. This is an article that will help connect the daily workings of the group to the overall movement.

Bender, Marylin. "The Women Who'd Trade In Their Pedestal for Total Equality; It's the Current Topic." The Women Who'd Trade In Their Pedestal for Total Equality. February 04, 1970. Accessed November 5, 2013. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F50C17F83A5C117A93C6A91789D85F448785F9.

Marylin Bender’s article in the New York Times from 1970 classifies the various groups within the Women’s Liberation Movement. She speaks briefly on groups such as the National Organization for Women, Redstockings, WITCH, and the Feminist. Her perspective of the groups and movement as a whole is deeply educational and interesting. She describes American men seeing woman as the most pampered and privileged class in the nation. Bender argues that two common demands are wanted by almost every group in the movement, which is the repeal of all abortion laws and free childcare centers across the country. She is yet another author to illustrate the increased demands of the Women’s Liberation Movement.

Brown, Rita Mae. Rubyfruit Jungle. New York: Bantam, 1977.

Rita Mae Brown’s autobiography is a coming of age tale. It depicts her experiences growing up as a lesbian in the U.S. Her book made waves once it was published. The book is known for its no-holding-back language and will be a critical part of my research.

  Chisholm, Shirley. Unbought and Unbossed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970.

The biography by Shirley Chisholm gives an account of her life, from childhood on. She was a founding member of NOW, the National Organization for Women. She also became the first African-American Congresswoman from Texas. Her personal story, as well as her involvement in NOW, will help me shape my research

"CONGRESS IS WARNED OF FEMINIST STRIKE." New York Times. May 7, 1970.  http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F10610F7345517768FDDA10894DD405B808BF1D3. Accessed November 3, 2013.

This article in the New York Times informed the public of a threat to strike given by Betty Friedan, President of NOW, if an equal rights amendment was not sent to the states for ratification by a certain date. It also mentions the strike on August 26th, the 50th anniversary of the 19th amendment added to the Constitution. It shows the group’s clear involvement with legal matters in the nation.

Firestone, Shulamith. The Dialectic of Sex ; the Case for Feminist Revolution. New York: Morrow, 1970.

This revolutionary book by Shulamith Firestone was the first to create a feminist theory of politics during second-wave feminism.  Firestone sees feminism as a major ideology that needs to be included in the ranks of Marx and Freud. She argues that women will forever be inferior unless they can take control of one thing males cannot do, which is to bear children. This book will be an important asset to research on different feminist theories from the time that relate to NOW.

Friedan, Betty. Life So Far: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Betty Friedan’s memoir provides personal insight into the major events of the Feminist Movement, especially the inner workings of the National Organization for Women. As a founder and President of the organization, she has priceless information about how it was run during it’s beginning years and the many struggles that ensued. Her memoir will add a human factor to my research and a depth that cannot be found with more scholarly articles and monographs.

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton, 1963.

            Betty Friedan combined both psychological and journalist research for her 1963 book. She described a change from more career-focused women in the early 20th century to women completely focused on the home. She included various sections of society that reinforced the idea of a “Feminine Mystique”, shaping thoughts that pinned the ultimate desire of all women to become a housewife and mother. A woman’s greatest achievement was supposed to be centered about taking care of other people and getting complete fulfillment from it. This book is widely believed to have sparked the beginning of Second-Wave feminism, thus it’s important in any study of the feminist movement is essential.

Friedan, Betty. "The National Organization for Women's 1966 Statement of Purpose." The National Organization for Women's 1966 Statement of Purpose. Accessed November 01, 2013. http://www.now.org/history/purpos66.html.

The Statement of Purpose drafted by NOW’s Betty Friedan outlines the group’s main goals after its inception. NOW wants to see a shift in American society and see women participating completely in different roles. They will work within the American legal system to see the emergence of new laws benefiting women.

Greer, Germaine. The Female Eunuch. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.

            Germaine Greer compares a female eunuch to a man who has been castrated and thus lost his sexual organs. She argues consistently throughout the book that females have been repressed from the traditional roles in society that they place themselves in. This was another landmark book during the Woman’s movement that carried over into the 1970s. Originally published in England, this text came at the beginning of a new decade- the 1970s. It would be interesting and of use to research material that came after the initial beginnings of the Second-Wave.

Lear, Martha. "The Second Feminist Wave." New York Times. March 10, 1968. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F40F12FC3E5D137A93C2A81788D85F4C8685F9 (accessed November 6, 2013).

Lear describes the methods of protest used by the National Organization of Women during the late 1960s. She also illustrates their involvement to have Title VII of the E.E.O.C enforced. Of the 1,200 members of now in 1968, many were lawyers or involved in academia. Lear includes personal accounts of women that are in NOW and their struggles with a sexist America.

Millett, Kate. Sexual Politics. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970.

Kate Millett’s book, originally published in 1970, caused a firestorm of controversy and harsh critiques. The feminist text focuses on the political aspect of sex, which before then was not researched so in depth. She basically argues that sex is ignored too much in politics, when they should be highlighted upon. This text will go along with the politic and legal goals of NOW that will be researched.

Morgan, Robin. Going Too Far: The Personal Chronicle of a Feminist. New York: Random House, 1977.

This text is a personal account by Robin Morgan. She covers topics from man-hating to men’s liberation groups, which she condemns. She has been a figurehead among the radical feminist movement and also the editor of Ms. Magazine. Her text will provide insight into the radical feminist movement and how their views differed from those of liberal feminists.

National Organization for Women. “Bill of Rights for Women in 1968.” Cengage. 1968. http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/samples/sp692484.pdf (Accessed November 2, 2013).

The National Organization for Women created their Bill of Rights at their national convention in 1968. The major points the Bill of Rights include are an Equal Rights Amendment, free childcare centers, and maternity leave. In depth study into this major piece of NOW history will help understand their major goals and demands during their reign in the 1960s and early 1970s.

National Organization for Women. "Task Force on Legal and Political Rights (1967)." The Feminist Chronicles, 1953-1993 - Part III, The Early Documents - Feminist Majority Foundation. Accessed October 27, 2013. http://www.feminist.org/research/chronicles/early1.html.

The Task Force on Legal and Political Rights of NOW began in 1966, the same year the group was founded. This task force works for equality under the law for women. It also encourages women to participate in all form of American politics by voting and running for elected offices at each level.

NOW. "An Invitation to Join – September, 1966” The Feminist Chronicles, 1953-1993 - Part III, The Early Documents - Feminist Majority Foundation. Accessed November 01, 2013. http://www.feminist.org/research/chronicles/early1.html.

This document invites all who agree with their purpose to join the fight for equal rights for women. The Invitation to join, written in 1966, promises NOW’s devotion to creating a society where women are equal with men in all respects.  Each segment of American society will be open to women, where they can reap privileges that men currently have. The only cost for admission is $5. This document will identify the main goals of the group and how they advertised these goals to gain members.

Our Bodies, Our Selves: A Course by and for Women. Boston, MA: New England Free Press, 1971.

This was a book about women’s health originally published in 1971. It was written by various feminist activists to provide insight into female health issues from females themselves. The chapters in the book cover topics such as sexuality, pregnancy, and menopause. It became very popular, especially in the Northeast, as women sought out health information written by their very own peers.

Steinem, Gloria. "After Black Power, Women's Liberation." New York Magazine, April 4, 1969. Accessed October 31, 2013. http://nymag.com/news/politics/46802/.

Gloria Steinem illustrates the process of change with the Liberated Women over the decade of the 1960s. The demands have grown steadily more aggressive and broader. They have emerged from the Black Power and Civil Rights Movements with secondary positions to becoming leaders of the Women Liberation Movement. Along with the move, they have taken the idea that “you don’t get radicalized fighting other people’s battles” to heart and allow mainly women to direct the courses of action. This is an article that links the two movements of the decade together with displays of similarities along the way.

Ware, Cellestine. Woman Power: The Movement for Women's Liberation. New York: Tower Publications, 1970.

The author of this book champions a radical feminist theory. Ware shows the differences between the new Radical feminist and the old. Their demands have grown fiercer and proceed with less patience then before.  This is another source to gain understanding into the radical feminist movement as opposed to liberal feminist and the National Organization for Women.

10 Photographs

Betty Friedan 1970 protest. Digital image. Looking Back at a Domestic Cri De Coeur. February 18, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/books/betty-friedans-feminine-mystique-50-years-later.html?_r=1&.

This photograph included in a New York Times Article shows Betty Friedan at a protest in 1970. Above her is a large banner depicting the words “Women Unite!” written on it. Friedan’s book, Feminine Mystique, is often linked to the beginning of the second-wave feminism in the 1960s. The picture shows that she was a very active in the movement and it’s workings within the public eye.

Betty Friedan leading group of demonstrators to Congressional Office to show support for E.R.A. 1971. Digital image. The Long March towards Women's Equality Continues. Accessed November 2, 2013. http://www.vfa.us/Suffrage.htm.

This is another photograph of Betty Friedan leading a group of protesters. She was frequently on the front-lines of the battles for women’s rights. In this particular photograph, she was marching to show support of the Equal Rights Amendment she worked vigorously to pass alongside with NOW, the National Organization for Women’s Rights. It was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that ultimately lacked enough ratifications by the states. On the deadline of June 30, 1982, the amendment was three states short of being ratified.

"Betty Friedan Talks to Reporters." Digital image. Picture History. Accessed November 01, 2013. http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/12889.

Betty Friedan is seen in the photograph talking to reporters in New York at the New York State Assembly on April 4, 1967. Along with other women, she was working to have legislatures put “sex” into section I of the New York Constitution. The photograph was originally published in the New York World-Telegram and Sun.

"First Black Woman Elected to Congress." Digital image. Take Part. May 10, 2012. http://www.takepart.com/photos/famous-firsts-women-politics/first-black-woman-ele.

Shirley Chisholm is shown at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in this photograph. She was the first African-American women to be elected to Congress. In 1968, she became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the state of New York. She served in this capacity until 1983. In January 1972, she was the first black candidate for a major political party for the office of the President of the United States. She also competed for the Democratic presidential nomination that same year.

Gloria Steinem Speaking on Ms. magazine, 1972. Digital image. Need Supply Co. March 25, 2013. http://blog.needsupply.com/2013/03/25/in-celebration-of-gloria-steinem/.

Gloria Steinem was cofounder of Ms. magazine, a liberal feminist magazine that began in 1971. In this photograph, she is seen speaking about the magazine with a picture of the cover behind her. It shows a pregnant Jimmy Carter with the title “Carter discovers “Life is Unfair” and More Exposes of the First Year”. Steinem was a figurehead for the women’s liberation movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Her career began as a journalist, with her becoming a leader in the movement soon after.

Joel, Yale. Gloria Steinem, 1965. Digital image. Edith's Head. 2011. http://edithshead.tumblr.com/post/1622351880/gloria-steinem-1965-photo-by-yale-joel.

Gloria Steinem is pictured holding a sign with the words “We shall overcome” in a 1965 edition of LIFE Magazine. Being featured in LIFE shows the popularity of Steinem at the time. The phrase written on the sign is one from one of the key protest songs for the Civil Rights Movement. It was also used in Dr. Martin Luther King’s final sermon before his death in 1968. Women’s liberation looked to the Civil Rights Movement for guidance and admired the accomplishments they experienced during the 1960s.

"Ms. Magazine July 1972 Cover." Digital image. Huffington Post. June 13, 2012. Accessed November 2, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/13/celebrating-the-birth-of-ms-magazine_n_1588015.html.

The first issue of Ms. magazine shows Wonder Women on the cover along with the title “Wonder Woman for President”. It was a controversial cover to debut the magazine with, but clearly showed the direction of its material. Many other covers followed, such as one showing the announcement of Shirley Chisholm and Sissy Farenthold to run for President and Vice President. It was the first national magazine to focus on feminism and different aspects of the women’s liberation movement.

"The National Organization of Women Is Established." Digital image. Take Part. May 10, 2012. Accessed October 29, 2013. http://www.takepart.com/photos/famous-firsts-women-politics/the-national-organization-of-women-is-established.

This photograph shows leaders of the National Organization for Women speaking in front of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington DC. NOW was very active in working for legal rights for women. They worked with the EEOC and held many hearings regarding sex discrimination in the workplace and various ways to fix it. NOW was also a leader in supporting the Equal Rights Amendment.

  "National Organizing Conference, October 1966." Digital image. National Organization for Women. July 2006. Accessed November 01, 2013. http://www.now.org/history/1966conference.html.

The image is a group of 30 members of NOW at the National Organizing Conference held in October 1966. Officers were nominated at the conference in Washington D.C., which elected Betty Freidan as President. At this two day meeting in Washington D.C., the Statement of Purpose was adopted for the group. Among the women there were Pauli Murray, Sonia Pressman, Alice Rossi, and others.

A women's-liberation parade on Fifth Avenue, New York, August 1971. Digital image. The New Yorker. November 16, 2009. http://www.google.com/imgres?sa=X&rlz=1C1SKPH_enUS395US395&espv=210&es_sm=93&biw=1241&bih=615&tbm=isch&tbnid=NAzz1E3ovbo2iM:&imgrefurl=http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/11/16/091116crbo_books_levy&docid=wspfTVneRuSDvM&imgurl=http://www.newyorker.com/images/2009/11/16/p465/091116_r19025_p465.jpg&w=465&h=315&ei=VdF1UrSiG--1sATkj4GoCg&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:11,s:0,i:112&iact=rc&page=1&tbnh=167&tbnw=243&start=0&ndsp=15&tx=70&ty=122.

Members of the National Organization for Women march down Fifth Avenue in New York City in this image. They were marching for equality for all, including women. NOW was frequently active in New York City, a hub for the feminist movement. In 1971, the movement was still going strong in its fight for women’s rights.

              5 Audio

Chisholm, Shirley. Shirley Chisholm Campaigns for Nomination. 1972. Accessed November 3, 2013. http://www.history.com/speeches/chisolm-is-first-african-american-to-run-for-president-on-major-ticket#shirley-chisholm-campaigns-for-nomination.

On her run for President in 1972, Chisholm speaks about her views on equality. She fights against the tradition of women being lesser than men in all forms. Her run for Presidency directly opposes the thought that women shouldn’t have equal rights as men. She also urges the country to transform its’ battered Republic and dissolve the troubles surrounding sexist behaviors and thoughts.

      Chisholm, Shirley. "Shirley Chisholm Runs for Presidential Nomination." Recorded 1972. Accessed November 4, 2013. http://www.history.com/speeches/chisolm-is-first-african-american-to-run-for-president-on-major-ticket#chisolm-is-first-african-american-to-run-for-president-on-major-ticket.

In her 1972 speech seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, she lists her beliefs on various issues in the country. Chisholm promises to tell the truth about matters in the nation suffered by American people and work to find solutions for them. Senator George McGovern ultimately secured the party’s nomination to run for President.

"Equal Rights Amendment Debate Between Friedan and Phyllis Schlafly." Recorded September 27, 1976. 1976, CD. Accessed November 6, 2013. http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch01317.

This audio clip is a debate between Friedan and Phyllis Schlafly in 1976. Schlafly is well known as a conservative opposed to the modern feminism supported by Friedan and many others at the time. She actively campaigned against the Equal Rights Amendment with the STOP ERA campaign. She believed the benefits women had at the time would be taken away from women if the amendment were to be ratified by the states. She helped the belief that women would then have to be up for the draft to spread across the country and create fear of the amendment among women.

Feminists March on 50th Anniversary of 19th Amendment. Recorded August 1970. 1970. Accessed November 2, 2013. http://www.history.com/speeches/us-feminists-march-on-50th-anniversary-of-19th-amendment-adoption#us-feminists-march-on-50th-anniversary-of-19th-amendment-adoption.

���Sisterhood is Powerful, Join us now!” This was one of the group chants led by women on a march for equality in 1970. There were demonstrations across the country in support of the 50th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution. The 19th amendment finally prohibited anyone in the country from being denied the right to vote, no matter what sex they were. The Suffrage Movement of the early 20th Century is considered First-Wave Feminism.

Steinem, Gloria. Gloria Steinem Addresses the Women of America. Recorded July 10, 1971. Accessed November 3, 2013. http://www.history.com/speeches/gloria-steinem-addresses-the-nwpc#gloria-steinem-addresses-the-nwpc.

This is the beginning clip of Gloria Steinem’s speech at the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. She spoke about her belief that sex and race were basically easy ways to divide the human race into inferior and superior groups. She wanted to change the face of humanism in the world to include equality for all, no matter the race or gender of a person.

2 Videos

Friedan, Betty. RetroBites: Betty Friedan: Men (1964). 1964. Accessed November 3, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfgxHKli9CU.

In this video clip from 1964, Betty Friedan commends the males in the nation who indirectly help the women’s liberation movement. She believes the men who are “strong enough to be gentle” are vital to the movement, and a very important part. They are able to show other men that it is not necessary to force dominance over other people, particularly women. She also praises their ability to be independent in their selves.

"Gloria Steinem: Feminist." Interview. YouTube. June 15, 2011. Accessed November 2, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu8INQWP5yY.

This is an interview that aired on CBC on 1971. Gloria Steinem is played a recording of a woman voicing her idea of Steinem’s true personality, which she describes as quite pushy. Steinem response is about the image of women who have pushed the bounds of society and the traditional roles of women. Many times, they are labeled as pushy and shrew, which is simply not the case.

2 Movement Artifacts

"Vintage 3/4" Shirley Chisholm for President Campaign Button." Digital image. Hearts Delight Antiques. Accessed November 1, 2013. http://www.heartsdelightantiques.com/component/hikashop/product/239-vintage-1-3-4-shirley-chisholm-for-president-campaign-button.

This artifact is a button used in Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential campaign in 1972. The phrase “Catalyst for Change” is printed on it, clearly showing that Chisholm was running on a platform of change and equality for women in the United States. She would run against the roles that tradition gave women in the United States.

"Women Are" NOW Poster, 1970. National Organization for Women, 1970. Accessed October 29, 2013. http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/collection/records-national-organization-women.

“Women Are” was a NOW poster from 1970. It lists various things that women are, such as aggressive, courageous, and intelligent. The poster states that women are human beings, which is a statement in itself. Once classified as a human being, people, in particular women, should be able to have all the rights of other facets of society. NOW was particularly good at depicting the strength of the female.

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Movement Timeline

WOMEN’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT TIMELINE

1960

(May 9) The Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive, commonly known as "the Pill," for sale as birth control in the United States.

1961 (November 1) Women Strike for Peace, founded by Bella Abzug and Dagmar Wilson, drew 50,000 women nationwide to protest nuclear weapons and U.S. involvement in war in southeast Asia.

(December 14) President Kennedy signed executive order 10980, which created the President’s Commission on the Status of Women led by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Hoyt v. Florida – 386 U.S. 57, Women are prohibited from serving on juries as much as men in Florida

1962 (August 18) Sherri Finkbine had an abortion in Sweden after taking Thalidomide, a tranquilizer drug that caused extensive deformities to the fetus.

1963

(February 19) The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan was published. (May 23) Anne Moody, author of Coming of Age in Mississippi, participated in a Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in. (June 10) The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy. 1964

(July 2) U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including the Title VII prohibition of discrimination based on sex.

  1965

(June 7) Supreme Court struck down a law restricting access to contraception for married couples in Griswold v. Connecticut. (July 2) The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission began operations.

1966

  (June 30) The National Organization for Women is formed by 28 women.

  (September 24) Executive Order 11246 is signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson prohibits sex discrimination practices by U.S. government contractors.

  (October) Betty Friedan was elected the first President of NOW at the first National Conference in Washington, D.C.

   1967 (August) The National Welfare Rights Organization formed in Washington D.C.

New York Radical Women is formed in New York City in the fall of 1967. Some of the founding members included Shulamith Firestone and Robin Morgan.

  NOW is incorporated with membership reaching 1035.

  EEOC rules that sex-seperated job advertisements are a direct violation of Title VII

  1968

  (September 7) Miss America protest by the New York Radical Women feminist group

  (October 31) Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (WITCH) action at the New York Stock Exchange

  (November 28) First National Women’s Liberation Conference held, in Chicago

  (December 1) Women’s Equity Action League (WEAL) formed by NOW women who left because of NOW’s commitment to abortion rights

  (January 15) Jeanette Rankin Brigade (5000 women in various peace groups) marched on Washington D.C. to protest the Vietnam War.

  (January 15) New York Radical Women conducts a  “Burial of Traditional Womanhood” and uses the phrase "Sisterhood is Powerful”  for the first time.

  Anne Koedt, “Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm”

  Shirley Chisholm is the first African-American woman elected to Congress. She became a Representative for the state of New York.

  Jo Freeman writes the Bitch Manifesto” under the name Joreen.

1969

The Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation began operating in Chicago under the code name “Jane”

(January) Redstockings is created in New York City, a radical feminist group to replace the New York Radical Women.

(February) National Abortion Rights Action League founded in Chicago. (March 21) Redstockings had an abortion speakout with only women speakers

(May) NOW marched in Washington D.C. for Mother's Day, demanding "Rights, Not Roses."

Chicago’s Women’s Liberation Union (CWLU) is founded.

  Bibliography

"1960s Feminism Timeline." About.com Women's History. Accessed November 12, 2013. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism-second-wave/a/1960s-Feminism-Timeline.htm.

Sink, Nancy. "Women's Liberation Movement." Women's Liberation Movement. December 2008. Accessed November 12, 2013. http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his135/Events/womenslliberation/womensliberation.htm.

"Timeline of the Modern Women’s Liberation Movement." MonMouth College. Accessed November 12, 2013. http://department.monm.edu/history/SACordery/Gender and Film/Timeline.htm.

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Annotated Bibliography

Barakso, Maryann. Governing NOW: Grassroots Activism in the National Organization for Women. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2004.

Governing NOW reflects on the strategic decision making of the organization throughout the years. It displays how the group has continued to rely on it’s founding principles to guide them in strategic choices. Barakso also showed the limitations NOW placed on themselves through the continued desire to remain the vanguard of the women’s movement. Her main argument focuses on “half a revolution” that was ultimately met. The struggles of actual members constructs a harsh picture of the enemies the movement faced.

Brown, Rita Mae. Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser. New York: Bantam Books, 1997.

Rita Mae Brown, author of her autobiography Rubyfruit Jungle, wrote her memoir roughly thirty years after the beginning of the Women’s Liberation Movement. She provides another glimpse into her life as one of the most known lesbians during the time of the women’s movement. She exploded onto the scene with her witty sense of humor and pure honesty. Her memoir will provide another look into the issues of the 1960s and 1970s that affected the Women’s Liberation Movement.

Davis, Flora. Moving the Mountain: The Women's Movement in America since 1960. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.

Flora Davis gives complete insight into Feminist history from 1960 until 1990 in her book. She does so from a very grassroots perspective, which adds a more localized feel to the research. Davis gives accounts from the members of the movement themselves, whose details again add a personal feel to the Women’s Liberation Movement.

Duerst-Lahti, Georgia. "The Government's Role in Building the Women's Movement." Political Science Quarterly 104, no. 2 (1989): 249-68.

This article highlights how the government helped shape the Women’s Movement. The author displays how the government helped the movement onto a national stage through their available resources. One major focus is the connection between the movement and the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau. This article will help connect the link between the Women’s Movement and the U.S. government.

Echols, Alice. Daring to be Bad: Radical Feminism in America, 1967-1975. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1989.

Daring to be Bad is a historical study of radical feminism in the United States, and its place within the larger Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1960s. Radical feminist championed the practice of consciousness raising within small groups of other women. They sought after a movement untainted by male involved, one that focused solely on women. The radical feminist believed that a patriarchy system that involved male supremacy in all facets of life had been in effect in the United States for generations. Their main goal was to combat this, which Echols shows through her research.

Heilbrun, Carolyn G. The Education of a Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem. New York: Dial Press, 1995.

Carolyn Heilbrun, a close friend of Gloria Steinem, wrote this biography in 1995. The life of Steinem was a fascinating one, with the book providing a glimpse into her personal experiences. She became an icon of the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1960s. Her experiences struggling for woman’s equality directly shaped and helped popularize the women’s movement. She was a critical leader that must be examined for research.

Martin, Patricia Y. "Rethinking Feminist Organizations." Gender and Society 4, no. 2 (June 1990): 182-206. Accessed October 17, 2013. http://www.jstor.org.bethelu.idm.oclc.org/stable/view/189611?&Search=yes&searchText=organization&searchUri=%2Fbetasearch%2F%3Facc%3Don%26Query%3Dnational%2Borganization%2Bfor%2Bwomen%2Btask%2Bforces%26fc%3Doff%26wc%3Don

Patricia Martin focuses on how to compare various feminist organizations to nonfeminist ones. She does so through their ideology, values, goals, and many more. This article will assist in discerning the different types of feminism prevalent in the 1960s and how each had an effect on society.

Maxwell, Sarah. Success and Solitude: Feminist Organizations Fifty Years after the Feminine Mystique. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2009.

Success and Solitude analyzes the contribution of The Feminine Mystique to women in America today. Maxwell also gives a critique for the women’s movement on a national level as a whole. She includes conversations about the National Organization for Women and how it shaped women’s thoughts since its inception.

Morgan, Robin. Sisterhood Is Powerful; an Anthology of Writings from the Women's Liberation Movement. New York: Random House, 1970.

This anthology of written work from the Women’s liberation Movement compiles many important documents from the time together. The primary purpose is to showcase women’s part in history during the 1960s. It establishes that the “51% minority group” is indeed a major player in the country’s history and works to show women that. The anthology has writings on women in the workplace, certain repressions they suffer, and historical documents such as the Redstockings Manifesto.

Murray, Pauli. Pauli Murray: the autobiography of a Black Activist, Feminist, Lawyer, Priest, and Poet. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1989.

The autobiography of Pauli Murray, written in 1989, illustrates to readers the life of a woman very influential to women’s rights movement in the 1960s on. She worked as an activist, author, and lawyer, and in each profession worked to extend the rights of women in the United States. She struggled and fought much discrimination against the color of her skin throughout her life since she was black. Her experiences retold in the autobiography provide a foretaste of the hardships black feminist had to work through.

Murray, Pauli. Song in a Weary Throat: An American Pilgrimage. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2979/jfemistudreli.29.1.155?uid=3739936&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102787916881

Pauli Murray is another founding member of the National Organization for Women. Throughout her life, she was continually active in women’s rights. Her biography depicts struggles and victories she experienced. She identified the discrimination against women as Jane Crow. Murray was the first woman to graduate from Yale Law School and worked for many legal victories within the women’s movement.

Reger, Jo. "Organizational Dynamics and Construction of Multiple Feminist Identities in the National Organization for Women." Gender and Society 16, no. 5 (October 2002): 710-27. Accessed October 17, 2013. http://www.jstor.org.bethelu.idm.oclc.org/stable/view/3081956?&Search=yes&searchText=organization&searchUri=%2Fbetasearch%2F%3Facc%3Don%26Query%3Dnational%2Borganization%2Bfor%2Bwomen%2Btask%2Bforces%26fc%3Doff%26wc%3Don

This article focuses on the meso-level of two National Organization for Women chapters. Through this research, Reger identifies different types of feminism within the organization and its effect on operations. This article will give a detail view into specific chapters of NOW and the operational procedures of the group.

Rosen, Ruth. The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America. New York: Viking, 2000.

Rosen’s text analyzes the changes that were created by the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960s and 1970s. She also focused on the formation of the National Organizational for Women and the various radical groups that were separate from them. The local women working towards a more equal society transformed the thoughts and ideas of the country on many subjects, which she also highlights in the book. Rosen’s focus on NOW will help further my research on the group.

Sartor, Margaret. Miss American Pie: A Diary of Love, Secrets, and Growing up in the 1970s. New York: Bloomsbury Pub., 2006.

Margaret Sartor’s memoir gives insight into growing up in rural Louisiana in the 1970s. This memoir is able to provide a firsthand account to the activities of the feminist moment and also the sexual revolution sweeping the country. It gives a new perspective from what was then a young adolescent girl viewing the changes in American society. Although she wasn’t one of the leaders of the feminist movement, she provides witty perception to the nation’s problems in a creative framework.

Staggenborg, Suzanne. "Stability and Innovation in the Women's Movement: A Comparison of Two Movement Organizations." 1989. Accessed October 16, 2013. http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=&handle=hein.journals/socprob36&div=14&id=&page=.

Suzanne Staggenborg’s article analyses a specific NOW chapter located in Chicago. She focuses on organizational problems within the chapter that she also believed were elsewhere in the country. The author displays how the formalism the National Organization for Women limited their movement and following to some degree. This article will show the weaknesses of the organization and how they affected the results of their activism.

Staggenborg, Suzanne. The Pro-Choice Movement: Organization and Activism in the Abortion Conflict: Organization and Activism in the Abortion Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

The Pro-Choice Movement shows how the actions of the 1960s feminist organizations paved the way for abortion to be legalized in 1973. This book will contribute to my research by showing me the effects of the work done in the 1960s by the National Organization of Women. Primarily, how their formalized structure assisted in the passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973 by the Supreme Court.

Tong, RoseMarie P. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction. 2nd ed. Boulder: Westview Press, 1998.

Tong describes the different schools of feminist thought in separate chapters that would prove very useful to research. This survey text will provide background information on Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism, Marxist Feminism, Socialist Feminism, as well as a few others. This book shows the diversity of Feminist thinking that the old labels provide.

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Prospectus

26 September 2013

            During the 1960s, many different feminist theories were competing for attention in the race for women’s rights. These different segments included liberal feminism, radical feminism, Socialist feminism, and cultural feminism. My research will focus on the liberal feminist theory throughout the Second-Wave of feminism that swept the United States in the 1960. The largest women’s rights group of the decade was the National Organizational for Women, or NOW.  The group was created in 1966 by Betty Friedan and less than 30 other women. In my research, I will present why the National Organizational for Women was the most effective and influential of the women’s rights groups in the 1960s. The influence they gained was helped by the popularity of their leader, Betty Friedan. As the author of The Feminine Mystique, Freidan’s book is viewed by most as the beginning of the Women’s Liberation Movement. I also believe the National Organization for Women outlined the primary issues that middle class women were concerned with, and worked for ways to correct them through legal action. NOW is arguably the most mainstream of the women’s groups in this decade, which helped its popularity spread throughout the country in the 1960s.

            My research will involve many official documents from the National Organization for Women.  The Bill of Rights they created provides the perfect overview of the group’s main goals. Also, the seven task forces they originally created will assist me in determining why women chose this liberal feminist group instead of others that emerged in the decade. In particular, the Task Force on Legal and Political Rights worked towards real progress in the public spectrum for women.

            I will also gather information on the first leader of NOW, Betty Friedan. Her influence helped propel the group into popularity and awareness with middle class American women. Any interviews or documents she assisted in concerning the National Organizational for Women will be useful in my research. The liberal feminist theory she championed will need to be researched in depth as well.

            The National Organization for Women is a popular group advocating women’s rights today. With more than half a million members, they are still an effective lobbying organization in Washington DC and elsewhere in the United States. While focusing on this liberal feminist group, I will be able to use the context of Civil Rights groups that paved the way for the women’s movement of the 1960s. Many of the women that worked in with the Civil Rights movement realized they faced limitations and discrimination even from groups working towards equal rights for African Americans. The idea of women serving in the background and not being able to lead these movements turned many into feminists.

            How exactly did the National Organization for Women become the forerunner in the Women’s Liberation movement of the 1960s? Why did they have the influence that other groups did not? I hope to answer these questions with further research on the topic. I also hope to identify the main goals they championed for woman and also how Betty Friedan assisted in motivating women to join NOW.