Liberation Movements for Minority Groups in the 1960s Article

Liberation Movements for Minority Groups in the 1960s - Article Example Blacks had long been accorded numerous rights during the Emancipation of Proclamation, but those rights were yet to be implemented in the practical sense (Foner 49). After the Second World War, veteran soldiers of black origin and other like-minded social activists like Martin Luther King Jr. joined hands in a fight against oppression. Black civil rights movement continued through the 1950s and early 1960s, after which African Americans gained their constitutional rights to vote and own property. Women Liberation Movement After successful civil rights movement by the minority blacks in the US, other groups were to build their basis on strategies used by the African Americans in demanding other equal recognition. In this context, we will evaluate the feminist liberation movement and establish the manner in which the black civil rights struggle influenced women in their feminism campaigns. Prior to the 1960s, women in America enjoyed limited to no economic opportunities as compared to their male counterparts. Society operated with the philosophy that women should remain at home taking care of children while men go to work. With respect to social aspects, women were branded symbols of sex and beauty. American society advocated for charm and physical attractiveness as the only qualities used to define women’s worth (Weisner and William 34). With respect to political context, most women, especially from the black and other minority groups were not counted as eligible voters. They could neither parti cipate in general elections nor vie for political positions.