Which movements were influenced by the Civil Rights Movement?

The Civil Rights Movement had an impact on other movements working for equality. Women were concerned about the inequalities they faced. Pay for a woman was lower than it was for a man. Women struggled to break into male-dominated professions. During President Kennedy’s administration, the Equal Pay Act was signed. Women were appointed to important positions in his administration.

Hispanics fought for better treatment. The farm workers in California formed a union against the farm owners. They wanted to be recognized as a union. They also wanted better treatment including better pay and improved working conditions in the fields. Groups such as La Raza Unida worked to help Mexican-Americans get more access to financial institutions. The Bilingual Education Act was passed in 1968 helping bilingual students learn in their native language as they were learning English.

Native Americans also worked for better treatment. The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 guaranteed that people who lived on reservations would have their rights protected. Local reservation law was also recognized.

The success of the Civil Rights Movement also helped other groups and movements achieve success.

What movements were inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and what was one success of each?

African-Americans contributed in a very big way during World War II. These contributions were demonstrated at home and on the battlefield. After the war, African-Americans properly felt it was time for them to achieve equality with white Americans. During the 1950's, the modern Civil Rights Movement was born and it had a number of successes (integration of the military and Brown vs. Board of Education as examples.) This success inspired other activists to demand change for their agendas. Two examples of movements inspired by the success of civil rights leaders are women's rights and environmental protection.

Feminism, or Women's Liberation as it was known in the 1960's, was inspired by the successes of the civil rights leaders. While equal pay and other feminist rights were fought for, reproductive rights was a major focus. Women gained a major success in this fight with the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion (Roe vs. Wade, 1973.)

Also inspired by civil rights activism was the Environmental Rights Movement. Motivated by the important work of Rachel Carson and her book Silent Spring, a conservation movement occurred during the 1960's. Congress was the catalyst for a number of changes in environmental policy during the 1960's. These acts included the Clear Air Act, Wilderness Act, and Endangered Species Act.