---

America in Ferment: The Tumultuous 1960s

The 1960s was a decade when hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans gave new life to the nation’s democratic ideals. African Americans used sit-ins, freedom rides, and protest marches to fight segregation, poverty, and unemployment. Feminists demanded equal job opportunities and an end to sexual discrimination. Mexican Americans protested discrimination in voting, education, and employment. Native Americans demanded that the government recognize their land claims and the right of tribes to govern themselves. Environmentalists demanded legislation to control the amount of pollution released into the environment.

This module examines the Civil Rights struggle against segregation and racial inequality, the feminist fight for equal educational and employment opportunity, the Mexican American battle against discrimination in voting, education, and employment, the Native American campaign for tribal sovereignty and land rights, the gay and lesbian drive to end discrimination based on sexual preference, and the environmentalist campaign to reduce pollution and promote conservation.