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Period: to
Era of Activism
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Publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
Rachel Carson started serializing Silent Spring in June 1962, and it was published in book form by Houghton Mifflin later that year. When the book Silent Spring was published, Rachel Carson was already a well-known writer on natural history, but had not previously been a social critic. The book was widely read especially after its selection by the New York Times best-seller list and inspired widespread public concerns -
Congress Passes the Clean Air Act
This act dealt with reducing air pollution by setting emissions standards for stationary sources such as power plants and steel mills. It did not take into account mobile sources of air pollution which had become the largest source of many dangerous pollutants. Once these standards were set, the government also needed to determine deadlines for companies to comply with them. Amendments to the Clean Air Act were passed in 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1969. -
Publication of Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique
In 1957, Friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former Smith College classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion, in which she found that many of them were unhappy with their lives as housewives. This prompted her to begin research for The Feminine Mystique interviewing suburban housewives. She originally intended to publish an article on the topic, but no magazine would publish her article. -
Publication of Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed
This book was written by Ralph Nader and published in 1965. This is detailing resistance by car manufacturers to the introduction of safety features, like seat belts, and their general reluctance to spend money on improving safety. -
NOW is Founded
NOW was founded on June 30, 1966, in Washington, D.C. by 28 women and men attending the Third National Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women. It had been three years since the Commission reported findings of women being discriminated against. However, the 1966 Conference delegates were prohibited by the administration's rules for the conference. -
UFW’s Nationwide Boycott of Grapes Picked on Non-Union Farms
The United Farm Workers of America (UFWA) is a labor union created from the merging of two groups. The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) was led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) was led by César Chávez. This union changed from a workers' rights organization that helped workers get unemployment insurance to that of a union of farmworkers almost overnight -
Woodstock
Thirty-two acts performed during the sometimes rainy weekend in front of nearly half a million concertgoers. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest moments in popular music history and was listed on Rolling Stone’s 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll. -
First Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day is the day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While this first Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. -
The EPA is Established
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States. They are incharge of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 3, 1970 after Nixon submitted a reorganization plan to Congress. It was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate. -
Supreme Court Rules to Legalize Abortion in the Roe v. Wade Case
Roe v. Wade was a landmark and a controversial decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion, but that right must be balanced against the state's two legitimate interests for regulating abortions: protecting prenatal life and protecting the mother's health. -
Protesters From the AIM Take Over the Reservation at Wounded Knee
The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American activist organization in the United States. In October 1973 the American Indian Movement gathered its forces from across the country onto the Trail of Broken Treaties, championing Indian unity. The national AIM agenda focused on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty. Thousands of volunteers emerged from reservations and cities.
