Overview and Origins of Women's Liberation

Title VII is the section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of _______.

• gender

• age

• national origin

• disability

Explain how internal dynamics within civil rights organizations contributed to the emergence of women’s liberation, citing the roles of SNCC, SDS, Casey Hayden, Mary King, and Stokely Carmichael as described.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement created a climate of protest. Women held roles in groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) but faced discrimination. Which statement BEST describes the contradiction women identified?

• Organizations advocating equality sometimes maintained patriarchal ideas that marginalized women within their own ranks.

• Women were excluded from all civil rights organizations and had no roles at all.

• The main issue women faced was lack of interest in the Vietnam War.

• Title VII allowed discrimination against women within activist groups.

According to the passage, which part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on sex in employment?

• Title VII

• Title IX

• Title II

• Title V

Fill in the blank: The inclusion of sex as a protected category in the Civil Rights Act was suggested by a __________ congressman who hoped it would prevent the act’s passage.

• Virginia

• California

• Texas

• New York

Which statement best explains how the Civil Rights Movement influenced women’s rights, according to the passage?

• It directly created the National Organization for Women in 1863.

• It contributed materially by helping pass an act that granted broad workplace protections to women and minorities.

• It focused only on racial equality and did not affect women’s rights.

• It replaced first-wave feminism with the abolitionist movement.

Compare first-wave and second-wave feminism as described in the passage. In 2–3 sentences, explain what earlier movement influenced first-wave feminism and what social context spurred the rise of second-wave feminism in the 1960s.

In what year did Betty Friedan publish The Feminine Mystique, and what core belief did the book challenge?

• 1964; that women should have equal pay for equal work

• 1963; that women’s destiny was to marry and bear children

• 1972; that colleges must provide equal opportunities for women

• 1960; that women should vote in federal elections

According to the passage, what book did Betty Friedan author that critiqued the 1950s idea that a woman's highest satisfaction was as a homemaker?

• The Feminine Mystique

• The Second Sex

• Silent Spring

• A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Fill in the blank: The National Organization for Women (NOW) was formed in _______ and aimed to secure for women all the rights enjoyed by men.

• 1966

• 1955

• 1972

• 1980