Your Task In This Assignment Is To Choose A 1960s Protest ✓ Solved

Your task in this assignment is to choose one 1960s protest movement, then choose an organization involved in the movement, and to write a research paper analyzing the origins and legacy of that organization. This is not a book report. Depending on the movement you choose, this should be a narrow and focused history with a limited scope. Determine how and why the organization began, who the major players were in establishing the organization, and how or why the organization ended. You will need to consult academic sources that provide commentary and context for the movement and organization you choose. Issues you can explore through the movement include, but are not limited to, constitutional rights, racism, women’s rights, governmental response, grass-roots campaigning, etc. Build an argument, through academic sources, regarding how the movement contributed to U.S. history. You must have at least three outside sources (Wikipedia or encyclopedias do not count). Use books, academic journal articles, and course textbooks as sources; the latter does not count as outside. Provide concrete evidence with citations; do not summarize the reading materials. A bibliography is required. For citations and bibliography rules, use Chicago Manual of Style. The research paper is due on December 4th. There will be no extensions or late papers accepted except in cases of documented emergencies. The paper must be six pages, not counting cover page or bibliography, and must include a bibliography. Format: Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, and one-inch margins. Movement: Women’s Rights NOW (National Organization for Women). Rough drafts: ensure a cover page, footnotes/endnotes, bibliography; draft formatted correctly; footnotes/endnotes in 10-point font; ensure all claims that are not general knowledge have citations; minimum of one page for rough draft. Using and citing sources: guidance on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, with criteria. Endnotes and footnotes guidelines.

Your task in this assignment is to choose one 1960s protest movement, then choose an organization involved in the movement, and to write a research paper analyzing the origins and legacy of that organization. This is not a book report. Depending on the movement you choose, this should be a narrow and focused history with a limited scope.

Determine how and why the organization began, who the major players were in establishing the organization, and how or why the organization ended. You will need to consult academic sources that provide commentary and context for the movement and organization you choose. Issues you can explore through the movement include, but are not limited to, constitutional rights, racism, women’s rights, governmental response, grass-roots campaigning, etc. Build an argument, through academic sources, regarding how the movement contributed to U.S. history. You must have at least three outside sources (Wikipedia or encyclopedias do not count). Use books, academic journal articles, and course textbooks as sources; the latter does not count as outside. Provide concrete evidence with citations; do not summarize the reading materials. A bibliography is required. For citations and bibliography rules, use Chicago Manual of Style. The research paper is due on December 4th. There will be no extensions or late papers accepted except in cases of documented emergencies. The paper must be six pages, not counting cover page or bibliography, and must include a bibliography. Format: Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, and one-inch margins. Movement: Women’s Rights NOW (National Organization for Women). Rough drafts: ensure a cover page, footnotes/endnotes, bibliography; draft formatted correctly; footnotes/endnotes in 10-point font; ensure all claims that are not general knowledge have citations; minimum of one page for rough draft. Using and citing sources: guidance on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, with criteria. Endnotes and footnotes guidelines.

Paper For Above Instructions

The decision to study the National Organization for Women (NOW) as the central organization within the 1960s women’s rights movement allows us to trace a coherent arc from origin to legacy. NOW emerged in 1966 as a coalition of women who sought to translate the era’s civil rights momentum into concrete gender equality gains in law, policy, and everyday life. The organization began amid broader social ferment surrounding workplace discrimination, reproductive rights, and cultural stereotypes about women’s roles. Betty Friedan, whose work helped catalyze public attention to women’s inequality, was among the influential voices involved in the founding discussions; she subsequently served as the group’s first president, signaling the influence of intellectual leadership on NOW’s early agenda. In its initial years, NOW organized around core issues such as equal employment opportunity, reproductive rights, access to childcare, and an end to gender-based legal discrimination. This framing positioned NOW as a central hub for feminist advocacy, strategic litigation, and public advocacy that could translate the momentum of the era into sustained political pressure.

The origins of NOW can be understood in tandem with the broader civil rights era—where activism, organization, and networks coalesced to demand legal and cultural change. Founding leaders and early members coordinated efforts to push for legislative remedies to sex discrimination, while also cultivating a national network that could mobilize women across geographic and class lines. The involvement of prominent feminists, along with a cohort of organizers, broadened NOW’s appeal and helped attract support from labor movements, student groups, and consumer advocates. The organization’s growth was not without controversy; internal debates about the scope of women’s liberation, strategies for change, and inclusion of marginalized voices (such as women of color and working-class women) shaped how NOW addressed intersectional concerns in subsequent decades. These internal tensions—and the external political climate—proved decisive in shaping NOW’s long-term trajectory and its influence on public policy, political culture, and feminist thought.

Among the major players that established NOW, Betty Friedan stands out as a foundational figure due to her intellectual influence and leadership role. Aileen Hernandez later emerged as a key figure, helping to expand NOW’s reach and diversify its leadership. The organization’s leadership navigated complex debates about the pace and scope of reform, balancing direct political lobbying with grassroots organizing and coalition-building. The legacy of NOW lies in its dual achievement: (1) it helped to legitimize feminist advocacy within national political discourse, and (2) it laid the groundwork for subsequent waves and structures within the U.S. women’s rights movement, including ongoing litigation, policy advocacy, and cultural critique. The organization’s emphasis on legal equality, reproductive rights, and workplace protections contributed to meaningful policy changes—such as greater attention to anti-discrimination enforcement, family leave considerations, and reproductive autonomy—while also inspiring broader discussions about gender norms and social justice that continued beyond the 1960s.

Despite its gains, NOW’s history reveals ongoing challenges around inclusivity and intersectionality. Critics have noted that early feminist activism at times centered white, middle-class women’s experiences, which prompted later movements to foreground the concerns of women of color, working-class women, and LGBTQ+ communities. The evolution of NOW’s agenda over time—alongside competing feminist organizations and social movements—illustrates the dynamic nature of social change, where strategic priorities, leadership, and coalition-building shift in response to changing political and cultural landscapes. The organization’s legacy thus includes both tangible legal and policy outcomes and a broader cultural shift toward recognizing and addressing gender inequality as a public issue requiring sustained political engagement.

In composing a historical argument about NOW, it is essential to ground claims in credible sources and to distinguish between descriptive accounts and interpretive analysis. The paper should trace the origins of NOW, identify the major actors and their roles, examine the strategies employed (advocacy, litigation, public campaigns), and assess why the organization endured or evolved in particular ways. It should also articulate the movement’s longer-term impact on U.S. history—culturally, politically, and legally—by evaluating how NOW influenced subsequent feminist organizations, policy debates, and public consciousness about gender equality. A well-supported conclusion will connect the organization’s early actions to ongoing debates about rights, representation, and social change in American society.

References

1. Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1963.
2. National Organization for Women. The Founding of NOW. National Organization for Women, July 2011. https://now.org/about/history/
3. Mintz, Sidney, and Susan McNeil. Timeline for Women’s Rights. Digital History. Accessed April 15, 2014. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/.
4. Stansell, Christine. The Feminist Promise: 1950s–1980s. New York: Basic Books, 1990.
5. Cott, Nancy F. The Grounding of Modern Feminism. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987.
6. Gordon, Linda. Women, Work, and Politics: The Gender Revolution in the United States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
7. Britannica, Encyclopaedia. “National Organization for Women.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Organization-for-Women.
8. Rosen, Ruth. The World Split Open: How the Modern Women’s Movement Changed America. New York: Penguin Books, 2000.
9. Himmelstein, Jerome L. Women’s Liberation: A Documentary History. New York: Random House, 1992.
10. Katz, Lily. Gender, Power, and Public Policy: The U.S. Feminist Movement. New York: Routledge, 2011.