Analyze the social and cultural changes of the late twentieth century, including immigration and a more diverse population, the continuing struggle for equal rights, and changing roles in society (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.49).

What this topic is asking

Standard US.49 asks how American society and culture changed in the late twentieth century. For the EOC that means understanding the new wave of immigration after the 1965 reform and the resulting diversity, the continuing struggle for equal rights by many groups, and the changing roles of women and families, all part of a more diverse and rapidly changing nation.

The 1965 immigration reform and a more diverse nation

This new immigration recalls the "new immigration" of the early 1900s (see immigration and urbanization), but now the newcomers came largely from Latin America and Asia, making the United States one of the most multicultural nations in the world.

The continuing struggle for equal rights

The civil rights movement's example inspired a broad, ongoing push for equal rights by many groups:

• Women continued to seek equality in employment, education, and the law, including equal pay and (unsuccessfully) the Equal Rights Amendment.
• Hispanic/Latino Americans and Asian Americans organized for civil rights, fair treatment, and political representation.
• American Indians pressed for treaty rights and self-determination.
• People with disabilities won protections, most importantly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, which banned discrimination and required accessibility.
• LGBTQ Americans organized for equal rights and recognition, a movement that grew through the late twentieth century.

The pattern is that the modern era extended the idea of equal rights to more and more groups, an unfinished but expanding story.

Changing roles and family life

The roles of women and the shape of families changed significantly. More women entered the workforce and pursued higher education and careers, family structures grew more varied, and expectations about work and home shifted. These changes were both a cause and a result of the women's movement and broader social change.

Debate and division

These changes were not without conflict. There were heated debates over immigration policy, multiculturalism, the role of women, and social and cultural values, part of the larger cultural divisions of the era. The EOC may present these as point-of-view questions, asking you to read competing perspectives.

Why this matters for the EOC

This topic supplies cause-and-effect items (the 1965 law and rising diversity), items identifying the groups seeking equal rights, and continuity-and-change items connecting the modern era to earlier immigration and civil rights. The big idea is a more diverse and pluralistic America and the expanding struggle for equal rights.

Try this

Q1. Explain how the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 changed American society. [2]

• Cue. It ended the national-origins quotas and opened immigration to more people from Asia and Latin America, making the population much more diverse.

Q2. Name two groups (besides African Americans) that sought equal rights in the late twentieth century. [2]

• Cue. Any two of: women, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, people with disabilities, LGBTQ Americans.