Clever Grades

🎧 Read Aloud

Reactionary Forces and Backlash

The Era of Reaction

Historical Context

Despite the growth of activism across civil rights, feminism, and gay rights, the period also saw significant backlash and resistance from conservative and reactionary forces. We will focus on key figures and events that challenged the sweeping social progress of the 1960s and 70s, highlighting deep societal divisions.

Anti-Feminist Arguments (ERA)

✅
Phyllis Schlafly's OppositionPhyllis Schlafly, a conservative political activist, became the leading figure opposing the ERA. She mobilized conservative women, generated grassroots opposition, and slowed the ERA’s ratification.
❌
The Stated Threat of ERAShe argued that the amendment would harm traditional family structures, lead to women being drafted into the military, and undermine protective laws for women.

Urban Unrest and Race Riots

1

The Outbreaks

Urban race riots erupted in major cities such as Watts (Los Angeles, 1965), Newark (1967), and Detroit (1967).
2

Underlying Causes

These riots were often sparked by police brutality, systemic poverty, unemployment, poor housing, and discrimination.
3

The Outcome

The unrest underscored the limitations of legal reforms and nonviolent protest in addressing entrenched racial inequality. Rioters demanded justice, jobs, and respect, but the violence also deepened racial tensions and fueled white backlash.

Key Findings: The Kerner Report

⚠️

Core Finding

The nation was "two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal."
blame

Blame

White racism and economic neglect for urban unrest.
🏛️

Commissioned By

President Johnson after widespread riots (National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders).
📉

Impact

The report was ignored by many politicians, and its recommendations (massive investment in jobs, education, and housing) were largely unimplemented.

The Rise of the Religious Right

1

Resistance Force

The rise of the religious right, especially from the mid-1970s, posed a major resistance force to social changes.
2

Key Mobilization Points

Conservative evangelical Christians mobilized to oppose abortion (after Roe v. Wade), gay rights, feminism, and secularization.
3

The Framing

Leaders and groups framed these issues as moral and religious crises, promoting traditional family values and opposing what they saw as the “permissive” culture of the 1960s and 70s.
Reactionary Forces and Backlash
Q
Leading Opponent of ERA

Who was the leading figure opposing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)?

A
Answer

Phyllis Schlafly

Q
Phyllis Schlafly’s Main Arguments

What were Phyllis Schlafly’s main arguments against the ERA?

A
Answer

It would harm traditional families, lead to women being drafted, and undermine protective laws for women.

Q
Triggers of Late 1960s Race Riots

What triggered the race riots in cities like Watts, Newark, and Detroit in the late 1960s?

A
Answer

Police brutality, poverty, unemployment, poor housing, and discrimination.

Q
Kerner Report's Key Conclusion

What key conclusion did the Kerner Report reach about American society?

A
Answer

The nation was "two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal."

Q
Kerner Report Recommendations

What did the Kerner Report recommend to address urban unrest?

A
Answer

Massive investment in jobs, education, and housing for African Americans.

Q
Government Response to Kerner Report

How did the government respond to the Kerner Report’s recommendations?

A
Answer

Many politicians ignored it, and most recommendations were unimplemented.

Q
Rise of Religious Right

When did the Religious Right rise as a major conservative force?

A
Answer

From the mid-1970s onward.

Q
Religious Right Opposed Issues

What social issues did the Religious Right oppose?

A
Answer

Abortion, gay rights, feminism, and secularization.

Q
Religious Right Framing

How did the Religious Right frame its opposition to social changes?

A
Answer

As a moral and religious crisis promoting traditional family values.

Q
Backlash Effects on Social Movements

What effect did the backlash have on social movements like civil rights and feminism?

A
Answer

It slowed progress and deepened societal divisions over gender and race.

Tip: Tap a card to flip. Shuffle or Reset anytime.

⚖️ Reactionary Forces and Backlash Quiz

1. Who led the opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s?

Schlafly was a conservative activist who mobilized opposition to the ERA.

2. What was a primary cause of the urban race riots in the 1960s?

Riots were sparked by police brutality, poverty, and discrimination.

3. The Kerner Report concluded that:

The report identified deep racial divides as root causes of unrest.

4. How did the government respond to the recommendations of the Kerner Report?

Politicians paid little attention and failed to act on its findings.

5. Which movement emerged in the mid-1970s to oppose abortion, feminism, and gay rights?

The Religious Right mobilized conservative evangelical Christians around these issues.

📊 Results

  • Notes and Quiz
  • US History since 1877
  • AS Level
  • Social & Cultural Change
  • CAIE