- For the American Civil Rights Movement,
there were many pivotal moments
when grassroots efforts
gained power and paved the way for lasting change.
Today we're counting down the biggest civil rights
turning points in every decade.
[smooth music]
♪ ♪
The 20th century kicked off with the formation
of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People,
known as the NAACP, in 1909.
And by the 1920s,
they were a leading voice
in the Civil Rights Movement.
The NAACP championed
the New Negro Movement of the 1920s,
which promoted a sense
of racial pride, cultural self-expression,
economic independence,
and progressive politics in Black communities.
Soon they became
the largest civil rights association of the era,
lobbying against policies that were discriminatory
based on race and fighting against hate.
In 1915, the NAACP rallied for the boycott of the film
"Birth of a Nation," which glorified the KKK.
By the end of the 1920s,
the NAACP had over 325 branches nationwide,
and 100 years later,
they remain one of the most
influential civil rights groups in existence.
♪ ♪
The Great Depression gripped the country in the 1930s,
and American workers needed
a voice to demand fair treatment.
Thanks to FDR's New Deal,
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 helped pave the way
for better conditions for American workers
by setting regulations for child labor,
minimum wage, overtime pay, and more.
Up to this point, most labor laws
were set by individual state governments,
but the FLSA established
regulations that were applicable nationwide.
These laws are still in place
to help protect workers today.
♪ ♪
The US military was central to the fight against fascism
in World War II, and once the war was won,
attention turned to bringing equality to the ranks.
President Truman's Executive Order 9981 of 1948
ordered equal treatment
and opportunity for members of the military,
as well as integrated
the previously segregated ranks.
Despite opposition from Southern senators,
Truman pushed the bill through, stating,
"There shall be equality of treatment and opportunity
"for all persons in the armed services
"without regard to race,
color, religion, or national origin."
By the end of the Korean War, five years later,
nearly the entire military had been integrated.
♪ ♪
In 1954, the country was forever changed
by the landmark Supreme Court case
known as Brown versus Board of Education.
The class-action case led by NAACP lawyers
received a unanimous verdict
from the court that racial segregation of children
in public school was unconstitutional
and that education services that were separate but equal
were, in fact, not equal at all.
Though a monumental win for
civil rights in the education system,
many Southern states were not receptive
of the new laws guaranteeing equality in schools.
Their aggressive antagonism sparked a series of conflicts
that would eventually lead to a massive movement
to achieve civil rights and equality.
♪ ♪
As the 1950s turned to the '60s,
the country was at the crest
of a movement that would cascade
into the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Called a Second Emancipation by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
the Civil Rights Act ended segregation
in all public places and ended
employment discrimination on the basis of race,
color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Originally proposed by President John F. Kennedy
and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson,
the act was opposed by many Southern senators
who held the longest Senate filibuster in history
to try to block the law.
Despite the opposition, the bill passed,
making history
and permanently changing the country for the better.
♪ ♪
Signed into law by President Nixon
on the very first day of the decade,
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970
not only made positive changes for the environment,
but had a lasting impact on civil rights as well.
NEPA requires that federal agencies
make impact statements widely available
to the public to assess the environmental effects
of proposed actions prior to making decisions.
This access to information allowed
climate activists to hold the government accountable,
delay projects they thought were harmful,
or sue companies if they didn't comply with the law
and properly disclose impacts.
Not to mention it also led to the creation
of the most wholesome American holiday, Earth Day.
Now go hug a tree.
♪ ♪
In the late '80s, the hair was high,
the shoulder pads were wide,
and the Fair Housing Act needed to be amended.
The Fair Housing Act had been made law
as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968,
outlawing discrimination in the sale
or rental of housing.
And in 1988, amendments
were added to strengthen the law.
The Fair Housing Amendments Act
provided a way for those who felt they had been
unlawfully discriminated against to have their claims
properly heard and investigated
by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
While there is still work to be done in this area,
laws against discrimination are only good
if they can be properly enforced,
and this act aimed to do just that.
♪ ♪
After a decades-long movement
fighting for equality for individuals with disabilities,
the American Disabilities Act,
aka the ADA, became law in 1990.
ADA prohibits discrimination against people
with disabilities in all areas of public life,
ensures that they have the same rights
and opportunities as everyone else,
mandates buildings and business facilities
meet accessibility standards and much more.
The passing of the act was the result
of grassroots advocacy groups
who challenged social norms throughout the '80s.
The impact of these activists is still felt today
as our world strives to become truly accessible to all.
♪ ♪
Signed into law
by President Obama in the first year of his first term,
the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
overturned a prior Supreme Court decision
restricting the time period for filing
discrimination complaints regarding fair pay.
The act required employers to
keep better records and ensure that
their pay practices were not
discriminatory on the basis of race,
color, sex, national origin, or religion.
It also allowed individuals to file charges
of alleged pay discrimination at any time,
meaning that victims could retroactively file claims
for past offenses.
Though the wage gap still exists to an extent today,
the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
gives individuals an opportunity to seek
justice whenever necessary
and its influence carries on through today.
♪ ♪
Marriage equality went federal in 2015
when the Supreme Court issued
a landmark ruling in Obergefell versus Hodges.
The ruling affirmed that state-level bans
on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional,
making same-sex marriage illegal on a federal level.
The ruling's foundation was based
on 14th Amendment's guarantee that all citizens should have
equal protection of the laws and also declared that
same-sex couples were no longer
to be denied federal benefits,
such as joint tax filing,
spousal immigration sponsorship,
or spousal Social Security benefits.
Joyful reactions to the passing of the law
all across the country exclaim that love
is love is love is...
joint filing your taxes.
♪ ♪
Following the swell
of support for the Black Lives Matter movement
spurred by the wave of protests
and response to the murder of George Floyd,
congressional Democrats
brought the Justice in Policing Act
to the House in June 2020.
The bill addresses a range
of policies surrounding policing practices,
as well as law enforcement accountability and propose
the creation of the National Police Misconduct Registry.
The Democratic bill quickly passed in the House
but is currently stalled
and has not been taken up by the Senate.
Only time will tell
whether this particular bill will pass into law.
But one thing is clear,
the American people want to see change.
What a list.
We told you this was some life-changing stuff.
We feel like this might be a good time to reread
the Constitution, you know, for fun.
Until next time, remember that you have
President Nixon to thank for Earth Day.
Now, like I said earlier, if you haven't already,
go hug a tree.
♪ ♪