Though it picked up greater momentum in the 1970s, the new wave of the women’s movement in the 1960s ushered in an era of conversation on, and demand for, gender equality. While the nation was grappling with civil rights on a racial front, the majority of the U.S. population continued to feel underrepresented, undervalued, and overlooked. Certain women were able to make a great impact on the American people as they positioned themselves in the public sphere. In 1964, Fannie Lou Hamer presented to the Democratic National Convention a horrifying account of violence and prejudice, due to her race and gender, while she and others attempted to register to vote. In 1969, Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to U.S. Congress, delivered a moving speech pleading for an Equal Rights Amendment for women.
After reading/listening to Hamer’s Testimony in front of the DNC and Chisholm’s Speech before Congress on the ERA, choose ONE and evaluate it. Provide a fully researched and well-thought out argument and evaluation based solely on what elements from “The List” are utilized within the speech that directly contribute to making it effective or ineffective.
Consider how contextual, biographical, and historical elements affect your chosen speech (especially within the context of the women’s movement). However, do not make these elements the basis of your argument. They should be used to enhance your already established evaluation.
Employ David Farber’s The Age of Great Dreams, as well as two other outside sources, in your essay to identify the efforts of the women’s movement amongst the various factions of organizations attempting to push these ideas to the forefront of the American consciousness.