Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
The extent of progress in individual and civil rights: the political and…
Full specification wording
Social and political change, 1973–80: The extent of progress in individual and civil rights: the political and social impact of Roe v. Wade; women’s rights; workers’ rights; gay rights; Native American rights and the impact of Red Power; the status of black Americans.
Civil rights progress in 1973–80 was uneven and contested.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 4 of 4
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Civil rights progress in 1973–80 was uneven and contested. Roe v. Wade (1973) legalised abortion nationwide, energising both reproductive-rights campaigners and a growing opposition movement. Women’s rights advanced through legislation, workplace campaigns and the failed Equal Rights Amendment, exposing limits to change. Workers’ rights were tested by deindustrialisation, strikes and declining union membership. Gay rights gained visibility after Stonewall, with activism against discrimination and the 1978 Briggs Initiative, though backlash persisted. Native American rights were asserted through Red Power, occupations such as Wounded Knee and legal victories on treaty and land claims. Black Americans saw political gains and a growing middle class, yet poverty, unemployment and urban inequality remained.
What earns the marks
- Explains the political and social impact of Roe v. Wade, including mobilisation of supporters and opponents and its effect on state law.
- Assesses women’s rights: legislative and workplace gains set against resistance to the Equal Rights Amendment and continuing inequality.
- Analyses workers’ rights in a period of economic change: strike action, union decline and the effect of deindustrialisation.
- Evaluates gay rights activism and backlash, using examples such as anti-discrimination campaigns and the Briggs Initiative.
- Explains Native American rights and Red Power: direct action, occupations and legal challenges to federal policy.
- Judges the status of black Americans by weighing political representation and economic progress against persistent poverty and discrimination.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating each rights movement in isolation.
Put it right by noting shared tactics, overlapping goals and common opposition.
Assuming legal change automatically produced social change.
Put it right by distinguishing court rulings and statutes from lived experience.
Reducing Native American activism to protest alone.
Put it right by including treaty litigation, land claims and sovereignty campaigns.
Exam tips
- For each group, give one political and one social consequence to show the extent of progress.
- Use precise dates and names, such as Roe v. Wade in 1973 or the 1978 Briggs Initiative, to support judgements.
- Conclude with a comparative judgement about which group made the most or least progress and why.
Try the lesson
The start of the Social and political change, 1973–80: The extent of progress in individual and civil rights: the political and social impact of Roe v. Wade; women’s rights; workers’ rights; gay rights; Native American rights and the impact of Red Power; the status of black Americans. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
What did the Supreme Court decide in Roe v. Wade in 1973?
Listen
Civil rights progress in 1973–80 was uneven and contested. Roe v. Wade (1973) legalised abortion nationwide, energising both reproductive-rights campaigners and a growing opposition movement. Women’s rights advanced through legislation, workplace campaigns and the failed Equal Rights Amendment, exposing limits to change. Workers’ rights were tested by deindustrialisation, strikes and declining union membership. Gay rights gained visibility after Stonewall, with activism against discrimination and the 1978 Briggs Initiative, though backlash persisted. Native American rights were asserted through Red Power, occupations such as Wounded Knee and legal victories on treaty and land claims. Black Americans saw political gains and a growing middle class, yet poverty, unemployment and urban inequality remained. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explains the political and social impact of Roe v. Wade, including mobilisation of supporters and opponents and its effect on state law. Assesses women’s rights: legislative and workplace gains set against resistance to the Equal Rights Amendment and continuing inequality. Analyses workers’ rights in a period of economic change: strike action, union decline and the effect of deindustrialisation. Evaluates gay rights activism and backlash, using examples such as anti-discrimination campaigns and the Briggs Initiative. A common slip: Treating each rights movement in isolation. Instead, noting shared tactics, overlapping goals and common opposition. Exam tip: For each group, give one political and one social consequence to show the extent of progress.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Roe v. Wade
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Equal Rights Amendment
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Red Power
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Briggs Initiative
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Roe v. Wade
- The 1973 ruling that legalised abortion nationwide, energising both reproductive-rights campaigners and a growing opposition movement.
- Equal Rights Amendment
- A proposed amendment whose failure exposed limits to change in women's rights, despite advances through legislation and workplace campaigns.
- Red Power
- A movement asserting Native American rights through direct action, occupations such as Wounded Knee and legal victories on treaty and land claims.
- Briggs Initiative
- The 1978 measure against which gay rights activism campaigned, though backlash persisted.
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