The 1980’s: A Time for
Change
By: Brittany Dennis
5/4/2014
Mr. Puller
Brittany Dennis
Mr. Puller
7TH Hour
May 4, 2014
The 1980’s: A Time for Change
The 1980’s was a series of uprisings that began in the United States, and went on to
control the world. It was a decade of people and decisions that shaped the entire nation’s future.
Despite popular views, the 1980’s, opposed to the 1960’s, was the most progressive era for
minority rights in the political, economic, cultural, and social environments. It was the decade
that made us.
During the 1980s, both women and African Americans were used on court case
investigations. Before this, the political system was accused of being controlled by white
American men to harm or damage minority groups. Al Sharpton, one of the country’s most
distinguished civil rights spokespersons, argued that the criminal justice system was hopelessly
racist after hearing about the case of Tawana Brawley. Brawley was a 15-year old African
American girl whom had claimed to be raped by multiple people. Sharpton went on to publicize
the case, which turned out to be a complete hoax (Sharpton and Walton, 376-380). When first
viewing the court case, one may agree with Al Sharpton. Reading about a young African
American girl being raped is a horrifying story, especially when the court didn’t do anything
about it. Naturally, the initial reaction may be that the grand jury was racist. However, when one
discovers that there was absolutely no evidence to show proof of a rape, it’s turned into a whole
different story. The alleged rape was used to try and make a racial case. Because the criminal
justice system was accused of being hopelessly racist, agencies assigned both women and
African Americans with specialized expertise in both civil rights and sexual abuse cases to
investigate. (Sharpton and Walton, 376-380). By assigning them on the case, they were given the
opportunity to show that the grand jury was not guilty of being racist towards Brawley, and that
the political system was not being controlled by white American men. Women and African
Americans were now considered to be a part of the American political system.
Political court cases were not the only win for minority rights, however. The improved
economic environment also supported minority rights. In 1977, the federal government passed
the Public Works Employment Act. In 1980, the Supreme Court Decision on the Fullilove v.
Klutznick case upheld the Public Works Employment Act, as it was needed to redress past
discrimination. This act was required to give 10 percent of federal funds to the minority. The
court allowed a waiver of the 10 percent provision if it could be proved that there were no
minority-owned businesses in the area, or if the minority-owned business was charging
unreasonable fees (Fullilove v. Klutznick). Although this was the case, the act was still a big win
for minority businesses that had previously not had the equal opportunities to compete with the
other businesses. Giving minorities the 10 percent of federal funds that was required was a
breakthrough for them. Without it, there would be no way that they could possibly keep up with
the businesses that were much older and had more built in advantages. If it weren’t for the Public
Works Employment Act, we may never have known the small minority businesses we know and
love today.
The number of women in the workforce increased dramatically. “The ratio of female
earnings to male earnings for full-time, year-round employees was virtually constant, at 60
percent” (Goldin). As the women joining the workforce increased, the earnings increased as well.
Because many would start working at a younger age, there was a better chance they would be
able to find more stable jobs in the future. “The skills many of these women acquired when
young enabled them to advance in ladder positions, allowing more women to have “careers,” not
just jobs” (Goldin). Being able to have and keep “careers” made it easier to provide for their
family, as well as keep up with men in the workforce. The “minorities” were no longer being
overpowered. They now made up a much larger portion of workers in the United States.
Throughout the history of the nation, many groups had limited availability for members.
There were many cases in which people were not admitted into a group, or limited one’s
membership, just because of their sex. In 1984, the case of Roberts v. U.S. Jaycees made its way
to the Supreme Court. The Jaycees were a group formed in the 1920’s that trained young men in
the leadership field. Like many other groups, the Jaycees limited the roles of women in their
membership. “Membership in the United States Jaycees was limited to males between the ages
of eighteen and thirty-five. Females and older males were limited to associate membership in
which they were prevented from voting or holding local or national office” (Roberts v. United
States Jaycees). Before, the Jaycees did not have to admit women. Once the case made its way to
the court, they were ordered to admit women. “Since Roberts, the Supreme Court has generally
upheld state requirements that force organizations to admit people regardless of sex or creed.”
(Brennan and O’Connor, 307). The court ruling was a huge success for minorities throughout the
country. Now that groups could not discriminate, they were now able to have more freedom
when it came to participation in different organizations.
Student Athletes took on a new rule regarding eligibility for certain sports. This new rule,
rule 48, had three parts. “First, a high school senior must have a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0
scale to be eligible for athletic participation. Second, the student must have taken eleven core
classes in high school, including three in English, two in math, two in social studies, and two in
natural or physical science. Finally, the student must have a combined score of 700 on the
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), or a composite of fifteen on the American College Test
(ACT).” (Williams, 141). Because of the new rules and guidelines, many thought rule 48 to be
racist. Basing a student’s eligibility to play sports on specific test scores was seen as being
unfair, especially to African Americans. However, some would argue that this was exactly what
African American student athletes needed. Being on a more strict policy to play sports would
make the student athletes more focused on school work and their eligibility to play the sports
they loved. If they were more focused on getting work done and achieving the new requirements
to become an athlete, they in the long run would become a better student as well.
All in all, the 1980’s saw many improvements in the political, economic, cultural, and
social environments for minorities. There were many cases throughout the decade that were
beneficial to both women and African Americans. These decisions and rulings helped shape the
modern-day culture in the United States, bringing the entire nation together as a whole. Without
the progressiveness for minorities from 1980-1989, we may still be seen as the racist and sexist
nation we were forty years ago. As it may seem that the 1960’s saw the most improvements
towards minority groups in the nation, this is not the case. The 1980s was by far the most
progressive era for minority rights in the United States of America.
Works Cited
Brennan, William, and Sandra O'Connor. "Roberts v. U.S. Jaycees." <i>American Decades
Primary Sources, 1980-89</i>. : Cengage Gale, 2003. . Print.
Claudia Goldin, "Gender Gap." The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. 2008. Library of
Economics and Liberty. 4 May 2014.
<http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/GenderGap.html>
FULLILOVE v. KLUTZNICK. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 02 May
2014. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1979/1979_78_1007>.
ROBERTS v. UNITED STATES JAYCEES. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of
Law. 02 May 2014. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1980-1989/1983/1983_83_724>
Rose, Cynthia. American decades primary sources: 1980-1989. Detroit: Gale Research, 2003.
Print.
Sharpton, Al, and Anthony Walton. "Racial Fault Lines." <i>American Decades Primary
Sources, 1980-89</i>. : Cengage Gale, 2003. . Print.
Williams, Alexander. ""The Impact of Rule 48 Upon the Black Student Athlete: A Comment"."
<i>American Decades Primary Sources, 1980-89</i>. : Cengage Gale, 2003. . Print.