IB DP History FS5 - Feminism in the USA (1960–1979)– HL & SL Paper 1- New Syllabus
▶️ Answer/Explanation
1. According to Source A, what aspects of the Miss America pageant did the protesters criticize? [3]
The protesters objected to women being judged mainly by physical appearance. They argued that the pageant turned women into objects for display and commercial profit. They also challenged the broader cultural expectations about beauty and femininity represented by the competition.
2. What does Source A suggest about the methods used by New York Radical Women? [4]
The group used dramatic and symbolic direct action rather than relying only on conventional political methods. Crowning a sheep, auctioning a puppet and creating a freedom trashcan were deliberately theatrical. These actions were designed to make complex feminist arguments understandable and memorable. The tactics also increased the likelihood of media attention.
3. Explain why the protesters used cultural objects such as girdles, bras and magazines. [4]
These items symbolized expectations placed on women concerning beauty, appearance and domestic femininity. By rejecting them publicly, activists argued that women’s oppression existed in everyday culture as well as in law. The objects converted personal experiences into political symbols. Their use reflected the radical feminist idea that apparently private aspects of women’s lives could be politically important.
4. According to Source B, how did the protesters attract national attention? [3]
They disrupted the pageant by displaying a “WOMEN’S LIBERATION” banner and chanting during the event. Their actions were highly visible and dramatic. Extensive newspaper and television reporting then carried the protest to audiences throughout the United States.
5. What does Source B suggest about the importance of media coverage to women’s liberation? [4]
A demonstration involving only about 150 activists became nationally significant because the media broadcast its message widely. Publicity introduced the term women’s liberation to many Americans. It encouraged additional women to join feminist activism and helped create recognizable movement symbols. Media attention therefore multiplied the political effect of direct action.
6. With reference to its origin and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source B for studying the impact of the 1968 Miss America protest. [6]
Baker’s retrospective historical account is valuable because it connects the immediate protest with later media attention, recruitment and the development of feminist symbols. It therefore allows historians to assess consequences beyond the event itself. However, it is written long after 1968 and summarizes the protest rather than providing the immediate reactions of participants, pageant organizers or ordinary viewers. It also focuses on a famous event that may appear more representative of feminism than it actually was. Contemporary newspaper reports and activist testimony would therefore be useful additional evidence.
7. According to Source C, why is the traditional image of second-wave feminism incomplete? [3]
The prominence of Atlantic City created an image of feminism centred on educated white women from the Northeast. In reality, activism existed throughout the country. Women of different racial, class and sexual identities also played important roles.
8. What does Source C suggest about the diversity of feminist activism? [4]
Feminists differed geographically, socially and ideologically. Women of color, working-class women and lesbian, bisexual and transgender activists organized around experiences that were not identical to those of white middle-class women. Feminists also addressed workplaces, education, healthcare, family and other institutions. The movement was therefore a collection of overlapping movements rather than one single organization or ideology.
9. Analyse how Sources A to C explain the significance of the Miss America protest for the growth of feminism in the United States. [6]
Source A shows how feminists used dramatic direct action to challenge cultural expectations about women. Source B demonstrates that national media transformed a relatively small protest into a widely recognized event and helped recruit new activists. Source C places the protest in perspective by showing that the wider movement was much more diverse than the Atlantic City narrative suggests. The protest was therefore important as a catalyst and symbol rather than as the sole origin of second-wave feminism. Together, the sources show both its considerable significance and the danger of allowing one famous protest to define the entire movement.