During the 1960s in the United States, the struggle for the rights and freedoms that should be guaranteed was predominant. Some of these groups were African Americans fighting for civil rights, homosexuals fighting for gay rights, and women determined to achieve liberation. African Americans continually fought to free themselves from severe racism and restrictions on their rights before the 1960s, but this came to a head in the decade. . The events of the 1960s helped give rise to the Black Power movement by giving African Americans a "new mood" about their treatment at the hands of their oppressors. In April 1964, African Americans attempted to form a political party, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, to attempt to represent blacks, facing potential prejudice and loss of jobs. Unfortunately, when this political party was received at the Democratic National Convention, it received only two seats and what it considered a "backseat bid." By new boycotts – the Montgomery bus boycott, for example – and the march on Washington. Both types of protest helped African Americans win the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Gays and lesbians also went through a controversial period during the 1960s. It began with a routine police raid at the Stonewall, a bar frequented by gays. During this raid, these men refused to be arrested and sent to prison and started a riot in the streets. This riot turned into a three-day rebellion during which gay men displayed their homosexuality in Sheridan Square for all to see. This “coming out” helped the gay rights movement because it “sparked vigilante and political activity,” bringing more attention to the issue. Organizations like the Gay Liberation Front have attempted to bridge the middle of paper......history of the American radical tradition, ed. Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillian (New York: The New Press, 2011), 569. Carl Wittman, “Refugees From Amerika: A Gay Manifesto (1970),” The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the American Radical Tradition, ed. Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillian (New York: The New Press, 2011), 583. The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the American Radical Tradition, ed. Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillian (New York: The New Press, 2011), 573. The Radical Reader: A Documentary History of the American Radical Tradition, ed. Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillian (New York: The New Press, 2011), 584.Eric Foner, The Story of American Freedom, (New York: WW Norton & Company Ltd., 1999), 294-95.Eric Foner, The History of American Liberty, (New York: WW Norton & Company Ltd.., 1999), 296.