COUNTERCULTURE And Other Protest Movements

THE COUNTERCULTURE• AKA- “Hippies”

• Origins in the social and political events of the 1950’s• The Beat Movement emphasized

freedom from materialism and importance of personal experience

• Civil Rights Movement introduced the idea of social and political protest and the anti-war movement

• Movements challenged people to question traditional boundaries and cultural norms • Also heightened distrust of

authority

• Made up of “Baby Boomers”

THE COUNTERCULTURE

• Values: youth, spontaneity, and freedom of expression

• Promoted peace, love, and freedom

• Experimented with new styles of dress and music

• Had freer attitudes toward sex and drugs

TRINITY OF COUNTERCULTURE

• Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll

• Music, art, movies, literature geared toward the youth reflected their sense of rebellion

• Sexual Revolution- called for a separation from traditional family life• Communes- small communities

where people shared common interests and resources

GENERATION GAP• Ideals and values were so different between parents and young

people of the baby boom generation

• Generation Gap- lack of understanding and communication between older and younger generations

• One poll showed that majority of people over 30 opposed premarital sex; the majority of people under 29 did not

HAIGHT-ASHBURY

• District in San Francisco

• Became a center of counterculture community

• Speakers like Timothy Leary said that drugs could free the mind and encouraged young people to “tune in”, “turn on”, and “drop out”

• Many counterculture members sought other forms of spiritual enlightenment• Buddhism and other Eastern

religions

COUNTERCULTURE ENDS

• Unfortunately, by the end of the 60’s many had become disillusioned by the excesses of the culture

• Use of drugs lead to increased drug abuse increased crime rates and increased deaths from overdose

• Many famous musicians died from overdose (i.e.- Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin while only in their twenties)

• Motives/values became increasingly shallow and self-centered

• By the end of the decade most hippies had returned to mainstream society

WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT

• 1960’s-70’s- The second wave of Feminism• Theory of political, economic, and social

equality among men and women

• Civil Rights Movement prompted women to look at the way they were judged and treated in society

• Brought black and white women together- strengthening both causes

• Number of working women grew during the 50’s and 60’s- women were looking for more and better opportunities

WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT • National Organization for Women (NOW)

• Established by Betty Friedan (author of The Feminine Mystique)

• Popularized the movement• Sought to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

• Supposed to be passed in the early 20’s• Also sought to pass reproductive protection laws

• Two types of feminists: • Those following the values of NOW- seeking

political and legislative change• Radical Feminists- seeking to raise public

awareness• Engaged in small, conscious-raising efforts and

protests • i.e.- protesting Miss America Pageants, Playboy

WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT • Opposition came from men and women

• Some women thought the movement was an assault on family, marriage, and children

• Women like Phyllis Schlafly fought to keep the ERA from passing, fearing that it would compel women to fight in the military, end sex-segregated bathrooms, and hurt the family

• Unfortunately the ERA fell short of passing and did not become a constitutional amendment

WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT

• Lasting effects: • Expansion of women’s roles and

opportunities • Gained new legal rights (i.e.-

Title VII)• Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission• Title IX- of the Higher Education

Act of 1972 banned discrimination in education

• Equal Credit Opportunity Act• 1973- Roe v. Wade

LATINO RIGHTS MOVEMENT• Increased Latino population

• Immigration restrictions of Europeans appeared after WWI

• After WWII, growing demand for inexpensive labor (Braceros Program)

• Decreased opportunities in Latin America

• 1950’s- Latinos were being targeted for deportation, looking for migrants who were there illegally

• 1965- Immigration and Nationality Act- eliminated national-origin quotas

• By the 1970’s over 600,000 Mexican migrants came to the U.S.

LATINO RIGHTS MOVEMENT• Latinos and other minorities had faced

discrimination for a long time

• Movement for change was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement

• Demanded better working conditions, salaries, educational opportunities

• Sought federal protection of their right to vote and campaigned to elect politicians who represented them and their interests

LATINO RIGHTS MOVEMENT• Cesar Chavez- the most influential Latino

activist • Fought for rights for farm workers• 1962- organized a farmworkers’ union in

Delano, CA• Late 1960’s- merged with a Filipino

farmworkers union which became the United Farm Workers (UFW)

• He was committed to non-violence • Implemented many worker strikes and

consumer boycotts

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awP3yXv-4ng

LATINO RIGHTS MOVEMENT• Chicano Movement

• Broader social and political movement • Dedicated to increasing Latino awareness

of their history and culture• Others focused on quality of life issues

(reducing poverty and discrimination)

• La Raza Unida • Political Party in Texas formed by Jose

Angel Gutierrez • Organized for better housing and jobs• Successfully supported Latino political

candidates

NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS• Youth took the lead in the movement for

change for Native Americans

• National Indian Youth Council (NIYC)- formed in 1961 to protect native fishing rights• Over time the group expanded to include

broad civil rights for all Native Americans

• 1968- American Indian Movement founded by Chippewa activists • Helped those living in urban ghettos• Addressed the rights of securing land, legal

rights, and self-government for Native Americans

NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS• Dissatisfaction grew with the government and

activists became more militant

• 1969- a group occupied the island of Alcatraz (former site of a federal prison) and gained control of the land until 1971

• 1973- Siege and Wounded Knee• AIM organized and occupation of the village,

demanding that the government reexamine the conditions of reservations

• The standoff ended with two AIM members dead • The government did agree to reexamine the

conditions

• Indian Self Determination Act of 1975- gave tribes more control over resources and education on reservations

ASIAN AMERICAN RIGHTS • Japanese American Citizens

League- founded in 1929 worked for decades to receive compensation for property lost during the internment camps of WWII

• Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments also provided aid to Asian immigrants

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT• Also inspired by the many civil rights movements

• People began to realize that we were not only harming the environment, but people themselves

• Coal smog, acid rain, poisonous human byproduct, DDT, nuclear waste = toxic waste

• 1962- biologist Rachel Carson releases her book, Silent Spring

• Her work convinced Congress to restrict the use of pesticides (specifically DDT) and spurred widespread environmental activism

• Earth Day- enacted in 1970, April 22

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

• Nixon and Congress create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970

• Also signed environmental laws such as, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act

• President Ford continued in Nixon’s footsteps by creating the Nuclear Registry Commission in 1974

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

• After the 70’s many began to wonder if there were too many environmental restrictions

• Companies began illegally dumping waste

• Nuclear energy and oil spills created more problems

• Some felt it was a violation of private property rights

• Fear that too much regulation would inhibit jobs and businesses