Era of Protest & ChangeMovements of the 1960’s and

1970’s

DO NOW: How do you define

counterculture?

Counterculture: (define)

• Adopting values that are “counter” to mainstream American culture

• “Rebelled” in the following ways (ex.)– Dress– Hair– Music– Behavior-”sex, drugs, rock – n – roll”– Communities– Protests– Religion (Eastern exploration)

Counterculture or “Hippies”

• Questioned authority

• Question traditional boundaries

• Distrust government

• Question and rebel against social norms of their parents generation

Counterculture or “Hippies”

• Valued:

–Youth- DO NOT TRUST ANYONE OVER 30!

–Spontaneity

–freedom of expression

–Peace, love, happiness

–“freer attitude”

• **DO NOT NEED TO COPY**

• Percentage of students who agreed with the statement, "The war in Vietnam is pure imperialism"

• 1969             16% 1970             41%

• Percentage of students calling themselves "radical or far Left" 1968             4% 1969             8% 1970             11%

Visual Comparisons

What events led to the counterculture movement?

1. The “Beat” Movement-freedom from materialism (recall “consumerism” of 1950s)

2. Civil Rights Movement-increased idea of social & political protest

Answers: 3. Anti-war movement (Vietnam)

4. Baby boom - after WWII the large # of college students alone impacted “social change”

“Hippies”

• (Consider) How young people looked was somewhat symbolic of their way of thinking-”non-conformity”

• Typical values:– The “trinity”- sex, drugs, rock-n-roll– Peace and love– Freedom– Etc.

Use of drugs

• The experimental use of drugs has a significant impact on the counterculture (CC) movement

• Timothy Leary – – Harvard researcher– “invented” LSD (acid)– Advocated to “tune in, turn on, drop out”– Idea was-open your mind, experimentation

1967-“Summer of Love”

• San Francisco- about 2,000 people gathered at Haight Ashbury – hippie movement (“peace & love”)

• Very high rates of drug use led to:– 1. Increased crime– 2. Increase in the generation gap – a lack of

understanding between older/younger people

Sexual Revolution

• What were some of the “traditional restrictions” regarding sexual behavior BEFORE this movement? (think 1950s)

Sexual Revolution

• **One of the strongest indicators of the generation gap. (WHY do you think???)

– i.e. 2/3 of Americans over 30 reject premarital sex

– Under 30- majority did not– This is a shift from 1950s

Sexual Revolution

A. “reject” traditional family life

B. New living patterns (non-nuclear)

C. Communes-small communities where people have common interests & share resources

Impact on society, family life, politics, etc.???

• In 1955 only 6% of white teenage childbearing occurred outside of marriage; today it is 42%. (Impact on family life?)

• US: Teenage Pregnancy Rate, Birth Rate and Abortion Rate 1972 – 2005 « small-m

• Trends-discuss sheets/stats.

Impact on society, family life, politics, etc.???

• Another important impact:

• Helped to spark the Environmental Movement

• (read Extreme Town examples)

Religion & Spirituality

• Recall: “traditional Christian values” – i.e.- up until 1962 school started with a daily prayer. What type of prayer?

• Counterculture movement: – Seek “enlightenment” – i.e. – transcendental

meditation– Explore – Buddhism, Hindu, Dao, etc.– Idea to live in “Harmony with nature” – like

Native Americans

Music & Art

• What role does music play in depicting culture? (Think historically & currently)

• Music & Art-plays a large role in movement. Why?– Music & Art tend to reflect popular culture

(what is going on at the time)– Music themes: protest, anti-war, – **Listen, lyrics, discuss

Music

• “Rock & Roll” – increase popularity = changed culture

• Rock became “a weapon of cultural revolution” – radical change

• Common Themes of music = – reject traditions– Reject political parties– Protest– Question authority– Distrust government– Freedom– Experimentation – “sex, drugs, rock-n-roll”

Music’s “Evolution”

• Early 1960’s vs. late 1960’s = post-movement vs. during movement

• Listen to examples:– Beatles- early/late– Beach Boys– Etc.

Woodstock

• August 15, 16, 17th 1969

• 600 acres in Bethel, NY

• Largest gathering of music in History

• 3 Days of peace, love, music

• Almost 500,000 people watch over 25 bands

• Tickets were pre-sold but the directors made it free after 1st day

Woodstock

• Many thought it would be disastrous

• It was not – aside from overuse of drugs the festival turned out to be peaceful

Impact =

• Became the icon of the 1960s Hippie Counter Culture

•How did the trends of the counterculture movement contribute to its downfall?

Answers

• 1. extreme excesses• 2. disillusionment (did it change

what they wanted to change?)• 3. drug addictions• 4. death – drug overdoses, etc.

(Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison)

• 5. A 1969 Music Festival

– Rolling Stones were getting ready to play

-- Hells Angels were hired for “security”

-- Black man ended up getting stabbed

-- Impact = contradictory to “peace, love”

-- People began to view as shallow, self-centered, over indulgent

Overall Impact - examples

• Created the “Woodstock Generation”

• Growing “rights” revolution• Helped lead to the environmental

and other movements• How else might it have impacted

the U.S. socially, politically?