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The Identity of the Young American for

Freedom in the 1960s

Ellen Bruegger

Colloquium The 1960s

!ay 10" #01#

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Young Americans for Freedom

The 1960s $ere a decade in American history associated $ith

change" the emergence of the %e$ &eft" the anti$ar mo'ement" and

radical student grou(s li)e the *tudents for +emocratic *ociety ,*+*-.

/istorians and e'eryday (eo(le ali)e loo) ac) on the decade and

rememer these grou(s and e'ents. /o$e'er" the %e$ &eft and *+*

are not the only story of the 1960s" the decade also ser'ed as an

incuator for $hat $ould e called the %e$ ight in the 1920s and

1930s. *tudents across the nation 4oined together to form conser'ati'e

grou(s such as the 5ohn Birch *ociety" Youth for old$ater" and the

Young Americans for Freedom. The Young Americans for Freedom

ecame the most $ell )no$n and acce(ted of the grou(s.

In a time of such radical and far7reaching change $hat $ould

cause young Americans to 8ght for conser'ati'e" and far more

un(o(ular 'alues This (a(er $ill del'e into the organi:ation;s

founding document and its rhetoric" and the identity of a conser'ati'e

acti'ist" their (olitical and social ac)ground" and 'alues.

YAF $as formed in 1960 at the home of ulishers" #003-" 10?.

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young conser'ati'es $ho had ecome disillusioned $ith the

mainstream e(ulican >arty and the student grou( they endorsed"

Young e(ulicans. YAF leaders elie'ed the Young e(ulicans had

ecome $eighted do$n $ith (rocedure and red ta(e and focused

much of its attention to ceremony instead of issues.#/o$e'er" YAF $as

$illing to recei'e counsel from >arty memers to hel( etter organi:e

them. The (ur(ose of the grou( $as to (ro'ide a 'oice for young

(eo(le $ith conser'ati'e o(inions.

YAF;s founding document" $hich ecame )no$n as the *haron

*tatement" states in clear language the ideologies of the grou(" most

of $hich center around the e'ils of communism and an indi'idual;s

need for freedom. The te@t egins" In this time of moral and (olitical

crisis" it is the res(onsiility of the youth of America to arm certain

eternal truthsD?This line allo$s the reader to understand the sense

of urgency these young (eo(le felt in res(ect to$ards their ideological

eliefs and immediately )no$ $hat issues the grou( $ould e focusing

its attention on. The traditionalists $ere concerned $ith creating a

'irtuous society and the liertarians $ith the (rotection of indi'idual

freedom. For oth grou(s this $as im(ossile in the current (olitical

and social en'ironment" $ith communism e@(anding its reach in

Eastern Euro(e and *outheast Asia and the immoral youth culture that

$as eginning to de'elo( across America. This comination of oth

# !ichael

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grou(;s ideals $as an e@am(le of the fusionismD used throughout the

*haron *tatement in an attem(t to unite them.

In the *haron *tatement" YAF sets a 8rm stance on the resistance

of communist e@(ansion" since to many YAF memers communism and

the Cold ress" 1999- #?. !ichael Flamm and +a'id *teiger$ald" 11.

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of oth"D this statement e@(lains many memers hostility to

go'ernment aide (rograms li)e $elfare and social security.6

The 8nal lines of the *haron *tatement can e used to e@(lain

the grou(;s anticommunist stance and their su((ort of the Jietnam

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(re'ailing ideological eliefs" &iertarians and Traditionalists. The

*haron *tatement tried to unite the t$o $ith a fusionistD system"

$hich comined the (rimary ideal each grou( $as $or)ing to$ards

indi'idual freedom for liertarians and a 'irtuous society for

traditionalists. Fran) !eyer" a leading (olitical acti'ist of the time"

claimed that the t$o $ere essential for the other to e@ist and that

liertarianism or traditionalism alone $ere only ideological

astractions.9 This inter(retation recei'ed a lot of critique ecause

many elie'ed the t$o could not e@ist together $ithout (lacing

(recedence o'er one. The o((osition to !eyer $as correct and in

1969 liertarians $ould e (urged out of the grou(.

The *haron *tatement $ith all of its (ositi'e qualities $as 'ague.

It declared communism as the ultimate e'il in the $orld" and the

di'ision of (o$ers in the American Constitution the documents

geniusD ecause of the $ay it limited federal go'ernment. But for

many memers the documents general language aout the issues the

grou( $ould 8ght for meant that it $as o(en for inter(retation. This

caused for internal di'ision $hen more s(eci8c details of the grou(s

ideology $ere rought to the forefront of discussion. YAF memers also

had troules setting aside their o$n (ersonal goals for the greater

good of the grou(" $hich caused the grou( to quic)ly fall into the

hands of (o$er7hungry youth that allo$ed (ersonal desire for

9 5ohn A. Andre$ III" The Other Side of the Sixties.,%e$ Bruns$ic)utgers ni'ersity >ress" 1992- 109.

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leadershi( to o'ershado$ ideological matters.10The conLicts caused

y (ersonal amitions and ideological diMerences $ould (lagues YAF

throughout the si@ties.

The diMerences et$een &iertarians and Traditionalists $ere not

only ideological. In her inter'ie$s Hlatch disco'ered diMerences" $hich

united the t$o grou(s se(arately ut di'ided them as a $hole. A

ma4ority of &iertarians $ere >rotestants" raised y u((er7middle class

families. Traditionalists $ere s(lit et$een Catholicism and

>rotestantism" male memers o'erall came from lo$er7middle class

families $hile females came from middle7class families. The

diMerences led to the grou(s (lacing em(hasis on diMerent social

mo'ements during the 1960s.

The YAF memers Hlatch inter'ie$ed cited diMerent reasons for

ecoming (olitically acti'e" aside from the core 'alue of staunch

anticommunism all of their (arents had instilled in them gro$ing u(.11

These e'ents included the Ci'il ights !o'ement" Barry old$ater;s

cam(aign for (residency in 196" the Jietnam

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The eMect of YAF memer;s (arent;s 'alues is $idely seen in the

memers. !emer;s (arents $ere often (olitically acti'e $hile they

$ere gro$ing u( and taught at a young age the e'ils of Communism

and the su(eriority of democracy. Their (arents $ere e@tremely

sus(icious of ig go'ernment and hated F+ and his %e$ +ealG the

connection of the youth;s o((osition to 5ohnson and the reat *ociety

can e directly seen. !emers $ere also taught y their (arents to e

sus(icious of any ty(e of centrali:ed (o$er ecause of tendency to

infringe on the rights on the indi'idual" $hich $as a elief that

remained at the center of YAF.1?

!any traditionalist YAF memers gre$ u( in home that (laced an

im(ortance on religion" es(ecially Catholicism. At this time Catholic

(reaching had a strong anticommunist sentiment to them" (rayers

$ere frequently said for (eo(le suMering ecause of communism.1

!any Traditionalists; asic elief in od regardless of religious

denomination made them 'ie$ Communists as godless atheists"

su((ressing the church. This elief in comination $ith 'alues of good

$or) ethic" (atriotism" and faith in od and country im(ressed u(on y

their family (ro'ided Traditionalists $ith a 8rm ac)ground of

anticommunism.1&iertarians came from a com(letely diMerent

religious ac)ground" many of them gro$ing u( in families $ho (laced

1? eecca" Hlatch" .1 eecca" Hlatch" 9.1 eecca" Hlatch" 0.

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only minimal 'alue on religion" attending ser'ices ut rarely eing

more in'ol'ed. The fe$ &iertarians that cited religious reasons for

ecoming (olitically acti'e said it $as out of a disillusion $ith religion

and recogni:ing the contradiction et$een Christian eliefs in a (ure"

holy" and good od $ith the e'ils in the $orld.16

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/e re(resented a reel. /e re(resented a challenge to the

eastern estalishment. /e re(resented

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demonstrations. This could e the result of the far less radical

feelings throughout YAF" some of their most s(irited acti'ism

acti'ities $as com(rised of attem(ts to loc) *+* from

occu(ying uildings and counter7demonstrations.##

Although YAF is often associated $ith the e(ulican >arty" it $as

founded as a non(artisan student organi:ation that $as 8ghting

for conser'ati'e 'alues. The grou( struggled $ith maintaining its

status as non(artisan" e'en after his (residential race $as o'er

Barry old$ater remained acti'e $ith the grou(. In a %e$ Yor)

Times article from !ay 10" 1966 old$ater $arned the grou( to

stay out of (olitics" old$ater said" their greatest contriution

to the (reser'ation of freedom $ould come through educational

eMorts aimed at other young (eo(le.D#?The grou( had een

recei'ing criticism ecause local cha(ter leaders had su((orted

conser'ati'e candidates that $ere running against another

conser'ati'e candidate. olitics"D "e# $or%Times,!ay 10" 1966" htt(NN$$$.(roguest.com.# Tal) By

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YAF $as estalished in the 1960s as a $ay to o((ose the %e$

&eft and radical" lieral ideals and has since used the (o$er"

(restige and e@(erience they gained in their inaugural decade to

(ush conser'ati'e ideals in American (olitics. The grou(

ho$e'er" $as not a monolithic identity and faced many setac)s

and hardshi(s $hen trying to unite o((osing factions $ithin the

grou(. These factions and their diMerences can e e@(lained

through their li'es (rior to ecoming (olitically acti'e and the

'alues their (arents engrained in them. !emers of the grou(

also had diMerent catalysts that (ro(elled them into acti'ism and

diMerent o(inions on ho$ est to 8ght for their ideals.

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Biliogra(hy

Andre$ III" 5ohn A." The Other Side of the Sixties.%e$ Bruns$ic)

utgers ni'ersity >ress" 1992.

E'ans" !. *tanton" The Sharon Statmement. 1960.

Flamm" !ichael olitics.O "e#

$or% Times &19'()*urrent +ie,!ay 10" 1966"

htt(NNsearch.(roquest.com. ,accessed !ay 10" #01#-.

/i4iya" 5ames A." The Conser'ati'e 1960s"DJourna of Ameri!an

Studies ?2" no. # ,#00?- #0#7##2.

htt(NNsearch.escohost.com.

Hlatch" eecca E."A Generation Divided.Ber)eley ni'ersity of

California >ress" 1999.

OTal) y