The Politics of Protest: The Student Movement and the Counterculture
The 1960s witnessed the rise of the youth movement and counterculture in the United States. Inspired by social and political unrest, students formed organizations like the Students for a Democratic Society and engaged in protests such as the Free Speech Movement and the Columbia University occupation. Simultaneously, the counterculture emerged, promoting alternative lifestyles and communal living as seen in the hippie culture. Religious movements also gained traction, including the Unification Church. This era challenged traditional values, sparking significant cultural shifts.
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The Politics of Protest The Student Movement and the Counterculture
The Growth of the Youth Movement The Roots of the Movement The early 1960s saw a phenomenon that fueled the youth movement the rapid rise in college enrollment. In the decade after World War II, the nations economy boomed, and the country enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity. The growing nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union made many more of the nation s youth worry about their future. The youth movement challenged the American political and social system and conventional middle class values.
The Growth of the Youth Movement Students for a Democratic Society Young people formed the New Left (extremely democratic). A prominent organization of this group, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The SDS defined its views in a 1962 declaration known as the Port Huron Statement. Written largely by Tom Hayden, editor of the University of Michigan s student newspaper.
The Growth of the Youth Movement The Free Speech Movement The issue that sparked the movement was Berkley University s decision in the fall of 1964 to restrict students rights to distribute literature and to recruit volunteers for political causes on campus. The struggle between administrators and students peaked on December 2, 1964, with the sit-in and Savio s famous speech at the administration building. The arrest set off a new and larger protest movement.
The Growth of the Youth Movement Columbia University Place where SDS leaders orchestrated an eight-day occupation of several buildings to protest the administration s plan to build a new gym in an area that served as a neighborhood park.
The Counterculture Hippie Culture Hippie culture represented an alternative life style rebellion against the dominant culture in the U.S. Communes-group living arrangements in which members shared everything and worked together. One of the most popular hippie destinations became San Francisco s Haight-Ashbury district.
The Counterculture New Religious Movements Many of the religious groups centered around authoritarian leaders. Unification Church Members of the Unification Church were known as Moonies after their Korean-born founder, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
The Counterculture The Counterculture Declines After a few years, the counterculture movement began to deteriorate. Most of the young men and women of the counterculture, unable to establish an ideal community and unable to support themselves, returned to mainstream society.
Impact of the Counterculture Fashion The international fashion world took its cues from young men and women on the street. Protesters expressed themselves with their clothing.
Impact of the Counterculture Pop Art Derived its subject matter from elements of the popular culture Artist Andy Warhol, produced many items using images of famous people, and repeated them over and over. He employed the bold primary colors, and put words into his paintings in comic book fashion.
Impact of the Counterculture Music and Dance One of the most famous rock groups, the Beatles, took the country by storm in 1964. Electrically amplified instruments. Master of this new sound was Jimi Hendrix, a guitarist from Seattle. Festival Woodstock, 1969. Hundreds of thousands of people got to celebrate the new music.
Essay Question Describe counterculture fashions and their effect on the mainstream.
Essay Question and Answer Describe counterculture fashions and their effect on the mainstream. The counterculture generation dressed in costumes rather than in occupational or class uniforms. The colorful, beaded, braided, patched and fringed garments that both men and women wore turned the fashion industry upside down. The international fashion world took its cues from young men and women on the street. Men s clothing became more colorful and women s clothing became more comfortable. Protest often expressed itself in clothing. The counterculture adopted military surplus attire not only because it was inexpensive, but also because it expressed reflection of materialist values and blurred the lines of social class.
Essay Question and Answer Describe counterculture fashions and their effect on the mainstream. For the same reasons, clothing of another age was recycled, and worn-out clothing repaired with patches. Ethnic clothing was also popular. Beads and fringes imitated Native American costumes; tie-dyed shirts borrowed techniques from India and Africa. Long hair was a particularly potent symbol of the era. Once the initial shock wore off, longer hair on men and more individual clothes for both men and women became generally accepted. What was once clothing of defiance soon became mainstream.
