THE NEW LEFT AND THE COUNTERCULTURE

The New Left The New Left : Left wing movements in the 1960s and 1970s. Demanded changes in American society Social Activism "New Left" :: anti-war/college protests, Hippie Movement, Peace movement

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Founded by Tom Hayden & Al Haber at University of Michigan corporations have too much power in government Port Huron Statement, 1962. Dedicated to “Participatory Democracy” Major protest years: 1967-68 "We would replace power rooted in possession, privilege, or circumstance, with power rooted in love, reflectiveness, reason, and creativity." -SDS, "Port Huron Statement“

Free Speech Movement Seeks to reform campus life. Pursues free speech on campus Centred in California at the University of California - Berkeley

Opposition to Vietnam Saw war as… Having no strategic goal Morally unjust Draining American resources 1968 US spent $322,000 for every 1 communist killed $53 per person in poverty programs in the US

1968: Year of Rage Columbia University: student protest. Chicago Democratic Convention: Anti-war demonstrations. Clashed with police all around the convention center Battle of the streets- television redirected attention away from the convention to the protests outside

1968: Year of Rage CBS News Anchorman Walter Cronkite goes to Vietnam – Reports that the war is unwinnable; “Honorable Peace” Known as the “most trusted man in America.”

Assassinations: King & Kennedy Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968,  Robert Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan James Earl Ray shot King on April 4th, 1968

The Nation Divides Who is fighting? 80% from lower economic levels - DRAFT Hawks & Doves Hawks: more force to win the war – stop Com Doves: US should withdraw Students for a Democratic Society Tom Hayden – teach-ins Demonstrations – burn draft cards New Left – liberals who want to reform society. . . Election of 1968???

Kent State Massacre Kent State University (Ohio) – May 4, 1970 – The Ohio National Guard clashed with student protesters on campus. The Ntn’l Guard shot at protesters, killing 4 and wounding 9.

The New Left Radicalizes The Weather Underground or the Weathermen.– split off from the SDS Advocated violence, even bombings Bombed mainly government buildings.

Other Movements: Feminism Women’s Rights Movement was called Feminism Demands "women's liberation." :equal pay, equal rights, freedom to plan their families Betty Friedan -- The Feminine Mystique (1957) Addressed dissatisfaction with the status quo of the 1950s “the problem that has no name”

Feminism & Sexual Revolution An important aspect of Feminism for women was control of their sexuality and reproduction. The Birth Control Pill -1960 Revolutionary change for women’s sexuality Women could own their sexuality because they could control reproduction for the first time Griswold v. Connecticut – 1965- Overturned Connecticut law that prohibited use of contraceptives. Roe v. Wade – 1973 –Supreme Court found that women had the right to choose to have an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. States could not prevent this practice.

Gay Rights/Liberation Movement Starting point is the Stonewall Riots 1969 Transgender, lesbian and gay male patrons at the Stonewall Inn (bar) resisted a police raid on June 28, 1969. The riots that resulted @ Stonewall provided a rallying point for the movement

Significance of The New Left The antiwar protest led to the abolishment of the military draft. The War Powers Act of 1973 that curbed the President’s power Contributed to the public’s suspicious view of the government

The Counterculture Counterculture- made up of mostly white, middle-class college youths Wanted to establish a new culture based on love and peace. Throughout the mid- and late sixties tens of thousands of idealistic youth left school, work, or home  seeking a perfect community of ‘love, peace, and harmony’

Counterculture Counterculture A. Pursuit of altered states of consciousness and unconventional lifestyles

“Turn on, Tune in, Drop out” The Hippie Movement, most commonly associated with the counter culture was less politically engaged and less activist than the New Left.

Counterculture Drugs were central to the counterculture 1. Influenced by the Beat movement 2. Timothy Leary encouraged experimentation with LSD. Famous for saying “turn on, tune itn, drop out”

Summer of Love 1967 100,000 people converged in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco cultural and political rebellion A social experiment due to alternative lifestyles Communal living Communal sharing of resources (even among strangers) Free love

Woodstock and Altamont Woodstock: August 1969. Exemplified the counterculture Thirty-two of the best-known musicians of the day appeared 500,000 attended No major incidents of crime or violence. victory for peace and love.

Altamont Altamont: December 1969 300,000 people attended “Woodstock West." marred by considerable violence, including one homicide and three accidental deaths

Music Music played an important role in the youth movements of the 1960s. Bands and artists style varied from Early folk of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Phil Ochs Blues Rock & Roll of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Rolling Stones, the Who, to the harder edge of the MC5 (Motor City 5).

Music . Shifts in popular music mirror shifts in 1960s youth culture 1. Early-decade social engagement (Bob Dylan, "Blowin' in the Wind") 2. To the pop oriented Beatlemania in 1964 3. Finally to "sex and drugs and rock'n'roll” of Joplin, Rolling Stones, etc.

Music The music reflected and projected the values of the era. Often based in the blues tradition Lyrically many bands described open lifestyles (Rolling Stones, Joplin, Hendrix) Others had clear political and social messages (Dylan, Baez, Ochs, MC5).

Legacy? As the “Sixties” ended the youth movements left America with what some would call more social freedom. Dress, appearance, lifestyle, and social behavior all changed. While some Americans found it liberating, others, particularly on the political Right view(ed) the 1960s movements as the beginning of moral decay in the country

Blowin in the Wind YES, 'N' HOW MANY YEARS CAN SOME PEOPLE EXIST BEFORE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO BE FREE? YES, 'N' HOW MANY TIMES CAN A MAN TURN HIS HEAD, PRETENDING HE JUST DOESN'T SEE? THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND, THE ANSWER IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND. HOW MANY TIMES MUST A MAN LOOK UP BEFORE HE CAN SEE THE SKY? YES, 'N' HOW MANY EARS MUST ONE MAN HAVE BEFORE HE CAN HEAR PEOPLE CRY? YES, 'N' HOW MANY DEATHS WILL IT TAKE TILL HE KNOWS THAT TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED? THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND HOW MANY ROADS MUST A MAN WALK DOWN BEFORE YOU CALL HIM A MAN? YES, 'N' HOW MANY SEAS MUST A WHITE DOVE SAIL BEFORE SHE SLEEPS IN THE SAND? YES, 'N' HOW MANY TIMES MUST THE CANNON BALLS FLY BEFORE THEY'RE FOREVER BANNED? THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND, THE ANSWER IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND. HOW MANY YEARS CAN A MOUNTAIN EXIST BEFORE IT'S WASHED TO THE SEA? WIND, THE ANSWER IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND.

The Times They Are-A Changin’ Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'. Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who That it's namin'. For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'. Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled There's a battle outside And it is ragin'. It'll soon shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'. Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'. The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin'. And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'

American Indian Movement (AIM) Indian activists sought to show the oppression Native American unemployment was 10 times the national average 1969 – Activists occupied Alcatraz Island for 18 months.