Popular Culture of the 1960’s and the Nixon Administration

COUNTER CULTURE Reaction against the conservative government, social norms of the 1950s, the political conservatism of the Cold War period, and the US Government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam New Left Middle class college students Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Founded at the University of Michigan in 1960 Organizational base for New Left Believed colleges were a natural base to promote social change Began protesting the lack of student freedoms Dress code, course requirements, and discrimination in sororities, fraternities, and admissions Began student anti-war movement

COUNTER CULTURE New Left Free Speech Movement Organized at Berkeley in 1964 Used sit-ins and taking over college buildings to protest the war Young International Party Democratic National Convention in 1968 Chicago Anti-war protest Police brutality

COUNTERCULTURE Hippies Middle class youth Dress Lifestyle choices Jeans, tie-dyed shirts, sandals, beards, long hair Lifestyle choices Drugs Marijuana LSD (Hallucinogenic) Music Communes Groups living together shaping responsibilities Haight-Ashbury (San Francisco) Focal point

COUNTERCULTURE Woodstock Aug. 15-18, 1969 Bethel, New York 500,000 people 32 music groups/artists Camped outside 30 min wait for water 90 min wait for restrooms 2 deaths 2 births Focal point of counterculture

POPULAR CULTURE Literature Expressed problems in society Race relations To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee Feminism The Bell Jar-Sylvia Plath The Feminine Mystique-Betty Friedan

POPULAR CULTURE Music Rhythm & Blues (R & B) African Americans Supremes Aretha Franklin James Brown Jimi Hendrix Folk Music Counterculture Bob Dylan Joan Baez Peter, Paul & Mary

POPULAR CULTURE Music Teenage influence Acid/psychedelic Rock Beach Boys Beatles Righteous Brothers Acid/psychedelic Rock Influenced by drug use Jefferson Airplane Grateful Dead

Nixon’s Administration

Nixon’s New conservatism New Federalism Decrease size and influence of the federal government New Federalism- give part of federal power to state, local government Revenue sharing State, local governments now decide how to spend federal money Welfare Reform Family Assistance Plan gives family of four a base income Senate defeat bill

New Federalism Wears Two Faces Nixon backs some social spending increases to win Democratic support Tries to dismantle some programs, impounds funds for others Courts order release of impounded funds Law and Order Politics Nixon moves aggressively to end war Begins law and order politics to end riots Sometimes uses illegal tactics

Nixon’s Southern Strategy A New South Southern strategy- appeal to dislike of desegregation Nixon Slow Integration To attract white voters in the South Nixon slows desegregation Supreme Court orders Nixon to comply with Brown ruling Controversy over Busing Supreme court rules school districts may bus to end segregation Nixon goes on national TV to urge Congress to halt busing

Nixon’s Foreign Policy Kissinger and Realpolitik Henry Kissinger National security advisor and later secretary of state Realpolitik Foreign policy based on power issues, not ideals, morals Calls for U.S. to confront powerful nations and ignore weak Nixon and Kissinger follow policy of détente Easing Cold War tensions

Nixon travels to Moscow Nixon Visits China 1971, Nixon visits China China Agrees to: Cooperate over disputes, have scientific cultural exchange Nixon travels to Moscow 1972 Signs SALT I Treaty Strategic Arms Limitation Talks limit missiles

Watergate: Nixon’s Downfall An imperial Presidency Events of previous decades have led to the executive branch being most powerful Nixon expands presidential powers and ignores Congress The President’s Men Nixon has small group of advisers Like him, desire secrecy

A Bungled Burglary Committee to Reelect the President break into Democratic headquarters Watergate scandal is administration’s attempt to cover up break-in Destroy documents, try to stop investigation, buy burglars’ silence Washington Post reporters link administration to break-in White House denies allegations Nixon reelected by landslide

Senate Investigates Watergate Judge John Sirica presides burglars’ trial Thinks they did not act alone Startling Testimony Dean, white house counsel, declares Nixon involved in cover-up Alexander Butterfield says Nixon tapes presidential conversations Tapes involved

The Fall of the President Nixon Releases the Tapes March 1974, grand jury indicts 7 presidential aides Charges include conspiracy, obstruction of justice, perjury Nixon tells TV audience he is releasing edited transcripts July, Supreme Court rules unanimously Nixon must surrender tapes

The President Resigns House Judiciary Committee approves 3 articles of impeachment Obstruction of justice, abuse of power, contempt of Congress Nixon releases tapes Before full House votes on impeachment, Nixon resigns The Effects of Watergate 25 members of administration convicted, serve prison terms

When President Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, Gerald Ford assumed the presidency, On September 8, President Ford pardoned Nixon of all crimes associated with the Watergate scandal