Chapter 30: The Crisis of Authority Flashcards
New Left
large, diverse group of men and women energized by the polarizing developments of their time.
embraced the cause of AA’s and other minorities, but they themselves were mainly white.
drew from the writings of important social critics of the 1950’s (sometimes communism, critique of bureaucracy) but mainly draw from civil rights movement
young Americans (under 30) were so assertive b/c they constituted half of the population by 1970
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
a group of students gathered in Michigan to form an organization to give voice to their demands
their beliefs expressed their disillusionment with the society they had inherited and their determination to build a new politics ‘
moved into inner city neighborhoods to try to mobilize the working class people politically
Free Speech Movement
1964 dispute at Berkeley over rights of students to engage in political activities on campus; gained national attention; student radicals winning large audiences for their attacks on the “oppressive force”
created turmoil at Berkeley as students challenged campus policy, occupied admin. offices, and produced a huge strike where majority of students participated
protested impersonal character of universities and their corrupt policies
produced similar campus demonstrations at Columbia, Harvard
symbol of struggle between oppression and liberation
draft opposition
some draft-age Americans refused induction, went to jail as a result or fled the country
1977 - President Jimmy Carter issued general pardon to draft resisters and amnesty for deserters - people came back to the U.S.
reflected the opposition to the Vietnam war
hippies
counterculture - closely related to the New Left, youth culture openly scornful to values and conventions of middle-class society long hair, shabby/flamboyant clothing, rebellious disdain for traditional speech/decorum, drugs like weed and LSD central to culture, permissive/relaxed view of sexual culture - birth control and legalized abortion in 1973 new sexuality reflected counterculture’s belief that individuals should strive for release from inhibitions and give vent to instincts and desires and challenged structure of modern society, its hollowness, artificiality, materialism, isolation from nature
Rock & roll
(really interesting in the book!! pg. 836)
driving rhythms, sensuality, harsh tones - reflected themes of social and political unrest of late 60’s
Wounded Knee occupation
Feb. 1973 at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, the site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux by federal troops
members of AIM (American Indian Movement) seized and occupied the town for 2 months, demanding radical changes in the administration of the reservation and insisting the gov’t honor its long-forgotten treaty obligations.
reflected militant protests of the Indian Rights Movement
U.S. v. Wheeler
1978 - the Supreme Court confirmed that tribes had independent legal standing and could not be terminated by Congress. ratified the authority of tribes to impose taxes on businesses within their reservations and to perform other sovereign functions.
reflected protests and successes in the Supreme Court in the AIM fight
“Chicano”
Mexican Americans, once a term of derision used by whites
Latinos = the fastest growing minority group in the US, and the most numerous and important of these were the Mexican Americans - Chicanos. By 1960’s, Chicanos = one of largest population groups in the west.
partly b/c of language barriers, family-centered culture, discrimination, Chicanos - slower to develop than other minorities
1960’s - began organizing for political and economic power in response to the charged climate of the 60’s, and advocated nationalism, similar to the idea of black power!
Cesar Chavez
Latino farmworker who created an effective union in itinerant farm workers: United Farm Workers (UFW) a largely Mexican org. in 1965 launched a prolonged strike vs. growers to demand recognition of their unions and increase in wages
reached out to churches, college students, civil rights groups for help when employers resisted, gained nationwide attention and success
Stonewall riot
June 1969 - police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in NYC and began arresting patrons, which was uncommon
gay onlookers attacked police out of built-up frustration/anger, started fires, and rioting continued into the night
incident helped make gay liberation movement, movement that had been gaining strength since 1950’s, a significant and highly public force
gay liberation movement
“Stonewall Riot” helped make gay liberation movement, movement that had been gaining strength since 1950’s, a significant and highly public force
results of mvment- new organizations, public discussion, media coverage, helped to transform outlook of gay and lesbians of themselves, helped them “come out”
achieved some progress: openly gay politicians, laws prohibiting discrimination gradually. some backlash: “don’t ask, don’t tell” during bill clinton. all still controversy
Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique
published in 1963, an important early event of contemporary women’s liberation after being a weak force since the adoption of suffrage in 1920
Friedan, magazine writer, interviewed women who graduated with her from Smith College in 1947, and found they were affluent wives living in comfortable suburbs
claimed that the suburbs had become a “comfortable concentration camp,” no outlets for their intelligence, talent, education
this/other 1960 events exposed contradiction between image of happy domesticity, “feminine mystique,” and the reality of women’s roles in America
Equal Pay Act of 1963
won by the Kennedy administration, barred the pervasive practice of paying women less than men for equal work
National Organization for Women (NOW)
1966: Friedan joined with with other feminists to create the NO, which became the largest and most influential feminist organization
feminism drew from much of its inspiration from the black struggle for freedom
Sexual Politics (1969)
written by Kate Millett, signaled the new, more radical direction of feminism (younger generation, drew from New Left, counterculture, civil war movement, anti war crusade)by arguing that “every avenue of power within society is entirely within male hands,” and the answer for women was not personal fulfillment (like Friedan suggested) but for women to band together and assault the male power structure
women’s political & economic achievements
early 70’s: public/private achievements were substantial
1971 - gov’t extended affirmative action to include women, linking racism with sexism as an official problem
all-male institutions began opening doors to women (Princeton and Yale in 1969)
mid 1970’s: almost half of married women held jobs, and 90% with college degrees worked
two-career family was become social norm
MORE
Equal Rights Amendment
1972: Congress approved this to the Constitution and sent it to the states for approval
late 1970’s: the momentum behind the amendment ratification had died, not b/c of indifference, but b/c of objections from ppl (some anti feminists) who thought it would disrupt traditional social patterns
1982: time allotted for ratification expired
Idea of an Interrelated World
- until mid 20th century, conservationists: commitment to environment was based on aesthetic or moral grounds, because nature was beautiful
- over course of 20th century: scientists created new rationale for environmentalism called ecology, the science of the interrelatedness of the natural world: all elements of earth’s environment are delicately linked together
