Johnson protests Flashcards
Generation gap
older gen couldn’t understand music, poetry, intoxicants, fashion and politics of the young
Andy Warhol’s Campbells soup, avant-garde bands heralded by media as dawn of new age
Student Protest success
large numbers, showed youth interest in politics, new frontier rhetoric gave foundation, prestigious unis protesting was big news- language of upper class
Student protest failures
young people nowhere near majority, 12% students identified as part of New Left 1970, lacked a dominant issue, success on a small scale not national, often seen as privileged rich kids
NOW
National Organisation for Women
Founded 1966 by Betty Friedan
NOW aims and methods
wanted to monitor enforcement of part of CRA that banned sex discrimination in employment. Used legal action, political pressure, public info campaigns, protests. Aimed for amendment to constitution that affirmed women’s rights to equality
NOW successes
won various legal cases
1968 Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling which overturned law that women convicted of crimes of 3+ years had to receive the maximum sentence
Org national strike for equality 1970
Women’s liberation leaders
Founded late 60s by Jo Freeman, Shulasmith Furestone, Ti-Grace Atkinson
Women’s liberation aims and actions
wanted to oppose sexist oppression and cultural practices that objectified women. Freeman produced a newsletter, held meetings. Aimed for consciousness raising. Formation of groups nationwide. 1/4 woman polled felt discriminated against 1960, 2/3 1974
Media
large coverage of hippies, black radicals and anti-war movements. Highly disproportionate
state of protests and targets
by 1968 many were violent
targeted campus administration buildings and reserve Officer Training Corps
Many burned or bombed
Berkeley Free Speech movement cause
Leader- Mario Savio, had participated in SNCCs voter registration campaign and wanted to raise money for SNCC
Uni authorities didn’t allow fundraising and political activity on campus
Berkeley free speech movement actions
Began Sep 1964
Thousands of students protested
occupied administration building until police ejected them and made 800 arrests
Slogan ‘you can’t trust anyone over 30’
Gained considerable support from teachers so uni backed down
Woodstock
1969 400,000 attendees- double expected
Greatest counter culture event
Hendrixs performance of star bangled banner interpreted as an anti-war statement from use of amplifier feedback and distortion
Hippie Movement
life about being happy, not what others thought you should be, rejected ‘the establishment’ ‘big brother’ ‘the man’. Rejected middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons and Vietnam
Believed psychedelic drugs expanded consciousness
Free love and sexual liberation especially for women
Died out by end of 70s
Student Peace Union
established 1959, 3000 members by 1962
motives for anti-war attitude
fear of draft, belief that Vietnamese should choose own leader, some particularly opposed to bombing causing civilian casualties
First notable anti-war protest
May 1964 1000 Yale students in NYC
Teach-ins
during 1965, many unis had them
anti-war lectures and debates
Berkeley 20,000
March clash with Oakland police
1965 8,000 marchers clashed with police. Vandalised cars and buildings
Largest anti-war protest
staged by SDS in Washington DC in 1965 25,000 in march
Stop the Draft Week
Oct 1967 had over 100,000 attendees
Draft cards publicly burned
Berkeley radicals tried to close down Oakland draft headquarters- faced 2,000 police who attacked with clubs so they retaliated with cans,bottles, smoke bombs
Uni attendees stats
1960- 4% 18-24
1970- 14%
Reasons for Columbia University protests
Uni involvement in weapon research and plans to build a gym in a public park which residents could access through a second door. Had a history of expansion programs that led to eviction of several thousand Harlem residents
‘Gym Crow’
Columbia protest actions
1968 1,000/17,000 students participated
seized 5 buildings, covered them in pictures of Malcolm X and communist heroes
Police used clubs and made 692 arrests
Columbia shut down for that term, abandoned the gym project and many defense contracts
