Topic 2 - C4 - Reaction to the Counter Culture

Question 1

When was the term ‘silent majority’ first used?

Answer 1

In a speech in Nov 1969 when RN asked for their support for Vietnam policies

Question 2

Why did the silent majority rise?

Answer 2

Due to being tired of constant protest after the Tet Offensive, assassination of MLK, Miss America Pageant and Democratic National Convention in Chicago (all 1968).

Question 3

What was the Tet Offensive?

Answer 3

LBJ launched a public relations offensive which claimed that America was winning the war. Media images depicted a credibility gap in what was really happening and what LBJ was saying as North VN overan South VN

Question 4

By the end of 1967, what did people feel towards VNW?

Answer 4

End of 1967 - 500,000 American troops in Vietnam - becoming increasingly unpopular

Question 5

What assassinations caused rioting?

Answer 5

• White racist assassinated MLK in 1968 - provoked major rioting in 100 cities, 41 died, 3000 injured, 27,000 arrested and $45 million of property damaged
• Robert Kennedy assassinated a few weeks later

Question 6

What happened at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago?

Answer 6

1968 - Democrats met in Chicago to choose their presidential candidate. The Mobe and Yippies (Youth International Party) called on young people to demonstrate contempt for the US political process by disrupting the convention.

Question 7

How did protesters behave at the Democratic National Convention?

Answer 7

• 30,000 members of the NL arrived in Chicago - spread rumours that they would put LSD in water supply
• Had sex in public, smoked weed and threw bags of urine at police
• Presented their candidate for president - Pigasus - a squealing pig

Question 8

How did people feel towards police actions at the Democratic National Convention?

Answer 8

Police retaliated with clubs and gas

56% approved police actions

Question 9

What was the appeal of Richard Nixon?

Answer 9

• US craved law and order - RN was a moderate republican associated with peace and prosperity of the Eisenhower years.
• Attracted voters tired of radicalism, change and GS programmes, promised to bring peace with honour in Vietnam

Question 10

How well did RN do in his two elections?

Answer 10

Narrowly defeated Hubert Humphrey in 1968 - landslide victory in 1972 - shows impact of silent majority

Question 11

Why was middle American concerned with the role models of the counter culture?

Answer 11

Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix as they had all died from drug overdoses within a 10 month period 1970-1971

Question 12

What evidence is there that protesters became violent?

Answer 12

1969-70: 2000 bombings, 56% by students, 19% by black extremists.

Question 13

What violence did students display?

Answer 13

• Radical students blew up Uni of Colorado buildings due to scholarship funds for blacks being frozen
• Anti Capitalist students in San Diego set fire to banks
• Kent state students demanded admission of more black students and abolition of ROTC.
• Pro BP demonstration set Yale Law School Library on fire

Question 14

What happened in 1969 at Kent State and how did the silent majority feel about it?

Answer 14

National Guard fired indiscriminately shot 7 students, 13 injured and 600 arrested. 84% thought student protesters and black militants were treated too leniently

Question 15

What happened in 1970 when Nixon extended bombing to communist supply trail in Cambodia?

Answer 15

AW protests in 80% of US unis

Question 16

Why did protests eventually decrease?

Answer 16

Due to RN depriving radical students of federals scholarships and loans, adjusting the draft so fewer students felt threatened, monitored disruptive groups also and kept protesters busy and broke with court actions - 10,000 arrested in Washington in 1970.

Question 17

What happened at the Democratic Convention in 1972?

Answer 17

• Some expressed support for communism in VN
• China’s leader Mao Zedong was nominated as vice president
• George McGovern elected as party leader - seen as leader of the counter culture

Question 18

Who was George McGovern?

Answer 18

GMG wanted to legalise abortion and cannabis and give $1000 to every US to decrease poverty. Helped RN’s appeal.

Question 19

What was Nixon’s appeal in 1972?

Answer 19

Appealed to silent majority for his re election, played on the fears of GMG calling him the 3As candidate - Acid, Abortion and Amnesty. RN won by a landslide of 60.7% of the popular vote

Question 20

How did the silent majority feel about Nixon’s desire to reduce and eradicate the Great Society?

Answer 20

Polls in 1968 revealed that 84% of Americans believed there are too many people receiving welfare who should be working.

Question 21

How did Nixon actually deal with the Aid for Dependent Children compared to what he said he wanted to do?

Answer 21

GS raised awareness of entitlements, those receiving Aid for Dependent Children rose from 3 mil in 1960 to 8.4 mil in 1970. 1/9 all children were on welfare, ⅓ all black children on welfare.

Question 22

How did Nixon attack the GS?

Answer 22

• Shrank OEO - closed 59 Job Corps centres and cut federal housing programmes
• Family Assistance Plan - had to get a job, would only recieve $1600 p/a but made 13 million US more eligible so rejected by Congress
• Vetoed 1971 Child Development Act - would have provided free childcare to mothers who had to work

Question 23

Who spent more on welfare, LBJ or RN?

Answer 23

Nixon

Question 24

How did Nixon feel towards bussing?

Answer 24

• SC rulings in 1971 and 1973 supported bussings of students to end de facto seg in schools.
• 8:1 US opposed it.
• Nixon didn’t like it and appointed a conservative SC which led to the end of bussing.

Question 25

How did Nixon feel towards affirmative action?

Answer 25

RN disliked affirmative action but put pressure on fed contractors to employ more minority workers.

Question 26

What films and tv series reflect the silent majority?

Answer 26

• The Green Berets (1968) - film that supported the VNW - popular
• MASH (1970) - black comedy movie that was critical of VNW and military intervention - v popular
• The Sound of Music (1965) family friendly movie that was v popular
• Easy Rider (1969) celebrated drug taking, cc and sexual liberation - not popular

Question 27

How did media coverage influence attitudes towards CR?

Answer 27

• CRM helped change Northern white attitudes of Southern segregation and helped pass 1964
• Repeated showings of the bloody sunday helped pass VRA
• Images of ghetto riots helped turn people away from blacks after 1965

Question 28

How did media coverage influence attitudes towards the Vietnam War?

Answer 28

• Tet offensive - credibility gap - US thought they were winning
• My Lai massacre - 347 unarmed South vietnamese civilians killed - tried to cover it up
• Pentagon papers - showed leaders lying about escalation of VNW

Question 29

How did the media react to feminsim?

Answer 29

Media ridiculed feminism but gave it a national platform, covered Miss America Pageant in 1968

Question 30

How did the media change attitudes towards the environment?

Answer 30

Coverage of chemical saturated Cuyahoga River in Ohio bursting into flames in 1969 helped increase environmental awareness and generate legislation.

Question 31

How did legislation towards the environment change?

Answer 31

Legislation of endangered species 1969, clean air 1970, environmental protection agency 1970 and created 642 national parks