A Time of Change

1
A Time of Change

• Chapter 29

2
The Youth Movement

• The Youth Movement was caused by a minority of
  the baby boom generation who had problems dealing
  with the gap between the society of previous
  generations and their own, leading to several
  radical groups on both sides
• New Left Students for a Democratic Society and
  the Port Huron Statement (rejecting materialism,
  racism and promoting love, harmony), as well as
  Berkeley Free Speech Movement (protesting
  political actions March Against Death against
  Vietnam for example)
• New Right Young Americans for Freedom has
  conservatives that denounce liberal movement and
  Great Society, support Vietnam (Barry Goldwater
  and Phyllis Schlafly)

3
Counterculture Movement

• The counterculture movement was in response to
  the conformity and doctrine of hard work and
  success in the 1950s, and led to
• Hippies long hair, beards, used marijuana and
  LSD
• Musical Revolution folk music (Joan Baez, Bob
  Dylan), acid rock (Beatles), and rock festivals
  (Woodstock) acted as the center of the peace,
  love, and harmony movement, but it also
  attracted violence and murder (Charles Manson)
• Sexual Revolution society showed a greater
  openness for sex because of the pill, the Roe v.
  Wade decision (abortion), and more sexually
  explicit movies and plays
• Gay Liberation The Gay Liberation movement
  pushed for equal rights and acceptance for gays,
  but it mostly led to a conservative backlash and
  little real change for those groups

4
The Counterculture Revolutions
The bus and the pill
Hippies at a Woodstock Festival
"We are a revolutionary group of men and women
formed with the realization that complete sexual
liberation for all people cannot come about
unless existing social institutions are
abolished. We reject society's attempt to impose
sexual roles and definitions of our nature. -
Gay Liberation Movement
5
Kent State and Jackson State
In both cases, students were killed by national
guard during protests against the Vietnam War The
killings brought more sympathy to the youth
movement and more students joined the cause, but
elderly citizens criticized the youth for causing
problems The frustrations of the movement at not
being able to end the Vietnam War or change
American society led to its decline and the rise
of a new conservative era that promised to end
radicalism and restore law and order
6
The Tet Offensive
After Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing) and
search and destroy missions by General
Westmoreland, Americans thought they might be
winning On the Eve of Tet, the Vietnamese New
Year, North Vietnam launches a series of
successful assaults on American troops Despite
the US counterattack success, the event leads to
questioning of success in Vietnam, questioning of
Democratic leadership
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The Democratic Primaries

• The impact of the Tet Offensive was felt by
  Johnson, who under pressure from public opinion
  promised to end the Vietnam War and push for
  peace
• He also declared that he would not seek a second
  full term, which threw the Democratic primary
  race up for grabs between three candidates
• Eugene McCarthy antiwar senator leading the
  Democratic anti-war movement, but not popular
  among New Deal advocates and not a strong leader
• Hubert Humphrey VP to Johnson, pro-war advocate
  and well liked by New Dealers and people helped
  by Great Society
• Robert Kennedy antiwar advocate who had support
  from unions and was gaining more support from the
  New Deal coalition

8
Assassinations in 1968
Martin Luther King and the Aftermath and Robert
Kennedy
Martin Luther Kings assassination sparked
further rioting in 1968 in the cities while the
primaries continued, and Kennedy appeared to be
the Democratic favorite after winning California,
but his assassination (by an Arab nationalist)
sparked a new wave of rioting within a section of
the Democratic party when it became clear that
Humphrey (a prowar candidate) would win the
nomination
9
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago
At the convention, Humphrey dominated the votes
inside the convention center in Chicago, but the
antiwar demonstrators dominated headlines outside
the convention center by rioting in the
streets The police riot that ensued was due to
mayor Richard Daleys use of a mass police force
to scare away the protesters, but it just led to
more violence and many connected disorder and
division with Humphrey and the Democrats
10
Election of 1968
The election became a symbol of conservative
resurgence in politics as people grew tired of
the protests and violence in favor of the law
and order rhetoric proposed by Richard Nixon
(Republican) and George Wallace (Independent
self-announcement) Despite Humphreys strong
Great Society coalition, the silent majority of
Americans voted for Nixon, who also promised
peace with honor in Vietnam
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The Times They are a Changing

• Many songs were written in this time period (late
  1960s) about the changing times for Americans
• Create a song with a chorus that discusses the
  changes in American politics and society and have
  3 verses that discusses 3 different events within
  this time period

12
Realpolitik
Henry Kissinger is the brains behind Nixons
foreign policy Built around realpolitik, it
made for practical, rather than moral, dealings
with other nations
Nixons Doctrine pledged to supply economic
assistance to nations and have them do the
fighting (in Vietnam this became known as
Vietnamization)
13
Vietnamization
Nixon said Vietnamization had two components. The
first was "strengthening the armed force of the
South Vietnamese in numbers, equipment,
leadership and combat skills. The second
component is the extension of the pacification
program in South Vietnam. Nixon promised to
bring peace with honor to Vietnam
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Vietnams Unpopularity

• After the Tet Offensive the public opinion
  towards Vietnam shifted more negatively, and
  several events during Nixons Presidency made it
  even more unpopular
• My Lai Massacre killing of innocent Vietnamese
  civilians
• Kissingers statement of peace is at hand being
  false negotiations broke down
• Expansion of the war into Cambodia and Laos
  unhappiness resulted in the War Powers Act
  (President must report to Congress 48 hours after
  military action is taken limiting power)

15
Peace Accords and Withdrawal
The Paris Peace Accords were finally signed by
Nixon, ending the US involvement in the Vietnam
War and letting the South Vietnamese fend for
themselves
16
Détente with Communist Nations
Nixon with Soviet leaders
Nixon meets with Mao Zedong

• Nixon used Détente with the Soviets and Chinese
  by
• Nixons Visit to China to negotiate with Mao
  Zedong
• Agreements with the Soviets (reducing ABMs and
  SALT I nuclear weapons)

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Nixons Shuttle Diplomacy

• Shuttle Diplomacy was the use of planes and other
  transportation methods to go from nation to
  nation and make arrangements
• Nixon used Shuttle Diplomacy after his stance
  to support Israel during the Yom Kippur War
  (1973) made the Arab nations put on the US an
  OPEC Oil Embargo (stopping their shipments of
  oil) by
• Send Kissinger to fly to each Arab nation capital
  and negotiate terms with them to restore the
  selling of oil to the US
• Negotiating a peace between Egypt and Israel,
  which kept down tensions in the area (though did
  not fully stop the problems)

18
Nixons New Federalism

• Nixons New Federalism was an attempt to scale
  back the role of the federal government in
  changing society and made it his goal to slow
  down the growth of the Great Society programs
  by
• Family Assistance Plan (Congress rejects it, but
  it would have reformed the welfare system and
  given less money to families)
• Revenue Sharing (forcing much of the social
  program responsibility on state and local
  governments)
• Highlights in Nixons Presidency included
• Neil Armstrongs Moon Walk
• Success at stopping stagflation through wage and
  price freezes and Keynesian economics

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Election of 1972
Nixon asked for votes from the silent majority
and focused on a southern strategy by
appointing conservative justices (Burger) to win
over anti-civil rights southerners Nixons
strategy worked and changed the dynamics of
elections to come, and he easily defeated the
liberal George McGovern (and George Wallace got
shot, which removed him from contention)
20
Nixons Scandals
Nixon used the FBI, CIA, and IRS to crack down on
radical groups (and hired plumbers to take down
those that opposed him) Nixons worries were
intensified when the Pentagon Papers were leaked
by Daniel Ellsberg, which revealed Nixons
secrets and deceptions during the Vietnam War The
event led Nixon to be even more paranoid, and
soon it became discovered that he was behind a
sequence of cover-ups that eventually forced his
resignation, called the Watergate Scandal
21
Watergate
Nixons resignation letter came at the end of a
long investigation and scandal 1) Plumbers
break into the Watergate Hotel and install
wiretaps into the Democratic National
Headquarters 2) Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
uncover the story that the government hired the
burglars 3) The Senate Investigations Committee
reveals that Nixon has tapes of the incident, but
he wont hand them over despite members of his
cabinet resigning 4) Spiro Agnew is tried for tax
evasion and bribery and resigns as VP, leading to
Fords appointment 5) Nixon finally hands over
tapes and it is revealed he ordered the cover-up
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Political and Cultural Trends

• Political Activism in the 1970s declined due to
  Youth Movement frustrations and Nixons policies
  of cracking down on radical behavior, so most of
  the baby boomers became Yuppies (professionals
  wanting good health and consumption of new
  products)
• Despite the lack of activism, some movements did
  take hold in the 1970s
• Womens Movement NOW continued push towards
  Equal Rights Amendment, women in the workforce
  tripled and more attended college
• Environmentalism Clean Water Act is passed,
  Sierra Club membership increases, Greenpeace
  organizations, Earth Day in 1970
• Conservatism Right-to-Life movement in response
  to Roe v. Wade decision, Evangelicals (Jerry
  Fallwell, Pat Robertson) speak out against
  liberal movements

23
Economy in the 1970s

• The economy in the 1970s slowed significantly due
  to increased inflation throughout the period,
  causing workers to spend more on consumer goods,
  making them less willing to fund welfare programs
  for the poor
• Groups of note were
• Farmers family farms decline, agribusiness
  increases
• Industry declines due to foreign competition,
  trade deficit worsens
• African-Americans middle class group does well,
  but poor blacks struggle more than before
• Native Americans Indian Self-Determination Act
  helps restore lands and they get aid for schools
  and healthcare
• Immigration increases from the Americas and
  Asia, illegal immigration becomes a major issue