Political Upheaval and the Counterculture

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Political Upheaval and the Counterculture

• Black Power, Flower Power, Protest, Assassination
  and Music in the 1960s 70s

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I. Changes in the United States during the later
1960s

• Societal changes occur as part of civil rights
  movement, reaction to Vietnam, focus on economic
  disparity, and political turmoil
• Trust in government and traditional leadership
  begins to erode in late 1960s

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II. Changes in Civil Rights movement

• Changes in Focus
• Civil rights movement focused on problems in the
  South in early 1960s
• Majority of African-Americans (70) lived in
  urban cities, many in North and West
• Often faced racism in these areas unable to live
  in white neighborhoods, difficulty finding
  employment, higher poverty levels
• Frustrations rise with lack of focus on these
  issues

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Race Riots

• Watts Riots (August 1965 in Los Angeles)
• Accusations of police brutality start riot that
  will last 5 days
• 14,000 members of National Guard deployed
• 34 people died, 900 injuries, 45 million damages
  to property

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Additional race riots

• Riots take place in Philadelphia and New York
  previous to Watts and will also occur in
  Washington DC, Baltimore, Detroit
• Detroit riot in 1967 was worst in scope with 43
  deaths and 250 million in damages

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Black Power

• Origin of Black Power
• Failures of inner-city efforts and Chicago
  Movement by MLK led many African-Americans to
  search for new approach
• Stokely Carmichael, leader of SNCC, puts forward
  idea of black power
• Mobilization and pride in black community,
  Afro-centric beliefs, physical self-defense,
  possible use of violence

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Malcolm X

• Born Malcolm Little in
  Omaha, he drifted into
  crime and sent to
  prison
• Joins Nation of Islam or Black Muslims, which
  preached black nationalism and separation from
  white community
• Changes name to Malcolm X for symbolic reasons
• Becomes charismatic speaker for Nation of Islam
  and self-defense

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• Breaks away from Nation of Islam and goes on
  pilgrimage to Mecca
• Changes message after returns and criticizes
  Nation of Islam
• Assassinated while giving a speech in New York in
  February 1965

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Black Panther Party

• Advocated black power, black nationalism, and
  economic self-sufficiency
• Ten-Point Program calls for increased services
  among and for African-Americans

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• Called for arming for self-defense and
  confrontation with white society
• Investigated by US government and begins decline
  after conflicts over focus on Black Panthers and
  trials involving leadership

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Black nationalism in public view

• Kwanzaa created in 1966 by black nationalist Ron
  Karenga
• 1968 Olympics in Mexico City Tommie Smith John
  Carlos

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Other Civil Rights groups

• New civil rights groups with nationalist elements
  emerged among other minority population
• Hispanics La Raza and Brown Berets
• Native Americans American Indian Movement and
  Indians of all Nations (occupation of Alcatraz)
• Chinese Red Guard and I Wor Kuen
• Gay Liberation Front forms after Stonewall riots
  in June 1969 in New York City

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III. Turmoil of 1968

• Johnson leaves presidential race
• North Vietnamese launch Tet Offensive on January
  30, 1968
• Even though militarily unsuccessful, American
  media and public shift beliefs on ability to
  win Vietnam War
• Credibility gap Americans perceived inability
  to trust what LBJ said about the war

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• Little known liberal Senator Eugene McCarthy gets
  40 of New Hampshire primary vote
• Senator Robert Kennedy quickly enters race as
  possible frontrunner
• LBJs approval rating drops dramatically and does
  not run for reelection

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Season of Violence

• Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated on April 4
  in Memphis

• Robert Kennedy assassinated on June 5 in Los
  Angeles after winning California Democratic
  Primary

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1968 Democratic Convention

• Assassination of Robert Kennedy leaves Democrats
  with no frontrunner
• Convention chooses Hubert Humphrey (LBJs VP) as
  nominee after three days of debate over war and
  other issues

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• Anti-war protests outside convention escalate
  into riot in downtown Chicago that was televised
  throughout the country

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• Chicago Eight-eight leaders of protest put on
  trial for conspiracy
• Mocked authority of court and most found guilty
  of lower crimes, with sentences overturned by
  Appeals Court

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1968 Presidential Election

• Candidacy of Democrat Hubert Humphrey marred by
  violence at convention and connection to LBJs
  Vietnam policies
• Republicans nominate Richard Nixon, who promised
  to restore order and planned to end war in
  Vietnam
• Governor George Wallace runs as an independent
  segregationist
• Nixon wins election by more than 100 electoral
  votes but only 43 to 42

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IV. Counterculture

• Free Speech Movement at Berkeley sparks
  additional challenges to authority
• Reaction against governmental policies,
  especially the Vietnam War
• Reaction against perceived conformity of 1950s
• Striving for utopian lifestyle outside of
  standard societal practices

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Anti-Vietnam Protest
Buddhist Monk-Saigon 1963
Kent State-1970
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Expression of the Counterculture

• Hippie culture emerges in later 1960s and
  publicized in San Francisco
• Attempted formation of communes group living
  arrangements
• Most famous likely Haight-Ashbury district in San
  Francisco

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• Fashion longer hair, long dresses, fringed
  garments, older clothing, military surplus,
  tie-dyed clothing

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• Music Rock n roll music combined with lyrics
  often embodying social issues, protests, and drug
  culture
• Dance focused on dancing without partner, but in
  a group (stressed individuality within the group)
• Drug culture use of psychedelic drugs, often LSD
  and marijuana

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Hippies Imagine no possessions I wonder if you
canno need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of
man. Imagine all the people sharing all the
world.
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• Woodstock over one half million people in
  upstate New York gather for three day music
  festival

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• 31 Total Bands, including
• Joan Baez Blood, Sweat and Tears Creedence
  Clearwater Revival Crosby, Stills, Nash Young
  Joe Cocker Arlo Guthrie Grateful Dead Jimi
  Hendrix Janis Joplin Jefferson Airplane Ravi
  Shankar Sly and the Family Stone Santana The
  Who

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• Altamont large festival in California famously
  marred by violence

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Decline of the Counterculture

• Hippie communities deteriorated with crime and
  drug addiction issues
• Societal issues began shifting in early 1970s
• Early hippies aged out of the movement after
  growing older
• Legacy remains, although never thoroughly
  dominant part of society