AMERICAN CULTURAL CHANGES IN THE 1960SExpanded Civil Rights Movement

Women’s Liberation Movement

The Youth Culture

Literature, Art, and Music

The Expanded Struggle for Equal Rights

• The 1960s and early 1970s were a key time in American History

• Many groups became more vocal in their demands for a more equal and diverse American Society

AFRICAN-AMERICAN MILITANCY

• Many young African-Americans disagreed with Martin Luther King Jr.’s non-violent, civil disobedience methods to overcome social bias

• New militants believed in Black Power (African-Americans should use their votes to win concessions from government and should control their own communities and patronize their own businesses to free themselves from domination of whites)

CONTINUED…• Black Panthers – a group of African-American activists

founded in Oakland, CA• Developed a ten-point program demanding greater

opportunities and benefits (jobs, housing, education, etc.)• The Ghettos Erupt, 1968 – ethnic communities in decaying

inner cities erupted in a series of riots 3 summers in a row• In April 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by a

white supremacist in Memphis, TN• This led to an outpouring of anger and national mourning• Sparked race riots

• A commission found that causes of unrest were lack of jobs, urban poverty, and white racism

Search for a New Identity. In the late 1960s, many African Americans began to search for the roots of their cultural identity. They rejected imitating whites or being absorbed into American culture, believing that they should be proud of themselves and that “Black is Beautiful.” They developed distinctive styles like Afro haircuts and fashions based on African culture.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

New Groups Emerge. New groups challenged the leadership of traditional, non-violent organizations like the NAACP. The militant Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) barred white participation. Black Muslims believed Islam should be the religion of African Americans, who should form their own black state. Black Panthers demanded that reparations be given to the black community for centuries of oppression

Malcolm X, a leading black Muslim, questioned King’s policy of non-violent resistance. Malcolm X believed that African Americans should meet violence with violence and should not depend on the goodness of white people. He urged African Americans to obtain control of their own businesses and communities. He was assassinated by rival Black Muslims in 1965

The Chicano Movement

• Mexican Americans, also known as Chicanos, often faced discrimination, racism, and exploitation

• Focus of Chicano Movement was on issues like farm workers’ voting and political rights

• Some key leaders were Hector Perez Garcia, Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta

Hector Perez Garcia, a surgeon and WWII veteran. He noticed that Mexican Americans in his Texas community were facing discrimination and restrictions in voting, holding office, and employment. He arranged to have a Mexican American soldier killed during WWII buried in Arlington National Cemetery when a local funeral home refused service to his family. It was highly publicized. Garcia became the first Mexican American to serve on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

LEADERS OF THE CHICANO MOVEMENT

Cesar Chavez organized farm workers in California. Started a group that supported farm workers’ rights and demanded higher wages and better working conditions. He emphasized nonviolence and organized boycotts of farm products and participated in hunger strikes until violence against strikers ended and state legislatures passed laws to improve the lives of farm workers.

Dolores Huerta, a courageous Mexican-American labor leader, was closely associated with Chavez. She helped him form the National Farm Workers Association (later became the United Farm Workers) and spent her life working for legislation to aid families of farm workers. She later became involved in the women’s rights movement and environmental protection.

CHICANO MURAL MOVEMENT• In addition to activism, Mexican Americans expressed themselves through a greater appreciation of their culture

• Began painting murals in barrios (ethnic neighborhoods) in the Southwest

• Showed support for identity and justice in Mexican American communities

• Provided visual presence to those lacking representation and political voice

THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT (AIM)

• In 1953, the federal government had transferred responsibility for American Indians living in reservations to the states

• Many states were unable to provide services due to lack of funds

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against Native Americans

• In 1970, President Nixon announced the federal government would honor treaty obligations

CONTINUED…

• AIM was formed to mobilize public opinion in the favor of Native Americans

• Sought greater respect for their heritage (coined “Native American”, protested bias)

• Used slogan “Red Power”• Demonstrated by occupying government monuments

THE WOMEN’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT

• Feminist movement• Aimed at achieving greater economic and social equality (breaking out of traditional roles)

• National Organization of Women (NOW) became the chief voice of the movement

• Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique in 1963, which challenged the belief that educated suburban housewives were happy doing nothing more that cleaning and cooking

ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMEN’S LIB• Education – affirmative action created greater gender equality in universities for both students and professors (including military academies, law schools, and medical schools)

• Employment – Feminists wanted to end discrimination in hiring and create equal job opportunities for women. Congress passed the Equal Pay Act requiring equal pay for equal work.

• New Attitudes – Feminists opposed beauty pageants, sexist language, sex in advertising, discrimination in textbooks, and coined the title “Ms.”

CONTINUED…• Roe v. Wade (1973) – challenged anti-abortion laws. Feminists promoted “Pro-choice” (woman’s right to decide for herself whether to end her pregnancy). The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a woman’s right to privacy and overturned state laws prohibiting abortion.

• Title IX (1972) – a major landmark in women’s rights in education (part of the Educational Amendments Act). Guarantees gender equality in school by providing girls the same opportunities as boys. Tied to federal aid. Allows women to pursue higher degrees, participate in sports, and choose fields previously dominated by men.

REASONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF THE WOMEN’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT

Dissatisfaction. Many women were dissatisfied with their roles as housewives and sought freedom to express themselves in careers and work.

Influence of Civil Rights Movement. Many women leaders had been active in the Civil Rights Movement. Its success inspired them to adopt the same techniques to promote women’s rights – lobbying, sit-ins, demonstrations, boycotts, and strikes.

Impact of Social Science. Social scientists, especially women such as anthropologist Margaret Mead, began to see women’s low status in Western society as the creation of a male-dominated power structure rather than as biological necessity.

The “Sexual Revolution.” Sex education courses began to be taught in the schools. Birth control pills protected women from pregnancy. The Women’s Movement attacked the myth of female passivity. Women objected to being treated as “sex objects” instead of as full human beings.

Dynamic Leadership. Highly educated and talented women provided dynamic leadership. Feminist leaders included Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. Steinem founded Ms. Magazine, devoted to women’s concerns and viewpoints decidedly different from traditional woman’s magazines.

POST-WAR LITERATURE, ART, AND MUSIC• LITERATURE:

• Just after WWII, the best writing dealt with the war experience

• By the 1960s, the counter-culture was in full swing and two late WWII novels challenged mainstream thinking by exposing the absurdity of armed conflict (Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse-Five)

• Much of 1960s literature was about the Vietnam War and anti-war movement

• Literature also became more open in its treatment of human consciousness and sexuality

CONTINUED…• The Beat Generation

• Rebelled against the conformity of the 1950s• Began with a small tightly connected group of young writers in New York and later moved to San Francisco

• Displayed a care-free, reckless, and fresh approach to literature

• “Beatniks” were associated with artistic lifestyles and experimented with sexuality and drugs

• Men wore beards, berets, and sandals, while women wore leotards and dark colors

CONTINUED…• ART - went in diverse directions

• Abstract expressionism (“Action Painters”) expressed their feelings with the rapid movement of color and texture across the canvas• Jackson Pollock• Mark Rothko

• Pop Art used symbols from mass-produced, mass-marketed consumer culture and/or repetition of familiar people or objects• Andy Warhol• Jasper Johns • Roy Lichtenstein

CONTINUED…• 1950s – Rock and Roll Music (created by combining gospel, jazz, blues, and country) replaced the Big Band music of the 1940s• Depended on electric guitars, amplifiers, microphones, and radio stations

• Chuck Berry, Elvis Pressley, and Little Richard paved the way

• 1960s – Motown Sound originated in Detroit.• 1964 – The British Invasion brought the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Who

• The anti-war movement and psychedelic experience were reflected by counter-culture artists

YOUTH CULTURE OF THE SIXTIES• A large number of “baby boomers” reached their 20s in the 1960s and 1970s

• Influenced by post-war prosperity, permissive methods of child care, and exposure to TV

• Objected to the impersonal life-style of corporate America

• Challenged the materialism of those in charge of society (the “Establishment”) and indifference to poverty and other social problems

CONTINUED…• New Lifestyles

• Affected by rock music• New fashions and long hair for males became symbols of the new culture

• Experimented with drugs and sex• “hippies” – snubbed society and lived in communes

• Twenty-sixth Amendment• Ratified in 1971• Lowered the voting age to 18

African Americans

SNCC _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Malcolm X _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Black Panthers __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mexican Americans

Hector Perez Garcia___________________________________________________________________________________Cesar Chavez______________________________________________________________________________________Dolores Huerta______________________________________________________________________________________

American Indian Movement (AIM)

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STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY