Life in the 1960’s

HIPPIES

Counterculture

New Left movement (more liberal) “tune in, turn on, drop out”

Hippies Drug experimentation (mainly pot & LSD) Lived in communes Non-conformist dress Anti-war Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco (Hippie Central)

Rock Music Beatles, Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, etc. Woodstock (1969)

Sexual Revolution More casual sex, “shacking up”, the pill, etc.

Discussion!

What do you think was the overall impact of the hippie/counterculture movement?

Activism

Women’s Movement Feminism- wanting political, economic, social equality for women &

men Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique

Discussing the ways in which women are encouraged to become housewives by society and opportunities for women outside of the home; did not “put down” women for choosing to be housewives, but encouraged them to define themselves as more than just their marriage or being a mother

National Organization for Women (NOW) Established in 1966 Gloria Steinem – Journalist who advocated for women in politics;

co-founder of Ms. Magazine (“a magazine created by women for women”)

1972 Congress passes legislation for women Ban on gender discrimination Tax breaks for childcare

Activism Women’s movement continued:

Roe v. Wade, 1973 Abortion is legalized (1st 3 months/trimester); women’s right to

choose Equal Rights Amendment

Ends Republican Motherhood Not enough support around the country to pass – was 3 states

short of ratification Phyllis Schlafly

Conservative lawyer Opposed to the feminist movement; did not agree with the

more liberal ideas of feminism Fought against the Equal Rights Amendment Represented women in US society who valued more

conservative values and traditions

Discussion!

What do you think was the overall impact of the women’s/feminist movement?

Other Activists

Ralph Nader Unsafe At Any Speed Consumer protection

Tom Hayden Students for a Democratic

Society (SDS) Anti-war

Artists begin to call for government change Joan Baez (anti-war, civil

rights) Bob Dylan (anti-war, civil

rights)

Latinos and Native Americans Latinos

Hispanic population tripled from 3 Mil. To 9 Mil. by end of 1960s

Movement focused on workers’ rights

Unionized as United Farm Workers union (UFW)

Cesar Chavez – leader of UFW; non-violent protesting, strikes, boycotts

1968 Bilingual Education Act Provided funds to develop

bilingual and cultural heritage programs for non-English speaking children

Native Americans Gov’t tried relocation in 1954

isolated areas to urban areas (didn’t work)

Termination policy – gov’t getting rid of reservations, ending sovereignty of Native tribes, and exemption from state laws

Believed Native Americans would be better off assimilated into mainstream US society

1968 Pres. Johnson starts National Council on Indian Opportunities

American Indian Movement (AIM) – militant organization of Native Americans

Wounded Knee 2 (1973) AIM led takeover at Wounded

Knee, S.Dakota Town seized, 11 people taken

hostage, FBI shootout (2 dead)

Caesar Chavez

Discussion!

How did movements led by Hispanic Americans and Native Americans change US society?

Environmentalism

Rachel Carson and Silent Spring Warned of the dangers of using pesticides

Earth Day (4/22/1970) Celebrates environmental awareness

Creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act (passed in 1966; changes made in

1970, 1977, and 1990) Designed to control air pollution in US and protect

Americans from hazardous airborne contaminants 3 Mile Island (Pennsylvania)

Reactor at the nuclear power plant overheated Low level radiation escaped; 100,000 evacuated Increased concerns about the effects of nuclear power