A revolutionary activist once said “the only way to support a revolution is to make your own”(Abbie Hoffman Quotes). The 1960s were a revolutionary era and it is only apt that a man like Abbie Hoffman would reach the apogee of his career as an activist in those years. Abbie Hoffman was justified in his act of revolutionary political activism because of his cofounding of the Yippies, his beliefs for a better government, and being a part of public riots and protests that exposed his beliefs to the public. Abbie Hoffman was a cofounder of the Yippies who targeted the youth as their main receptors because they could lead to a new system for America; he also used his books to stay relevant after he was imprisoned. The Yippies were a group of …show more content…
The Chicago Riots originated from the Chicago Eight but even though all the leaders were arrested (including Hoffman) only Seale was sentenced to four years in prison and the rest were exempt from their seven year sentence. The Chicago Eight, a group of antiwar protesters, were arrested and accused of disrupting ‘’the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with anti war demonstrations’’ (Toropov “Chicago Eight”). The leaders were promptly arrested but none of them served their time in jail because “their convictions were overturned upon appeal”(Toropov “Chicago Eight”). Abbott Hoffman was a very controversial individual but without the help from the media he wouldn’t really be remembered, anything and everything he is remembered by was exposed to the public through the media. Hoffman was willing to participate in what was considered to be an outrageous behavior and this attracted attention to him (“Hoffman, Abbott”). Some thought he just wanted attention but in reality his motives were to legalize recreational marijuana use and to end the Vietnam war; he even randomly mailed 3,000 joints to different individuals (“Hoffman, Abbott”). Abbie Hoffman is an example of civil disobedience because even if he was ridiculed and put into prison, he never forgot what he believed
The 1960’s was a time society fantasized of a better world. However, the horrors of the Vietnam War soon became evident; the mass amounts of death occurring because of the war became a reality. It created a “movement”, especially in American colleges, in order to stand up for what they believed to be “right”. By 1970, many Americans believed sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, however there were also various individuals becoming increasingly critical of the student antiwar movement
American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests with their alternative lifestyles and radical beliefs or drop out of society completely.
HOST: Today, in our studio we have three famous personalities of the sixties. We will be asking about their experiences and how they saw America change in their lifetime. This will give us three different perspectives of struggle during the sixties, and how their definition of freedom differs from each other. First we have one of the most visible advocates of nonviolence and direct action as methods of social change, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Interestingly, it was not the protest itself that sparked the beginning of what became known as the free speech movement. Rather it was the reaction of the media and the government that encouraged the support of students throughout the country. What was intended to be a peaceful protest was portrayed to the country as evidence of a vast “communist plot.” Dubbed as “operation abolition,” a video of the protest was released, supposedly showing how the communist were now using students to achieve their means. The plan backfired; students were attracted to Berkeley by the droves, with a new sense of determination in tow.
During the sixties and seventies there was an influx of social change movements, from civil rights, gay rights, student’s rights and feminism. In the early sixties the US was experiencing
There were a lot of movements during the 1960s like the Civil Rights movement or the Feminist movement. However the Anti-War Movement was the most popular one during the 1960s due to the lack of support towards the war. Protests across the U.S against the Vietnam War started small. Nevertheless, they became popular among young people as groups like the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) started protesting in Washington, D.C. The organization of nonviolent protests was the best way to fight back the injustice made by the government for drafting people into a war that was totally unrelated to the country.
The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil rights struggle, and the liberation movements. From the lunch counter sit-in of Greensboro, N.C. in 1960 and the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Black Power movement at the decade's end, Anderson illustrates the brutality involved in the reaction against civil rights, the radicalization of some of the movement's youth, and the eventual triumphs that would change America forever. He also discusses women's liberation and the feminist movement, as well as the students' rights, gay rights, and environmental movements.
One of the first documented incidents of the sit-ins for the civil rights movement was on February 1, 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee. Four college African-Americans sat at a lunch counter and refused to leave. During this time, blacks were not allowed to sit at certain lunch counters that were reserved for white people. These black students sat at a white lunch counter and refused to leave. This sit-in was a direct challenge to southern tradition. Trained in non-violence, the students refused to fight back and later were arrested by Nashville police. The students were drawn to activist Jim Lossen and his workshops of non-violence. The non-violent workshops were training on how to practice non-violent protests. John Lewis, Angela Butler, and Diane Nash led students to the first lunch counter sit-in. Diane Nash said, "We were scared to death because we didn't know what was going to happen." For two weeks there were no incidences with violence. This all changed on February 27, 1960, when white people started to beat the students. Nashville police did nothing to protect the black students. The students remained true to their training in non-violence and refused to fight back. When the police vans arrived, more than eighty demonstrators were arrested and summarily charged for disorderly conduct. The demonstrators knew they would be arrested. So, they planned that as soon as the first wave of demonstrators was arrested, a second wave of demonstrators would take their place. If and when the second wave of demonstrators were arrested and removed, a third would take their place. The students planned for multiple waves of demonstrators.
The movement changed the landscape of American society and opened it up to excluded groups and gave these groups a model for protest and change. It demonstrated that nonviolent protests and struggle was a viable method of social and cultural change.
The antiwar movement and the civil rights movement drastically altered the American society in the 1960s and 1970s. In one way, these movements were used to express the values of the American people of the time, the value of equality and peace. On the other hand, these movements were used to show the government the power of protests and the success of these protests. Therefore, these movements were significant in transforming American society.
The 1960s was a period well remembered for all the civil rights movements that occurred during that time frame and the impact these movements had on the social and political dynamics of the United States. The three largest movements that were striving in the 1960s were the African American civil rights movement, the New Left movement and the feminist movement. These three movements were in a lot of ways influenced by each other and were very similar in terms of their goals and strategies. However, within each of these movements there were divisions in the way they tried to approach the issues they were fighting against. Looking at each of these movements individually will reveal the relationship they all share as well as the changes that were brought forth as a result of each groups actions.
My name is Abbie Hoffman. Steal this speech while square dancing in the Ice ages, it’s soon to be a major motion picture…
On August 4, 1967 I led a group of student activists to the gallery of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), in protest of capitalism. This was just the beginning of my counterculture protests. In January 1968, I co-founded a group called the Youth International Party (Yippies), where I acted as “[a] semi-freak among the love children” and “was determined to bring the hippie movement into a broader protest”. As life went on, so did my protests. I spoke in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania on topics that went against capitalism and leaving the homeless behind. Next, I was also a part of the Chicago 7, which was a group of people who were planning to be disrupt the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago with protests. We were put on trial, yet this was eventually overturned. Jerry Rubin, (who was in the Chicago 7) called me a ''one-of-a-kind American hero'', and a “very rare person who cannot be replaced”. One of the main reasons why I was so persuasive, and so many people listened to me was because I ''combined humor and commitment and dedication”, which was unusual in political and activists. My role in supporting counterculture was very important because I was an unusual activist that people didn't see everyday, therefore my ideas were fresh and unheard of often, so many people were intrigued. My
In conclusion, the period of 1960s witnessed many youth movements by the hippies who stood up for their beliefs – peace and nonviolence. On October 21, 1967, “Flower Power”, one of their antiwar movements, was taken by photographer Bernie Boston. It is not only a photograph that reviews the controversial decade of 1960s in the United States and describes the story behind young adults’ reactions towards their government’s system, its symbolic value has changed the conventional worldview about wars and protests. Hence, despite being captured almost 50 years ago, “Flower Power” still evokes strong emotions of individuals viewing the image.
The student movement grew dramatically in the USA in the 1960s due to an array of commotion going on during this era. There was a dramatic increase in student protests, as well as the war in Vietnam that contributed to student movements over the country. The New Left and hippies also contributed to the student movement with the use of politics as well as drugs. Many other student organizations also contributed to the growth during the 1960s. Militancy also negatively contributed to the growth of the movement because violent approaches were taken that resulted in blood shed and injuries. Negative or positive, this all added to the growth of the timeless and influential student movement of the 1960s.