The 1960's was a decade of tremendous social and political upheaval. In the United States, many movements occurred by groups of people seeking to make positive changes in society. During this decade, the Civil Rights movement continued to gain momentum. The black community was continually persecuted and discriminated against by prejudice white individuals and figures of authority. Blacks everywhere struggled to end discrimination.
The peace movement arose from opposition from the young adults in the nation. According to the history.com staff, early in the Vietnam War, college campuses were the main site of protests. Local college students would hold peaceful protests to enlighten others to what was really going on (history.com staff). Early in the war, very few people were concerned, and protesters were ignored. As the Vietnam War wore on, questions began to be asked.
Things are heating up in America. People are protesting outside of the movie theaters, concerts, and book and record stores of this great nation everywhere. What is all the fuss about? Censorship, Government officials, and raving mad protesters alike have been trying to stop the expressive creativity in everything from rap music to Mark Twain. Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades.
Despite being underestimated by the United States government and pro-war supporters, the Vietnam Antiwar Movement led to powerful and influential impacts. In the mid 1960’s the United States involvement in Vietnam stirred controversy amongst the Americans and politicians. Across the U.S., the American public became increasingly more opposed to the war. Throughout the duration of the war, protesters strived to influence policy makers to withdraw troops from Vietnam by protesting. Demonstrators marched with signs that displayed phrases such as the famous “Make Love, Not War.” Antiwar demonstrations swept the nation from the beginning of the war to definite end in 1975.
Woodstock also promoted young people to speak their voice and protest their opinions about the Vietnam War and any other crisis. Even though Woodstock was just a music festival it gave people the chance to rebel and question big issues affecting the nation and world and has been a revolutionizing event in music and American history.
The Vietnam War changed Vietnam greatly. The war left Vietnam in shambles and the war was also a calamity. The war impacted the citizens in many ways. The conditions of the Vietnam War were very hazardous and threatening to many citizens of Vietnam during the time of the war. The conditions of the war intimidated and panicked by all the chaos and disaster that took place at the time.
American Indian Movement: Activism and Repression Native Americans have felt distress from societal and governmental interactions for hundreds of years. American Indian protests against these pressures date back to the colonial period. Broken treaties, removal policies, acculturation, and assimilation have scarred the indigenous societies of the United States. These policies and the continued oppression of the native communities produced an atmosphere of heightened tension. Governmental pressure for assimilation and their apparent aim to destroy cultures, communities, and identities through policies gave the native people a reason to fight.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” wrote Martin Luther King in his from letter from a Birmingham jail (King 269). The 1960’s would become a time of protests movements and injustice and inequality would be the common theme. For two groups in particular, African-Americans and Women, inequality had gone on for a very long time. The Civil Rights Movement, followed by the Women’s Liberation Movement would use similar tactics and reasoning to try and get what they wanted. The protests and movements during the 1960’s saw the United States policing the world during the Cold War to establish freedom and used this hypocrisy to try and establish their own freedom.
The young people of this decade wanted change and this brought a huge difference in culture from the conservative fifties. Inspiration for many of the songs and lyrics of the time came from the Vietnam War. The war caused many people to protest and speak out about it. The main genres people used to show their attitudes about the current war were folk and rock. Hippies used music to express themselves spiritually, emotionally, and politically.
The Vietnam War was the most publicly protested war in the history of the country. There were many new forms of protesting used at this time. The most mainstream and effective way of protest was through song. The lyrics of the songs of the sixties were laced with anti-government and anti-war messages that were sometimes hidden and sometimes direct. The generation responsible for the new music was the Baby Boomers.