20th Century American History - 1960s Protest

20th Century American History - Week 6: The 1960s (Part 1): Protest in the Great Society

• Leader: President Lyndon B. Johnson (elected 1964, succeeding JFK)
• Vision: Promote abundance for all Americans and end discrimination to achieve equal rights and justice, regardless of race or sex.
• Key Reforms:
  • Social Security Act of 1965:
    • Medicare: Health insurance for the elderly.
    • Medicaid: Health insurance for low-income individuals.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964:
    • Prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
    • A pivotal moment in the fight for equality and justice.
  • Economic Opportunity Act of 1964: Established the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), overseeing community-based poverty alleviation programs focusing on education, job training, and community development.
  • Extension of the New Deal's "Three Rs":
    • Relief: Assistance for the poor.
    • Recovery: Economic rejuvenation.
    • Reform: Structural financial system improvements.
• Challenges and Backlash:
  • Vietnam War: Escalating militarization under Johnson, rising antiwar sentiment, and societal polarization.
  • Civil Rights Struggles: Continued systemic discrimination against African Americans, fueling movements like Black Power.

Women's Rights Movement (Second Wave Feminism)

• Historical Context:
  • First Wave (1920s): Focused on women's suffrage, culminating in the 19th Amendment (1920).
  • Second Wave (1960s-1970s): Focused on broader equality, workplace rights, and societal roles.
• Key Figure: Betty Friedan:
  • 1943: "Men, there's a revolution brewing in the American kitchen."
  • 1963: Published The Feminine Mystique, exposing women's dissatisfaction with limited societal roles.
  • Influenced by Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex.
  • 1966: Co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) advocating for legal and workplace equality, reproductive rights, and anti-discrimination policies.
• Social Tensions: Widening gap between the rich and poor, minority group rights issues and growing discontent with the Vietnam War.
• Cultural Shift: Rise of teenagers, baby boomer generation, Rock 'n Roll and pop music, and counterculture.

The March on Washington (August 28, 1963)

• Organized by: A. Philip Randolph, with major leaders Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and Roy Wilkins (NAACP) and John Lewis (SNCC).
• Goals: Push for passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, end all discrimination in employment, education, and public life.
• Significance: Nationally televised, amplifying its impact. Symbolically traced the march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial.
• Criticism: Malcolm X called the march "too pacifist", highlighting tensions within the civil rights movement.

Key Black Organizations in the Civil Rights Movement

• NAACP (1909): Leaders: W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Roy Wilkins. Focus: Legal battles against segregation and discrimination.
• SNCC (1960): Advocated for nonviolent resistance and grassroots organizing, played a major role in sit-ins, freedom rides, and voter registration drives.

Yippies (Youth International Party)

• Who: A countercultural and antiwar group.
• Beliefs: Opposed the Vietnam War, advocated against sexual repression and cultural norms, promoted radical and theatrical protests to challenge societal norms.

Black Power Movement

• Key Idea: Shifting from integration-focused civil rights activism to emphasizing self-determination, pride, and empowerment for Black Americans.
• Influences: Malcolm X (Pan-Africanism, socialism, and the term "Black"), and Stokely Carmichael ("Black Power").
• Timeline: June 6, 1966: James Meredith's march for voting rights, followed by his shooting and the increased awareness of police brutality. October 1966: Founding of the Black Panther Party by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Focus: Black consciousness, pride, and activism with community programs (e.g., free breakfasts for children) while confronting police brutality directly.

The Peace Movement

• Context: Opposition to the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons, advocating for nonviolence and social justice.
• Key Groups: Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), Hippie Movement, Weather Underground Organization.

Wounded Knee (1973)

• Location: Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
• Inspiration: Inspired by the Black Panther Party's confrontational tactics.
• Event: February 27, 1973: Activists from the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied Wounded Knee.
• Demands: Removal of Richard Wilson (tribal president) accused of corruption and government respect for treaties with Native Americans.
• Significance: Symbolism referenced the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre and casualties included two FBI agents and one Native American.

Stonewall Riots (1969)

• What: Took place at Stonewall Inn in NYC, a mafia-owned gay bar, on June 28, 1969. Police raid led to violence and protests against discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ+ community.
• Key Figure: Marsha P. Johnson, co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) supporting homeless LGBTQ+ youth and worked with ACT UP and Gay Liberation Front.

1970s Crises -A Period of Disorder and Change

• Key Characteristics: Marked by protests, riots, cultural upheaval (civil rights and counterculture movements), particularly against the Vietnam War.
• Assassination of key figures: Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

Nixon and the Vietnam War

• Policy: Vietnamization- transfer of combat roles to the South Vietnamese forces. Escalated bombings in North Vietnam and expanded operations into Cambodia.
• Consequences: By 1972 only 27,000 U.S. troops remained in Vietnam. Ended in 1973 with War Powers Act.

Nixon Doctrine (1969-1974)

• Key Policy: U.S. would support allies with money and resources but avoid direct military involvement.

Watergate Scandal

• Events: June 17, 1972: Burglars linked to Nixon's reelection committee broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
• Outcome: Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, becoming the first U.S. president to do so, following revelations of his involvement in covering up the break-in and facing impeachment.

Sun Belt vs. Rust Belt

• Sun Belt: Southern U.S.; Growth due to WWII-era military industries and new farming technologies; Most populated region and significant electoral influence.
• Rust Belt: Northeastern and Midwestern U.S. Declined with the collapse of industrial jobs.

OPEC and the 1973 Oil Crisis

• What is OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
• Crisis: Imposed an oil embargo on nations supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War (Syria, Jordan, Egypt vs. Israel) causing significant energy shortages.
• Impact: reevaluation of the U.S.'s global superpower status.

Gender, Family, and Ethnic Wars

• Milestones: 1967: Interracial marriage legalized nationwide (Loving v. Virginia), 1973: Roe v. Wade secured the right to abortion, Title VII (1964 Civil Rights Act) banned employment discrimination, 1973: Homosexuality no longer classified as mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association.
• Opposition: Anti-ERA and Evangelical Christian groups.

Crisis of Confidence

• Jimmy Carter's Speech (July 15, 1979): Addressed energy crisis and American disillusionment with government in "Malaise Speech."
• Reagan's Response: Critical of Carter's pessimism and framing himself as a champion of hope and renewal.

1980 Presidential Election

• Candidates: Jimmy Carter (Democrat) and Ronald Reagan (Republican).
• Outcome: Reagan's landslide victory marked the resurgence of conservatism.

Business Lobbies and Think Tanks

• Examples: Heritage Foundation, National Association of Manufacturers, Neoconservatism.

Neoliberalism

• Definition: Economic philosophy tied to Reagan and Thatcher, emphasizing privatization, tax cuts, and deregulation.

Pat Buchanan and the 1990s "Culture Wars"

• Political Orientation: Conservative commentator
• Key Themes: Economic Reaganomics, cultural divisions, conservative dominance in political policies and social issues.