1960s Counterculture: Documents Decoded

by Jim Willis

Overview

An era that changed America forever is analyzed through the words of those who led, participated in, and opposed the protest movements that made the 1960s a signature epoch in U.S. culture.

• Opens a window on a revolutionary time when Americans stood up and demanded peace and tolerance

• Highlights the expectations of free speech and equal treatment for all Americans and shows how those expectations were translated into actions

• Includes background discussion of the 1960s and background discussion of each document

• Compares and contrasts key passages, encouraging the reader to cross-reference documents within the volume and connect the dots between them

• Examines exhibits as varied as Abbie Hoffman's testimony at the trial of the Chicago 7, Noam Chomsky's essay "The Function of a University in Time of Crisis," the Port Huron speech of the Students for a Democratic Society, Richard Nixon's Silent Majority speech, and Shirley Chisholm's Equal Rights for Women speech

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610695237
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/24/2015
Series:	Documents Decoded
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	231
File size:	395 KB

About the Author

Jim Willis, PhD, is a writer and professor of journalism at Southern California's Azusa Pacific University. He has authored or coauthored more than a dozen books on the news media, international images, and history.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Seeds of the 1960s Protest Movement,
Chapter 1 Raised Voices: The Berkeley Free Speech Movement,
Freedom of Speech,
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Ratified December 15, 1791
"A Spectre Is Haunting the University,"
Leaflet from the FSM Steering Committee
December 1964
"The Bodies upon the Gears,"
Mario Savio's Speech on the Sproul Hall Steps, UC-Berkeley
December 2, 1964
The Function of the University in Time of Crisis,
Noam Chomsky's Speech on the Role of the University
1969
Chapter 2 Flowers in Their Hair: Voices of the Hippie Movement,
"The Class Structure of Hippie Society,"
Dr. Sherry Cavan's Article on the Economics of Hippie Society
October 1972
"The Gathering of the Tribes,"
Promotional Article in the San Francisco Oracle
January 1967
"Trip without a Ticket,"
The Digger Papers
August 1968
"The Community of the Tribe,"
Tom Law's Article on Hippie Culture
1967
"Marxism and Nonviolence,"
A Conversation with Isaac Deutscher
May 1966
Chapter 3 Hell No, We Won't Go: Protesting the Vietnam War,
The Port Huron Statement,
Students for a Democratic Society's Manifesto
June 1962
"The Incredible War,"
Paul Potter's Essay on the Vietnam War
April 7, 1965
"The Great Silent Majority,"
President Richard Nixon's Address to the American People
November 3, 1969
Chapter 4 We Shall Overcome: Protesting Racial Discrimination,
"A Moral Crisis,"
John F. Kennedy's Address on Civil Rights
June 11, 1963
"We Shall Overcome,"
Lyndon B. Johnson's Voting Rights Speech
March 15, 1965
"Black Power,"
Stokely Carmichael's Speech to the SNCC
October 29, 1966
Chapter 5 I Am a Woman: Protesting Gender Discrimination,
Equal Rights for Women,
Shirley Chisholm's Speech in the House of Representatives
May 21, 1969
Judge Carswell and the "Sex Plus" Doctrine,
Betty Friedan's Testimony before the Senate Judicial Committee
January 29, 1970
"We Won't Be Silent Anymore,"
Gloria Steinem's Testimony on the Equal Rights Amendment
May 6, 1970
"Living the Revolution,"
Gloria Steinem's Commencement Speech at Vassar College
May 31, 1970
Chapter 6 Embracing Differences: Protesting GLBT Discrimination,
"Under Conditions Other Than Honorable,"
Fannie Mae Clackum v. United States
January 20, 1960
"Raid on the Black Cat Bar,"
Press Release from the Tavern Guild of Southern California
January 5, 1967
"Unfitness to Teach"?
Morrison v. State Board of Education
November 20, 1969
"Full Moon over the Stonewall,"
Howard Smith's Article in the Village Voice
July 2, 1969
Chapter 7 A Voice from the Past, Demanding to Be Heard: The Native American,
"On the Art of Stealing Human Rights,"
Gerry Gambill's Speech at a Conference on Human Rights
August 1968
"The Meaning of AIM,"
Birgil Kills Straight's Letter to the Editor
1973
The NARP Eight-Point Program,
Article from the Native Alliance for Red Power Newsletter
June–July 1969
Establishing the National Council on Indian Opportunity,
Lyndon B. Johnson's Executive Order 11399
March 6, 1968
"Eighteen Thousand Pages,"
A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the FBI Files on the American Indian Movement
1986
Chapter 8 The Fight in the Fields: Latino Protests of the Era,
"Viva La Causa,"
Statement of Senator Robert F. Kennedy at a Rally of the United Farm Workers
March 10, 1968
"Men Are Not Angels,"
Cesar Chavez's Letter from Delano
April 4, 1969
"The Boycott Is Our Major Weapon,"
Dolores Huerta's Statement to Congress
July 15, 1969
Timeline of Key Events in the Protest Era of the 1960s,
Further Reading,
Index,
About the Author,

Editorial Reviews

Willis's succinct writing style makes the book accessible as a scholarly text for those already familiar with analysis of the times, and as a supplement for students or history aficionados learning for the first time about the cultural history of the decade. . . . Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general audiences; jourbanalists.” —Choice

From the Publisher

10/01/2015
Willis delves into the "artifacts" left behind by the free-love generation, how the 1960s were defined by the events of that time, and the mark left on history. The text is divided into eight sections that cover, for example, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the free speech movement. Documents within these segments feature articles, speeches, congressional testimony, and manifestos. Key passages are highlighted in each chapter with explanations in the margin about the document, its language, or the event in its time period; it is not viewed through 2015 eyes. The remainder of the text includes a time line, further reading suggestions, and an average index and bibliography. The introductory essay promises a "concluding chapter" that compares the millennial generation to the baby boomers on the "spirit of protest and seeking change." This chapter could not be found, and if it were there, it might have explained why the author makes a two-generation jump, as though Generation X didn't exist. VERDICT Other than the missing chapter, the text is a strong starting point for high school and early college readers interested in this period of American history.—Beth Bland, Milwaukee

Library Journal