20:1 Students and the Counter-Culture

• 1960s Youth Movement:– Baby Boomers (those born right after WWII)

college-age– Why did the movement start in college?• College life gives young people freedom• They met others students with similar beliefs and ideals

20:1 Students for a Democratic Society

• SDS believed:– Started by Tom Hayden (U of Mich.)– A small group of wealthy elites controlled U.S.

politics– Wealth was unfairly divided– Called themselves “the New Left”

20:1 SDS

• Port Huron Statement (1962)– Stated the goals of SDS• called for an end to apathy (not caring)• Urged citizens not to accept a country run by big

corporations and big government

20:1 Free Speech Movement

• Mario Savio (U of California-Berkley)– Students felt isolated at huge university – Demanded change– Students hold a “sit-in” (Dec 1964)• Occupy a place as a form of protest

– Students around the country imitate

20:1 The Counterculture

• How was the Counterculture different?– Didn’t want to reform society, they wanted to

drop out of society • “Hippies”– They rejected• Rationality • Order• Traditional middle class values

20:1 The Counterculture

• Hippies– Long hair– Native American headbands– Cowboy boots

20:1 The Counterculture

• Hippies– Long dresses– Shabby jeans– Drug use

20:1 The Counterculture

• Hippie Culture– Lived in communes • Group living arrangement where work and goods are

shared

– Haight-Ashbury District• San Francisco• Thousands of hippies met there

20:1 Impact of the Counterculture

• Counterculture faded away– Drug addiction– Overdoses– The members grew older

• How it changed America– Fashion: tie-dyed shirts; cheap clothes• A symbol of rejecting the current trends• Hair: men could now grow their hair long

– Music• Woodstock(huge outdoor concert in upstate New York