Lecture Notes
Chapter 26 – The Politics of Protest
Section 1 - During the 1960s, many of the country’s young people raised their voices in protest
against numerous aspects of American society.
I. Growth of the Youth Movement
A. By 1970, 58.4 percent of the American population was 34 years old or younger.
B. Economic boom of 1950s  dramatic increase in college enrollment
C. Univ. of California at Berkeley was a hotbed of student discontent.
1. Students held hundreds of protests; one was a sit-in at Administration Bldg.
a. 700 were arrested & campus-wide strike stopped classes for two days.
b. School Admin gave in to students’ demands.
c. Supreme Court validated rights the students’ rights to freedom of speech
& assembly on campus.
D. Berkeley revolt became model for college demonstrations around the country.
II. The Counterculture
A. Some young Americans sought to create their own society.
B. The __________________________, or hippies, were mostly white youths from
middle- and upper-class backgrounds.
C. Their lives included flamboyant dress, rock music, drug use, and free-style living.
D. Utopian ideal of living; ideal of a society that was free, closer to nature, & full
of love, empathy, tolerance, & cooperation.
E. As movement grew, newcomers focused more on the outward signs
1. Long hair, Native American headbands, shabby jeans & drugs common.
2. ___________________, or group living where members shared everything &
worked together, were formed as hippies “dropped out” of society.
F. One of most popular hippie destinations was the _________________________
district in San Francisco.
G. Counterculture decline as criminal activity took over hippie communities.
1. Drug use declined as more young people became addicted or died from overdoses.
2. As students got older, more moved back into more mainstream US society.
II. Impact of the Counterculture
A. Mainstream America adopted some of counterculture’s ideas
1. Fashion moved toward more color & comfort.
2. Military, worn-out, & ethnic clothing was popular.
3. What once was defiance became mainstream.
B. Art
1. ______________ was HOT in the art world during 1960s & 1970s.
2. Andy Warhol was the artist at the center of the new movement.
3. Pop art took its subject matter from popular culture, using photos,
comics, ads, & brand-name products.
C. New music added to the rift between parents & youth.
1. Ex: Beatles, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, etc.
2. 1969 - Woodstock
Section 2 - During the 1960s & 1970s, a large number of American women organized to push for
greater rights and opportunities in society.
I. Women’s Movement
A. New feminist movement began in the 1960s.
B. ___________________, the belief that men & women should be equal politically,
economically, and socially, began as early as the 1920s.
C. When soldiers returned home after WWII, many women who had taken men’s places lost their
jobs.
D. Women gradually returned to the labor market, and by 1960 made up almost 40% of workforce.
II. The Women’s Movement Reawakens
A. By early 1960s, women were increasingly resentful of old stereotypes; protests increased.
B. Women’s movement was brought back to life by:
1. Mass protest
2. JFK’s President’s Commission on the Status of Women
3. Birth control pills
C. 1963 - new book, The Feminine Mystique by ________________________
stirred up women across the country.
1. She found that women usually said they had everything they wanted, but
still felt unfilled.
2. The book fueled the women’s liberation movement.
D. New women’s group named the National Organization for
Women (________) was founded.
E. The biggest change in the abortion issue came w/ the 1973
Supreme Ct. decision _______________________________.
1. Court ruled that state govts could not prohibit abortion during the first three months of
pregnancy.
2. Roe gave rise to the right-to-life movement (consider abortion morally wrong)
3. Pro-life vs. pro-choice.
F. 1972 - Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment (_________) which protected against
discrimination based on gender.
1. Some saw it as a threat to traditional women’s rights (ex: right to alimony)
2. Amendment failed to be ratified by 38 states. IT WAS NEVER RATIFIED.
Section 3 - Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, minority groups developed new ways to improve
their status in the United States.
I. Fighting for Greater Opportunity
A. African American leaders looked to ___________________________________ to gain good
jobs & adequate housing.
1. Required companies & institutions doing business w/ federal govt to actively recruit black
employees to help improve their social & eco. status.
2. Affirmative action later expanded to include other minority groups & women.
3. Critics of affirmative action described it as reverse discrimination.
4. 1974 - _____________________________, a white student was turned down for admission
to U. of Calif. Medical School.
a. He sued the school; some minority students whose scores were lower than his were
accepted instead of him.
b. 1978 - University of California Regents v. Bakke - Court ruled that the university had
violated Bakke’s rights.
c. Also ruled that schools could use racial criteria as part of their admissions process, but
could NOT use fixed quotas.
B. Educational improvements for African Americans
1. White neighborhood schools had better supplies, facilities, & teachers
2. To desegregate schools, local govts implemented a policy known
as ________________.
a. Children were transported to schools outside their neighborhoods to gain racial balance.
b. “White Flight” often occurred (white students left public school system for parochial &
private schools.
II. Hispanic Americans Organize
A. By 1970s - 9 million Hispanic Americans lived in the US.
B. They felt that they faced some of the same prejudice as other immigrant groups & began to
organize their own protest movement.
C. Early 1960s - _______________________________ & Delores Huerta worked for rights of
migrant farmworkers.
1. 1966 - formed the
____________________________________.
a. Organized boycotts of grapes, lettuce, etc.
b. Growers finally agreed to raise wages &
improve working conditions.
D. 1969 - new political party called La Raza Unida
(the United People) emerged in Texas.
III. Native Americans Raise Their Voices
A. Native Americans raised grievances that included low income, high unemployment,
discrimination, limited education, & short life expectancy.
B. Did NOT want assimilation; wanted independence from white culture.
C. Formed militant groups such as the _____________________________________________
(AIM∫)
Section 4 - During the 1960s & 1970s, environmental issues became a significant concern for many
Americans.
I. Beginnings of Environmentalism
A. Environmentalists argued that the use of pesticides had damaged wildlife & that pollution
had fouled air & water.
B. Marine biologist _________________________________ wrote of increased
of pesticides in her book ___________________________________.
* She argued that they were killing not just insects, but also birds & fish.
II. The Environmental Movement
A. Concerned all regions of the US, including:
1. Cutting down trees in the Northwest
2. _________________ from factories, power plants, & cars in cities
3. Oil spills offshore
4. Pollution & garbage in lakes & rivers.
B. April 1970, the nation held its first _________________________
to focus on the country’s environmental concerns.
C. Citizens joined local environmental groups like the Sierra Club,
Audubon Society, & the Wilderness Society.
D. 1970 - Pres. Nixon created the ________________________________________________
to set & enforce pollution standards, promote research, & coordinate anti-pollution
activities w/ state & local govts.
E. Nuclear energy
1. Supporters claimed it was cleaner & less expensive than fossil fuels
(coal, oil, natural gas) which have a limited supply.
2. Opponents warned of risks (accidental radiation release).
3. 1979 - One of reactors at the ___________________________________
nuclear facility overheated, causing low levels of radiation to escape;
plant was declared safe, but incident made more people doubt the
safety of nuclear energy.
III. The Consumer Movement
A. Americans demanded product safety, accurate info, & voice in govt consumer policy.
B. _________________________ emerged as consumer advocate leader.
Results: seat belts, safer cars, toys, clothes, etc.
Lecture Notes
Chapter 26 – The Politics of Protest
Section 1 - During the 1960s, many of the country’s young people raised their voices in protest
against numerous aspects of American society.
I. Growth of the Youth Movement
A. By 1970, 58.4 percent of the American population was 34 years old or younger.
B. Economic boom of 1950s  dramatic increase in college enrollment
C. Univ. of California at Berkeley was a hotbed of student discontent.
1. Students held hundreds of protests; one was a sit-in at Administration Bldg.
a. 700 were arrested & campus-wide strike stopped classes for two days.
b. School gave in to students’ demands.
c. Supreme Ct. validated rights the students’ rights to freedom of speech
& assembly on campus.
D. Berkeley revolt became model for college demonstrations around the country.
II. The Counterculture
A. Some young Americans sought to create their own society.
B. The counterculture or hippies, were mostly white youths from
middle- and upper-class backgrounds.
C. Their lives included flamboyant dress, rock music, drug use, and free-style living.
D. Utopian ideal of living; ideal of a society that was free, closer to nature, & full
of love, empathy, tolerance, & cooperation.
E. As movement grew, newcomers focused more on the outward signs
1. Long hair, Native American headbands, shabby jeans & drugs common.
2. Communes or group living where members shared everything &
worked together, were formed as hippies “dropped out” of society.
F. One of most popular hippie destinations was the Haight-Ashbury
district in San Francisco.
G. Counterculture decline as criminal activity took over hippie communities.
1. Drug use declined as more young people became addicted or died from overdoses.
2. As students got older, more moved back into more mainstream US society.
II. Impact of the Counterculture
A. Mainstream America adopted some of counterculture’s ideas
1. Fashion moved toward more color & comfort.
2. Military, worn-out, & ethnic clothing was popular.
3. What once was defiance became mainstream.
B. Art
1. Pop Art was HOT in the art world during 1960s & 1970s.
2. Andy Warhol was the artist at the center of the new movement.
3. Pop art took its subject matter from popular culture, using photos,
comics, ads, & brand-name products.
C. New music added to the rift between parents & youth.
1. Ex: Beatles, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, etc.
2. 1969 - Woodstock
Section 2 - During the 1960s & 1970s, a large number of American women organized to push for
greater rights and opportunities in society.
I. Women’s Movement
A. New feminist movement began in the 1960s.
B. Feminism, the belief that men & women should be equal politically, economically, and
socially, began as early as the 1920s.
C. When soldiers returned home after WWII, many women who had taken men’s places lost their
jobs.
D. Women gradually returned to the labor market, and by 1960 made up almost 40% of workforce.
II. The Women’s Movement Reawakens
A. By early 1960s, women were increasingly resentful of old stereotypes; protests increased.
B. Women’s movement was brought back to life by:
1. Mass protest
2. JFK’s President’s Commission on the Status of Women
3. Birth control pills
C. 1963 - new book, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
stirred up women across the country.
1. She found that women usually said they had everything they wanted, but
still felt unfilled.
2. The book fueled the women’s liberation movement.
D. New women’s group named the National Organization for
Women (NOW) was founded.
E. The biggest change in the abortion issue came w/ the 1973
Supreme Ct. decision Roe v. Wade.
1. Court ruled that state govts could not prohibit abortion during the first three months of
pregnancy.
2. Roe gave rise to the right-to-life movement (consider abortion morally wrong)
3. Pro-life vs. pro-choice.
F. 1972 - Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) which protected against
discrimination based on gender.
1. Some saw it as a threat to traditional women’s rights (ex: right to alimony)
2. Amendment failed to be ratified by 38 states. IT WAS NEVER RATIFIED.
Section 3 - Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, minority groups developed new ways to improve
their status in the United States.
I. Fighting for Greater Opportunity
A. African American leaders looked to affirmative action to gain good jobs & adequate housing.
1. Required companies & institutions doing business w/ federal govt to actively recruit black
employees to help improve their social & eco. status.
2. Affirmative action later expanded to include other minority groups & women.
3. Critics of affirmative action described it as reverse discrimination.
4. 1974 - Allan Bakke a white student was turned down for admission
to U. of Calif. Medical School.
a. He sued the school; some minority students whose scores were lower than his were
accepted instead of him.
b. 1978 - University of California Regents v. Bakke - Court ruled that the university had
violated Bakke’s rights.
c. Also ruled that schools could use racial criteria as part of their admissions process, but
could NOT use fixed quotas.
B. Educational improvements for African Americans
1. White neighborhood schools had better supplies, facilities, & teachers
2. To desegregate schools, local govts implemented a policy known
as busing.
a. Children were transported to schools outside their neighborhoods to gain racial balance.
b. “White Flight” often occurred (white students left public school system for parochial &
private schools.
II. Hispanic Americans Organize
A. By 1970s - 9 million Hispanic Americans lived in the US.
B. They felt that they faced some of the same prejudice as other immigrant groups & began to
organize their own protest movement.
C. Early 1960s - Cesar Chavez & Delores Huerta worked for rights of
migrant farmworkers.
1. 1966 - formed the
United Farm Workers
a. Organized boycotts of grapes, lettuce, etc.
b. Growers finally agreed to raise wages &
improve working conditions.
D. 1969 - new political party called La Raza Unida
(the United People) emerged in Texas.
III. Native Americans Raise Their Voices
A. Native Americans raised grievances that included low income, high unemployment,
discrimination, limited education, & short life expectancy.
B. Did NOT want assimilation; wanted independence from white culture.
C. Formed militant groups such as the American Indian Movement (AIM∫)
Section 4 - During the 1960s & 1970s, environmental issues became a significant concern for many
Americans.
I. Beginnings of Environmentalism
A. Environmentalists argued that the use of pesticides had damaged wildlife & that pollution
had fouled air & water.
B. Marine biologist Rachel Carson wrote of increased
of pesticides in her book Silent Spring.
* She argued that they were killing not just insects, but also birds & fish.
II. The Environmental Movement
A. Concerned all regions of the US, including:
1. Cutting down trees in the Northwest
2. Smog from factories, power plants, & cars in cities
3. Oil spills offshore
4. Pollution & garbage in lakes & rivers.
B. April 1970, the nation held its first Earth Day
to focus on the country’s environmental concerns.
C. Citizens joined local environmental groups like the Sierra Club,
Audubon Society, & the Wilderness Society.
D. 1970 - Pres. Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
to set & enforce pollution standards, promote research, & coordinate anti-pollution
activities w/ state & local govts.
E. Nuclear energy
1. Supporters claimed it was cleaner & less expensive than fossil fuels
(coal, oil, natural gas) which have a limited supply.
2. Opponents warned of risks (accidental radiation release).
3. 1979 - One of reactors at the Three Mile Island
nuclear facility overheated, causing low levels of radiation to escape;
plant was declared safe, but incident made more people doubt the
safety of nuclear energy.
III. The Consumer Movement
A. Americans demanded product safety, accurate info, & voice in govt consumer policy.
B. Ralph Nader emerged as consumer advocate leader.
Results: seat belts, safer cars, toys, clothes, etc.