AMERICAN CULTURAL

CHANGES IN THE
1960S
Expanded Civil Rights Movement
Womens Liberation Movement
The Youth Culture
Literature, Art, and Music

The Expanded Struggle for Equal Rights

The 1960s and early 1970s were a key

time in American History

Many groups became more vocal in their
demands for a more equal and diverse
American Society

AFRICAN-AMERICAN MILITANCY
Many young African-Americans disagreed

with Martin Luther King Jr.s non-violent,

civil disobedience methods to overcome
social bias
New militants believed in Black Power
(African-Americans should use their votes to
win concessions from government and should
control their own communities and patronize
their own businesses to free themselves from
domination of whites)

CONTINUED
Black Panthers a group of African-American activists

founded in Oakland, CA
Developed a ten-point program demanding greater
opportunities and benefits (jobs, housing, education, etc.)
The Ghettos Erupt, 1968 ethnic communities in decaying
inner cities erupted in a series of riots 3 summers in a row
In April 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by a
white supremacist in Memphis, TN
This led to an outpouring of anger and national mourning
Sparked race riots

A commission found that causes of unrest were

lack of jobs, urban poverty, and white racism

Search for a New Identity. In the late 1960s, many African Americans began to
search for the roots of their cultural identity. They rejected imitating whites or
being absorbed into American culture, believing that they should be proud of
themselves and that Black is Beautiful. They developed distinctive styles like
Afro haircuts and fashions based on African culture.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

New Groups Emerge. New groups

challenged the leadership of traditional,
non-violent organizations like the NAACP.
The militant Student Non-Violent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC) barred
white participation. Black Muslims
believed Islam should be the religion of
African Americans, who should form their
own black state. Black Panthers
demanded that reparations be given to the
black community for centuries of
oppression

Malcolm X, a leading black Muslim,

questioned Kings policy of nonviolent resistance. Malcolm X
believed that African Americans
should meet violence with violence
and should not depend on the
goodness of white people. He urged
African Americans to obtain control of
their own businesses and
communities. He was assassinated
by rival Black Muslims in 1965

The Chicano Movement

Mexican Americans, also known as

Chicanos, often faced discrimination,

racism, and exploitation
Focus of Chicano Movement was on issues
like farm workers voting and political rights
Some key leaders were Hector Perez
Garcia, Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta

Hector Perez Garcia, a surgeon and WWII veteran. He noticed that Mexican
Americans in his Texas community were facing discrimination and restrictions in
voting, holding office, and employment. He arranged to have a Mexican American
soldier killed during WWII buried in Arlington National Cemetery when a local
funeral home refused service to his family. It was highly publicized. Garcia became
the first Mexican American to serve on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
LEADERS OF THE CHICANO MOVEMENT
Cesar Chavez organized farm workers
in California. Started a group that
supported farm workers rights and
demanded higher wages and better
working conditions. He emphasized
nonviolence and organized boycotts of
farm products and participated in hunger
strikes until violence against strikers
ended and state legislatures passed
laws to improve the lives of farm
workers.

Dolores Huerta, a courageous

Mexican-American labor leader, was
closely associated with Chavez. She
helped him form the National Farm
Workers Association (later became
the United Farm Workers) and spent
her life working for legislation to aid
families of farm workers. She later
became involved in the womens
rights movement and environmental
protection.

CHICANO MURAL MOVEMENT

In addition to activism, Mexican Americans

expressed themselves through a greater

appreciation of their culture
Began painting murals in barrios (ethnic
neighborhoods) in the Southwest
Showed support for identity and justice in
Mexican American communities
Provided visual presence to those lacking
representation and political voice

THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT (AIM)

In 1953, the federal government had transferred

responsibility for American Indians living in

reservations to the states
Many states were unable to provide services due
to lack of funds
Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination
against Native Americans
In 1970, President Nixon announced the federal
government would honor treaty obligations

CONTINUED
AIM was formed to mobilize public opinion

in the favor of Native Americans

Sought greater respect for their heritage
(coined Native American, protested bias)
Used slogan Red Power
Demonstrated by occupying government
monuments

THE WOMENS LIBERATION MOVEMENT

Feminist movement
Aimed at achieving greater economic and

social equality (breaking out of traditional

roles)
National Organization of Women (NOW)
became the chief voice of the movement
Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique in
1963, which challenged the belief that
educated suburban housewives were happy
doing nothing more that cleaning and cooking

ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMENS LIB

Education affirmative action created greater

gender equality in universities for both students and

professors (including military academies, law
schools, and medical schools)
Employment Feminists wanted to end
discrimination in hiring and create equal job
opportunities for women. Congress passed the
Equal Pay Act requiring equal pay for equal work.
New Attitudes Feminists opposed beauty
pageants, sexist language, sex in advertising,
discrimination in textbooks, and coined the title Ms.

CONTINUED
Roe v. Wade (1973) challenged anti-abortion laws.

Feminists promoted Pro-choice (womans right to

decide for herself whether to end her pregnancy). The
Supreme Court ruled in favor of a womans right to
privacy and overturned state laws prohibiting abortion.
Title IX (1972) a major landmark in womens rights
in education (part of the Educational Amendments
Act). Guarantees gender equality in school by
providing girls the same opportunities as boys. Tied to
federal aid. Allows women to pursue higher degrees,
participate in sports, and choose fields previously
dominated by men.

REASONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF

THE WOMENS LIBERATION MOVEMENT
Dissatisfaction. Many women were dissatisfied with their roles as housewives
and sought freedom to express themselves in careers and work.
Influence of Civil Rights Movement.
Many women leaders had been active in
the Civil Rights Movement. Its success
inspired them to adopt the same
techniques to promote womens rights
lobbying, sit-ins, demonstrations,
boycotts, and strikes.

Impact of Social Science. Social

scientists, especially women such as
anthropologist Margaret Mead, began to
see womens low status in Western
society as the creation of a maledominated power structure rather than
as biological necessity.

The Sexual Revolution. Sex

education courses began to be taught in
the schools. Birth control pills protected
women from pregnancy. The Womens
Movement attacked the myth of female
passivity. Women objected to being
treated as sex objects instead of as full
human beings.

Dynamic Leadership. Highly educated

and talented women provided dynamic
leadership. Feminist leaders included
Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem.
Steinem founded Ms. Magazine, devoted
to womens concerns and viewpoints
decidedly different from traditional
womans magazines.

POST-WAR LITERATURE, ART, AND MUSIC

LITERATURE:
Just after WWII, the best writing dealt with the war

experience
By the 1960s, the counter-culture was in full swing
and two late WWII novels challenged mainstream
thinking by exposing the absurdity of armed
conflict (Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse-Five)
Much of 1960s literature was about the Vietnam
War and anti-war movement
Literature also became more open in its treatment
of human consciousness and sexuality

CONTINUED
The Beat Generation
Rebelled against the conformity of the 1950s
Began with a small tightly connected group of

young writers in New York and later moved to

San Francisco
Displayed a care-free, reckless, and fresh
approach to literature
Beatniks were associated with artistic lifestyles
and experimented with sexuality and drugs
Men wore beards, berets, and sandals, while
women wore leotards and dark colors

CONTINUED
ART - went in diverse directions
Abstract expressionism (Action Painters)

expressed their feelings with the rapid movement

of color and texture across the canvas
Jackson Pollock
Mark Rothko
Pop Art used symbols from mass-produced,
mass-marketed consumer culture and/or repetition
of familiar people or objects
Andy Warhol
Jasper Johns
Roy Lichtenstein

CONTINUED
1950s Rock and Roll Music (created by combining

gospel, jazz, blues, and country) replaced the Big

Band music of the 1940s
Depended on electric guitars, amplifiers,
microphones, and radio stations
Chuck Berry, Elvis Pressley, and Little Richard paved
the way
1960s Motown Sound originated in Detroit.
1964 The British Invasion brought the Beatles,
Rolling Stones, and the Who
The anti-war movement and psychedelic experience
were reflected by counter-culture artists

YOUTH CULTURE OF THE SIXTIES

A large number of baby boomers reached

their 20s in the 1960s and 1970s

Influenced by post-war prosperity,
permissive methods of child care, and
exposure to TV
Objected to the impersonal life-style of
corporate America
Challenged the materialism of those in
charge of society (the Establishment) and
indifference to poverty and other social
problems

CONTINUED
New Lifestyles
Affected by rock music
New fashions and long hair for males became
symbols of the new culture
Experimented with drugs and sex
hippies snubbed society and lived in communes
Twenty-sixth Amendment
Ratified in 1971
Lowered the voting age to 18

African Americans
SNCC ______________________________________________________
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Malcolm X __________________________________________________
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Black Panthers _______________________________________________
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STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY
Mexican Americans

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Hector Perez Garcia_________________

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Cesar Chavez____________________
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Dolores Huerta____________________
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