Student-led demonstrations such as this one at the University of California-Berkeley erupted in the 1960s on college campuses throughout the United States. Protests centered on a range of issues including restrictions on free speech, social injustices associated with the Civil Rights movement, new feminist oriented activism, and protests against the Vietnam War. This activism generated some significant changes in the social fabric of the United States: the end of legal discrimination against African Americans, the easing of anti-Asian immigration laws, and steps that help lay the groundwork for same-sex marriage laws, also called marriage equality, in the 21st century. With these changes, however, came a tremendous backlash from those who wished to preserve America’s status quo. With the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980, politics in America grew increasingly hostile. Well into the 21st century, that bitterness is reflected in the blue (Democratic) and red (Republican) camps.
In this forum, we analyze the sweeping changes that took place in the years after World War II, the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, through an analysis of a song, several images, a video, public history presentation, and oral histories. Here’s what I’d like for us to do:
Part I. Review the following documents from the module readings:
- Bledsoe, John. “Little Rock Rally” (image, 1959)
- Garcia, Juanita. “Migrant Farmers and Immigrant Labor” (1952)
- Guthrie, Woodie. “This Land” (1954)
- In the Suburbs (1957)
- Student sit-in at Woolworth in Durham, North Carolina
Choose at least one of these documents and create a post that:
- Summarizes the message conveyed in the document.
- Analyzes the meaning or intention of the message.
- Explains how the event or issue being described was transforming American society.
- Explores how Americans were both turning inward and gaining an international perspective.
Please try to make sure that all of the documents above are covered in our discussion. If a classmate already has created a post on a document you wish to analyze, please simply add your comments to that thread. Do not create a new post.
Part II. Now, please review these documents, which depict events and issues from the 1960s through 1980s:
- Franklin, Aretha. Respect
- The Black Panther Party Platform (1966)
- A Peaceful Protest Against the Vietnam War (1967, image)
- New York City Subway (1973)
- Stop ERA Protest (1977)
- Joel, Billy. Allentown
Allentown Lyrics - Statements from The Parents Music Resource Center (1985)
Again, choose at least one document and create a post that:
- Summarizes the message conveyed in the document.
- Analyzes how the meaning or intention of the message might have been coming in response to some of the meanings and messages conveyed in the documents analyzed in Part I.
- Compares and contrasts the mood of American society in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
- How did American society change from the early 1950s through the 1980s?
- How were these documents illustrative of America’s complex relationship with the world throughout these decades.
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