American Counterculture of the 1960s (World History Series)

Each book in the comprehensive World History series offers a clearly written and visually enhanced overview of an important historical event or period. The series is designed both to acquaint readers with the basics of history and to make them aware that their lives and their own historical era are an intimate part of the ongoing human saga. Cover......Page 1 Copyright......Page 3 Contents......Page 4 Foreword......Page 5 Important Dates in the Time of American Counterculture of the 1960s......Page 7 Introduction - Marching to a Different Beat......Page 9 The Beats......Page 10 Inspiring a New Generation......Page 11 1. Exploring a New Frontier......Page 13 Ideas for a New Age......Page 15 Seeds of a New Student Movement......Page 19 The Struggle for Racial Equality......Page 21 The Erosion of Trust......Page 25 2. Raising the Stakes......Page 27 Pushing the Artistic Envelope......Page 29 A Wave of Student Activism......Page 33 The Sisterhood Steps Up......Page 37 The Battle for Civil Rights Intensifies......Page 38 Conflict in the Civil Rights Movement......Page 39 Violence on American Streets......Page 40 3. Turning On, Tuning In, Dropping Out......Page 43 Haight-Ashbury......Page 45 Leaving American Society Behind......Page 49 The Growing Antiwar Movement......Page 50 Young Americans Outside the Counterculture......Page 54 4. From Protest to Resistance......Page 57 Enter the Radicals......Page 58 Columbia: A University Under Siege......Page 60 World Protesters Find Common Cause......Page 62 Black Power......Page 64 Rage Boils Over......Page 66 Chicago......Page 68 5. The Counterculture Loses Its Way......Page 71 War in the Ghetto......Page 73 SDS Falls Apart......Page 74 The Weathermen......Page 76 Woodstock: Hope Emerges......Page 79 Altamont: Hope Fades......Page 81 Legacy of the Counterculture......Page 82 Notes......Page 85 For Further Reading......Page 88 Index......Page 90 Picture Credits......Page 96 About the Author......Page 97 Senator John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential victory signaled a time of renewed hope and opportunity amid a bleak landscape of international tension. Within a few short years, however, Americans would find themselves coping with his untimely death, and fiercely divided over America's role in growing battles, both at home and abroad. A decade that many hoped would bring peace and prosperity began to morph into one of the most complex reactionary periods in history, with popular culture shifting and subverting the status quo in ways that would forever influence fashion, modern thought, philosophy, politics, and art. This volume focuses on the background, history, and effects of the American counterculture of the 1960s and features insights into public documents such as diaries, public records, and contemporary chronicles of the era. This book focuses on the counterculture of the 1960s and how it impacted American society. It features firsthand accounts, quotes, and anecdotes of the period and explores the origins of the counterculture, its rise to prominence, and eventual decline. The leaders, writings, art, film, and music of the time are also examined. Outlines the important social, political, economic, cultural, and technological events that happened in the United States from 1960 to 1969.