1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
The Expanding Civil Rights and Antiwar Movements and 1960s Counterculture (1957­1972)
Sections:
1. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Interview
2. Malcom X: Letter to Martin Luther King (July 31, 1963)
3. The Black Panther Party Platform (October 1966)
4. Stokely Carmichael, "Black Power Speech” (1967)
5. Clellon Holmes "This Is the Beat Generation" (November 16, 1952)
6. Jack Kerouac "On the Road" (1957)
7. Allen Ginsberg’s “America” ( January 17, 1956) & “A Supermarket in California” (1955)
8. Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom," "Up to Me," & "The Times They Are a Changin'"
9. Greenwich Village
10. Haight­Ashbury Coffee Houses
11. The Beatles
12. Timothy Leary: The Declaration of Evolution
13. Peace March
14. Shock and Disillusionment in the Wake of the Tet Offensive
15. The 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago
16. John Kerry Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations (April 23, 1971)
17. Testimony of Charles Manson in the Tate­LaBianca Murder Trial (November 20, 1971)
18. Jane Fonda Broadcast from Hanoi (August 22 1972)
Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Interview
Top
Historical Context
Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister and
American political activist who was the most famous leader of the American civil rights
movement. King won the Nobel Peace Prize before being assassinated in 1968. For his
promotion of non­violence and racial equality, King is considered a peacemaker and a
martyr by many people around the world. The Martin Luther King Day was established in
his honor. Martin Luther King's most influential and well­known speech is "I Have A
Dream." Attached Documents
Included here is an inteview with King, divided into two videos. In these videos, King
explains his tactics for achieving equality for African­Americans in the U.S. and the role of
liberal white southerners in this process.
Video #1: (4:00)
Video #2: (3:18)
Questions to Consider
1. In the first video, why does King believe that being “aggressive” is important for African­
Americans in their quest for equality? What kinds of antimositiy does this aggressive stance
produce? Why is this, in King’s opinion, natural?
2. What does King see as the ultimate goal of his civil rights tactics?
3. Does King believe that he is “stepping outside the legal system?” Why does King believe
his tactics were necessary? 4. In video #2, how does King evaluate the behavior of southern
whites? What have they provided the struggle for civil rights?
5. In the south, what are conservative whites doing to block the civil rights movement?
What have sympathetic white southerners done to help the movement? What are they afraid
of?
6. Why is King optimistic about the future? Why doesn’t he believe the violence will last?
King Civil Rights Tactics.mpg King On White Liberals.mpg http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
1/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version Available in Multimedia Format:
http://www.archive.org/details/openmind_ep727
Original Photo of Martin Luther King Jr.: http://www.youngleaders­
usa.org/leadership/yl02_research_papers/MLKChapter.htm
Malcom X: Letter to Martin Luther King (July 31, 1963)
Top
Historical Context
Born Malcom Little, Malcom X (1925­1965) was a Muslim Minister and National
Spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Malcom X became one of the most prominent black
nationalist leaders in the United States, and when murdered was considered by some as a
martyr of Islam, and a champion of equality. As a militant leader, Malcolm X advocated
black pride, economic self­reliance, and identity politics. He ultimately rose to become a
world renowned African American/Pan­Africanist and human rights activist.
Attached Document
In this document, a letter to civil­rights­activist Martin Luther King Jr., he urges African­
Americans to unite and form a common front to better achieve their goals.
Question to Consider
1. According to X, what danger is looming in the United States? What does he advise as a
means to advert this danger?
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
2/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
MalcomXletterMLKing.rtf Citations:
Full Version Available: http://www.malcolm­x.org/docs/let_mart.htm
Original Photo: http://i1.tinypic.com/nqu7ah.jpg
The Black Panther Party Platform (October 1966)
Top
Historical Context
The Black Panther Party was a controversial African American civil­rights and self­defense
organization, active within the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. Founded by Huey P.
Newton, Bobby Seale, and Richard Aoki in October 1966, the organization initially
espoused a doctrine of armed resistance to societal oppression in the interest of African­
American justice. The group was founded on the principles of its Ten­Point Program, a
document that called for "Land, Bread, Housing, Education, Clothing, Justice And Peace",
as well as exemption from military service that would utilize African Americans to "fight
and kill other people of color in the world who, like Black people, are being victimized by
the White racist government of America."
While firmly grounded in black nationalism, and begun as an organization that accepted
African American membership exclusively, the party reconsidered itself as it grew to
national prominence and became an iconic representative of the counterculture revolutions
of the 1960s. The Black Panthers focused their rhetoric on revolutionary class struggle,
taking many ideas from Maoism. The party turned to the works of Marx, Lenin, and Mao to
inform the manner in which it should organize, as a revolutionary cadre organization. In
consciously working toward such a revolution, they considered themselves the vanguard
party, “committed to organizing support for a socialist revolution.”
Attached Document
The “Black Panther Party Platform” of 1966 is indicative of a militant black nationalism & a
socialist bent.
Questions to Consider
1. According to the document, what responsibility does the government have for providing
jobs?
2. What should the government do to compensate African Americans for slavery? What
other historical precedent does the document cite as support for this argument? Do you think
this is an accurate comparison? Why or Why not?
3. What housing and education goals does the document outline?
4. Why should African Americans be exempt from military service? Do you agree? 5. What
is the purpose of “Black Self­Defense Groups?” What legal justification does the document
use as validation?
6. Why should African Americans be released from prison?
7. How should the legal system be changed to make it more democratic and less bias against
African Americans?
The Black Panther Party Platform.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
3/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version: http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111bppp.html
Original Photo of Bobby Seale (left) and Huey Newton (right), Two of the Founders of the
Black Panthers: http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2006/Black­Panthers­Led8oct06.htm
Original Photo of the Six Black Panthers:
http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black­panthers/
Logo of the Black Panthers: http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=3969
Stokely Carmichael, "Black Power Speech” (1967)
Top
Historical Context
Stokely Carmichael (1941 – 1998), also known as Kwame Ture, was a Trinidadian­
American black activist and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC) and the Black Panther Party. He later became a black separatist and a Pan­
Africanist. After having helped organize voting rights drives in Mississippi in 1964, in
Selma in 1965, and in Lowndes County, Alabama in 1966, he became chair of SNCC in
1966, taking over from John Lewis. A few weeks after Carmichael took over SNCC, James
Meredith was shot by a sniper during his solitary "March Against Fear". Carmichael joined
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd McKissick, and others to continue Meredith's march. He
was arrested during the march; on his release he gave his "Black Power" speech, using that
phrase to urge black pride and independence: "It is a call for black people in this country to
unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community. It is a call for black people
to define their own goals, to lead their own organizations." While Black Power was not a
new concept, Carmichael's speech brought it into the spotlight and it became a rallying cry
for young African Americans across the country. SNCC embraced this new vision and
gradually became more radical under his leadership. Carmichael saw nonviolence as a tactic
as opposed to a principle, which separated him from moderate civil rights leaders like
Martin Luther King, Jr.. He was critical of civil rights leaders that simply called for
integration of African Americans into the existing institutions of white middle class culture.
Carmichael saw this as unrealistic and an insult to the culture and identity of African
Americans. Stokely Carmichael is credited for coining the phrase institutional racism.
Institutional racism (or structural racism or systemic racism) is a form of racism that occurs
in institutions such as public bodies and corporations, including universities.
Attached Document
The included document outlines Carmichael's political & social goals for African­
Americans.
Questions to Consider
1. How does the Black Power movement regard previous efforts at civil rights?
2. What has been the tragedy of the civil rights movement up to now?
3. In the past, who has the civil rights movement targeted? Why, in the opinion of the
Carmichael, a mistake?
4. What is Carmichael’s position on integration? Why does he take this position?
SCarmichaelBlackPower.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
4/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version: http://balrog.sdsu.edu/~putman/410b/blackpower.htm
Original Photo of Stokely Carmichael:
http://www.aavw.org/images/speeches_carmichael.jpg
Original Photo of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, American athletes at the 1968 Olympics
in Mexico City, displaying the Black Power Salute: http://www.civics­
online.org/library/formatted/images/blackpower.jpg
Clellon Holmes "This Is the Beat Generation" (November 16, 1952)
Top
Historical Context
As an editor fo the San Francisco Croncile, Clellon Holmes wrote an article in which he
describes the current generation as "the Beat Generation."
Attached Document
Included here is Holmes' article on the the Beat Generation.
Questions to Consider
1. In Holmes’ opinion, how does the current generation compare to the “Lost Generation?”
2. What is the most important thing for members of the Beat Generation? How do they view
spirituality?
3. What actions does a member of the Beat vis­à­vis the wider society at large?
4. Why do people conform? Why is, in Holmes’ opinion, the same motivation for the
actions of the Beat Generation? What does this say about modern society?
holmesthisisthebeat.rtf Citations:
Full Version Available: http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/beats­per­holmes.html
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
5/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Original Photo: http://www.levity.com/digaland/celestial/holmes/holmes.jpg
Jack Kerouac "On the Road" (1957)
Top
Historical Context
Jack Kerouac (1922 –1969) was an American novelist, writer, poet, artist, and part of the
Beat Generation. While enjoying popular but little critical success during his own lifetime,
Kerouac is now considered one of America's most important authors. The spontaneous,
confessional prose style inspired other writers, including Tom Robbins, Richard Brautigan,
Hunter S. Thompson, Ken Kesey, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. Kerouac's best known works
are On the Road and The Dharma Bums.
He divided most of his adult life between roaming the vast American landscape and living
with his mother. Faced with a changing country, Kerouac sought to find his place,
eventually bringing him to reject the values of the fifties. His writing often reflects a desire
to break free from society's mold and to find meaning in life. This search may have led him
to experiment with drugs and to study spiritual teachings such as Buddhism. His books are
often credited as the catalyst for the 1960s counterculture.
“On the Road” was published in 1957. This largely autobiographical work, written as a
stream of consciousness and based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends
across mid­century America, is often considered the defining work of the postwar Beat
Generation that was so affected by jazz, poetry, and drug experiences. The book became an
overnight success, and gathered an epic mythos that was worthy of its fame. As the story
goes, On the Road was written by Kerouac in only three weeks in a burst of artistic fury
while living with his parents in Ozone Park, New York, hammered out on one long scroll of
teletype paper. Kerouac's novel is often described as the defining work of the post­World
War II Beat Generation and Kerouac came to be called "the king of the beat generation." Attached Document
The attached document is an excerpt from Kerouac's book.
Questions to Consider
1. Decribe Kerouac’s style of writing? How does this help convey his message?
2. What part of Chicago do you think Kerouac is describing? Why?
3. What type of music does Kerouac mention? Why is this important?
JackKerouacOntheRoad.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
6/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
7/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version Available: http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/onroad.html
Book Cover of "On the Road":
http://www.wordsareimportant.com/photos/bkontheroadpb.JPG
Original Photo of Kerouac: http://www.uncg.edu/iss/smJack%20Kerouac20.jpg
Allen Ginsberg’s “America” ( January 17, 1956) & “A Supermarket in
California” (1955)
Top
Historical Context
Irwin Allen Ginsberg (1926 –1997) was an American Beat poet born in Newark, New
Jersey. Ginsberg is best known for Howl (1956), a long poem about consumer society's
negative human values. Moving to San Francisco in 1954, Ginsberg met members of the
San Francisco Renaissance and other poets who would later be associated with the Beat
Generation in a broader sense. Though "Beat" is most accurately applied to Ginsberg and his
closest friends (Corso, Orlovsky, Kerouac, Burroughs, etc.), the term "Beat Generation" has
become associated with many of the other poets Ginsberg met and became friends with in
the late 50's and early 60's. A key feature of this term seems to be a friendship with
Ginsberg. Part of the dissatisfaction with the term "Beat Generation" came from the
mistaken identification of Ginsberg as the leader. Ginsberg never claimed to be the leader.
Later in his life, Ginsberg formed a bridge between the Beat movement of the 1950s and the
hippies of the 1960s, befriending, among others, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, Rod McKuen,
and Bob Dylan and participating in the anti­war movement.
Ginsberg's poetry was strongly influenced by Modernism,(specifically Ezra Pound, T. S.
Eliot and most importantly William Carlos Williams), Romanticism (specifically Percy
Shelley and John Keats), the beat and cadence of jazz (specifically that of bop musicians
such as Charlie Parker), and his Kagyu Buddhist practice and Jewish background. He
considered himself to have inherited the visionary poetic mantle handed down from the
English poet and artist William Blake and Walt Whitman. The power of Ginsberg's verse, its
searching, probing focus, its long and lilting lines, as well as its New World exuberance, all
echo the continuity of inspiration which he claimed. Ginsberg's principal work, "Howl", is
well­known to many for its opening line: "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed
by madness". Many of the characters specifically referenced in "Howl" destroyed
themselves through excessive substance abuse or a generally wild lifestyle.
Attached Documents
Included here are Ginsberg's "America" and "A Supermarket in California."
Questions to Consider
1. What emotion characterizes Ginsberg’s Poem “America”?
2. How do you interpret Ginsberg’s statement that America wants him to be a saint?
3. Why would Ginsberg mention Trotsky? Why would he mention Marx? Why would he
apologize for being a communist?
4. How do you interpret Ginsberg’s line “I am America?”
5. What motives does Ginsberg attribute to the Russians? From which source does he claim
to have learn this?
6. In Ginsberg “A Supermarket in California,” what famous American writer is mentioned?
7. In end, what question does Ginsberg ask?
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
8/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
AmericaGinsberg.rtf AllenGinsbergASupermarketinCalifornia.rtf Citations:
Full Version of "America" Available:
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/ginsberg/onlinepoems.htm
Full Version of "A Supermarket in California" (1955):
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/ginsberg/onlinepoems.htm
Original Photo: http://archives.waiting­forthe­
sun.net/Graphics/InfluencesGraphics/ginsberg_rally.jpg
Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom," "Up to Me," & "The Times They Are a
Changin'"
Top
Historical Context
Bob Dylan (1941­), a folk/rock songwriter and singer, was a seminal figure of the 1960’s.
Influenced by early rock stars like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard, Dylan
began performing folk and country songs at local cafés, taking the name “Bob Dylan,” after
the late Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. In 1960, Dylan moved to New York and became a
regular in the folk clubs and coffeehouses of Greenwich Village, met a host of other
musicians, and began writing songs at an astonishing pace. After one of his performances
received a rave review in The New York Times, Dylan signed a recording contract with
Columbia Records. Released early in 1962, Bob Dylan contained only two original songs,
but showcased Dylan’s gravelly­voiced singing style in a number of traditional folk songs
and covers of blues songs.
The 1963 release of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” marked Dylan’s emergence as one of
the most original and poetic voices in the history of American popular music. The album
included two of the most memorable 1960s folk songs, “Blowin’ in the Wind” (which later
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
9/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
became a huge hit for the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary) and “A Hard Rain’s A­Gonna
Fall.” His next album, “The Times They Are A­Changin,” firmly established Dylan as the
definitive songwriter of the ‘60s protest movement. By 1964, Dylan was playing 200
concerts annually, but had become tired of his role as “the” folk singer­songwriter of the
protest movement. Another Side of Bob Dylan, recorded in 1964, was a much more
personal, introspective collection of songs, far less politically charged than Dylan’s previous
efforts.
The first document is the lyrics from Dylan’s “Up to Me.” In many ways, Dylan’s song “Up
to Me” is an individual expression of the beat mentality to common to his contemporaries. It
reflects both the bohemian lifestyle, poetic energy and the expressionistic mentality of a
generation coming of age.
The second document,"Chimes of Freedom," marks a transition between Dylan's earlier
"protest song" style (a litany of the down­trodden and oppressed, in the second half of each
verse) and his later more free­flowing poetic style (the fusion of images of lightning, storm
and bells in the first half). The song has often been used as a template as a near­perfect
protest song. Most notably, it formed a strong influence (almost to the point of plagiarism)
for Billy Bragg's song "ideology."
The album, “the Times They Are a­Changin” (1964), consists mostly of stark, sparsely­
arranged stories concerning topical issues such as racism and the decline of America's
mining industry. The third document is the title track and is one of Dylan's most famous
songs; many felt that it captured the spirit of social and political upheaveal that
characterized the 1960s. A self­conscious protest song, it is often viewed as a reflection of
the generation gap and of the political divide marking American culture in the 1960s. Dylan,
however, disputed this interpretation in 1964, saying "Those were the only words I could
find to separate aliveness from deadness. It had nothing to do with age." A year later, Dylan
would say: "I can't really say that adults don't understand young people any more than you
can say big fishes don't understand little fishes. I didn't mean 'The Times They Are a­
Changin' as a statement... It's a feeling."
Attached Documents
Included here are the lyrics to three Dylan songs: "Chimes of Freedom," "Up to Me," and
"The Times They Are a Changin."
Questions to consider
1) How do Dylan's songs reflect the sentiment of his generation?
2) Should Dylan be considered more than a cultural icon? Why or why not?
DylanChimesofFreedom.rtf dylanuptome.rtf Dylanthetimesarechangin.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
10/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version of Chimes of Freedom: http://bobdylan.com/songs/chimes.html
Full Version of Up to Me: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/uptome.html
Full Version of The Times They Are a Changin': http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/times.html
Original Photo #1:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/images/2005/09/26/dylan_bob_420_420x300.jpg
Original Photo #2: http://www.topsynergy.com/images/famous/Bob_Dylan_Main.jpg
Original Photo #3:
http://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/images/keenan/McClure_Dylan_Ginsberg13b.jpg
Greenwich Village
Top
Historical Context
In the 1960's, Greenwich, a area in New York city, was popular with the counterculture
youth.
Attached Document
The videos provided below highlight the famed Greenwich Village in New York City.
Questions to consider
1) Why was Greenich Village considered such a unique neighborhood?
2) How is Greenich Village regarded today?
Greenwich Village Part 01.mpg Greenwich Village Part 02.mpg Greenwich Village Part 03.mpg Citations:
Video Available in Multimedia Format: http://www.archive.org/details/Greenwic1960
Haight­Ashbury Coffee Houses
Top
Historical Context
Haight­Ashbury, an area in San Francisco popular with counterculture individuals, included
several coffee houses. These were quite popular with the youth of the 1960's.
Attached Document
Included here is a video highlighting the coffee house scene in 1960's San Francisco.
Questions to consider
1) Why was Haight­Ashbury considered such a unique neighborhood?
2) How is Haight ­Ashbury regarded today?
Coffeehouse Rendezvous.mpg Citations:
Video Available in Multimedia Format: http://www.archive.org/details/CoffeeHo1969
The Beatles
Top
Historical Context
By most definitions, the Beatles were the biggest musical act of the twentieth century.
Originating in Liverpool, England, the Beatles continue to be held in the very highest regard
for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their ground­breaking
role in the history of popular music, not to mention popular culture. Consisting of John
Lennon (1940–1980), Paul McCartney (1942–), George Harrison (1943–2001) and Ringo
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
11/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Starr (1940–), the group's innovative music and style helped define the 1960s.
Their early original material fused elements of early American rock 'n roll, pop, and R&B
into a new form of popular Rock 'n Roll and established the prototype for the "self­
contained" rock group. The band almost single­handedly kick­started the British Invasion of
the USA and laid the groundwork for the rock culture of the 1960s. They helped pioneer
more advanced, multi­layered arrangements in both Rock and Pop and were instrumental in
the development of some of the 1960s dominant musical styles, such as folk­rock, hard rock
and psychedelia. The Beatles remain as an undisputed influence on popular music. To a
significant extent, the impact of The Beatles extended well beyond their music. Their
clothes, hairstyles, statements, and even choice of instruments made them trend­setters
throughout the decade, whilst their growing social awareness—reflected in the development
of their music—saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the
1960s.
The first document is the lyrics of the Beatles’ “I want to hold your hand,” a song that was
released in 1963 and became the Beatles' first number one song. It also held the top spot in
the United Kingdom charts, where a million copies of the single had already been ordered
on its release. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became The Beatles' best­selling single
worldwide. Compared with later works by the Beatles, the lyrics are straightforward and
simple and do not reflect a deeper political, social, or philosophical conscienceness that
would characterize their later songs.
Released on the 1965 “Rubber Soul” album, the second document, “Nowhere Man,” reflects
a transitional song for the Beatles. Though the songwriting credit is Lennon­McCartney, it
was actually penned solely by John Lennon and recorded on October 21 and 22, 1965.
Though the songwriting credit is Lennon­McCartney, it was actually penned solely by John
Lennon and recorded on October 21 and 22, 1965. Nowhere Man" marks the beginning of
Lennon's philosophical oriented music. The song is either about an actual person or a
member of a rigid, strait­laced society whose life in reality had no purpose. Julia Phillips, in
her exposé You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again, said the song was written about a
businessman named Michael Brown. Lennon, however, claimed that he himself was the
subject of the song. He wrote it after wracking his brain in desperation for five hours, trying
to come up with another song for Rubber Soul. "I'd actually stopped trying to think of
something," he said. "Then I thought of myself as Nowhere Man — sitting in his nowhere
land."
By the late 1960’s, the Beatles had evolved considerably past their earlier songs. The third
document, lyrics to the song “Across the Universe," first appeared as a charity single release
in December 1969, and later, in modified form, became a standout track on their May 1970
album, Let It Be. The song features John Lennon singing lead, who was also the primary
composer (though, as with all Beatles songs written by either composer, the song is formally
credited to Lennon­McCartney). It is widely considered to be one of Lennon's most heartfelt
and beautiful pieces. The flavor of the song was heavily influenced by Lennon's and The
Beatles' short­lived interest in Transcendental Meditation in late 1967 ­ early 1968, when the
song was composed. Based on this he added the mantra (Jai Guru Deva Om) to the piece,
which served as a link between the bridge and verse.
Attached Documents
Included here are the texts to the Beatles' songs "I Want to Hold Your Hold Your Hand,"
"Nowhere Man," and "Across the Universe."
Questions to consider
1) Discuss the changes The Beatles experienced throughout the 1960's.
2) In what ways did The Beatles use their international fame to make powerful social and
political messages?
TheBeatlesIWanttoHoldYourHand.rtf TheBeatlesNowhereman.rtf TheBeatlesAcrosstheUniverse.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
12/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
13/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
14/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" Lyrics:
http://www2.cs.uh.edu/~cpco538/lyrics.html#IWTHYH
"Nowhere Man" Lyrics: http://www2.cs.uh.edu/~cpco538/lyrics.html#NM
"Across the Universe" Lyrics: http://www2.cs.uh.edu/~cpco538/lyrics.html#ATU
Original Photo #1: http://www.delta.ro/beatles/imag/beatles9.jpg
Original Photo #2: http://pserve.club.fr/BEATLES.JPG
Original Photo #3: http://www.fan­sites.org/the­
beatles/multimedia/photos/group/photoshoots/late/03.jpg
Abby Road Album Cover: http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/12.jpg
Timothy Leary: The Declaration of Evolution
Top
Historical Context
Timothy Francis Leary (1920 –1996) was an American writer, psychologist, computer
software designer, and advocate of psychedelic drug research and use. As a 1960s
counterculture icon, he is most famous as a proponent of the therapeutic and spiritual
benefits of LSD. During the 1960s, he coined and popularized the catch phrase "Turn on,
tune in, drop out."
Attached Document
Included here is Leary's "The Declaration of Evolution."
Questions to Consider
1. What famous document does Leary’s paper mirror?
2. When a government becomes “becomes destructive of life, liberty, and harmony,” what
does Leary advise?
3. According to Leary, what misdeeds have white males perpetrated in the past?
4. How have white males manipulated the minds of America? Why have thy done this
Learydeclarationofevolution.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
15/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version Available: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/leary­decevo.html
Original Photo: http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/images/catalog/detail/GPP670114­06­
FP.jpg
Peace March
Top
Historical Context
As the Vietnam War progressed, many American began to protest the conflict. Attached
Document
In this video (2:47), A large anti­war demonstration in New York is shown.
Questions to Consider
1. What did the demonstrators burn? Approximately how many did so?
2. Who protested against the demonstration?
3. Who addressed the U.N.? What did he advise the U.N. to do?
4. According to President Johnson, who was watching the ant­war demonstrators?
5. Where else in the world was an anti­war demonstration staged?
Peace March.mpeg http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
16/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Video Available in Multimedia Format: http://www.archive.org/details/1967­04­
18_Peace_March Original Photo #1: http://pds.egloos.com/pds/1/200505/11/40/b0000640_10415272.jpg
Original Photo #2:
http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/Vietnam/ThreeImages/images/Vetsvswar2.JPG
Original Photo #3:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/13/multimedia/ipix/march.pool.jpg
Original Photo #4: http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/news_images/3323_9152_11.jpg
Shock and Disillusionment in the Wake of the Tet Offensive
Top
Historical Context
As 1968 began, President Johnson and military brass offered optimistic appraisals of the
situation in Vietnam. However, on January 30th, 70,000 North Vietnamese and Vietcong
troops launched a massive, unexpected offensive on the lunar New Year holiday of Tet.
Although American forces managed to repel enemy forces and casualties were
comparatively low, public support for the war plummeted irrecoverably as Americans
recognized the inevitability of stalemate. Attached Documents
Included here are two videos, the first is Walter Cronkite's video about the stalement in
Vietnam and the second shows the Tet Offensive of 1968.
Questions to consider 1. What impact did the Tet Offensive have on the American public's perceptions of the war,
the president and the future? 2. What role did the media play in American's assessments of the Tet Offensive? Do you
think that the media mischaracterized the impact of Tet, or did they offer a realistic analysis
of event?
Walter Cronkite We Are Mired in Stalemate Broadcast 1968.rtf Tet Offensive Video.wmv http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
17/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
The above video clip offers a concise overview of the Tet Offensive:
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article­234636?tocId=234636&ref=news0905arc (0:30
seconds)
This graph illustrates the impact of the war on Presidential approval:
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change­Viet2.html A short transcript of a Walter Cronkite broadcast after Tet:
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change%20­­Cronkite.html The 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago
Top
Historical Context
The events of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, August 21­26, dramatically
illustrated the depth of the divisions in the Party and society at large when it erupted into
violence. Anti­war activists planned a massive demonstration outside convention venues
and radicals such as Abbie Hoffman planned demonstrative antics. In response, Chicago's
Mayor Richard Daley (one of the last remaining political bosses) refused all parade permits
and mobilized over 20,000 law enforcement personnel, including local police, the National
Guard, and US Army. On August 28, as demonstrators marched toward the convention
arena, what was later described as a "police riot" occurred as officers fired tear gas and beat
protesters and reporters indiscriminately. Inside the convention hall, as Senator Abraham
Ribicoff denounced the "Gestapo tactics" of the police, Mayor Daley was caught on camera
saying, "You Jew son of a bitch..., go home!" A young Dan Rather was punched by a
security guard on the convention floor. Hubert Humphrey won the nomination, but the
Democratic party was hopelessly fractured.
Attached Document
Included here is a video showing Dan Rather's confrontation with authorities at the
Democratic Convention in Chicago.
Questions to consider 1. Was Vice President Hubert Humphrey a better choice than Senator Eugene McCarthy?
Why or why not?
2. What do the events at the 1968 Convention reveal about the Democratic Party, American
society, and the outcome of the election?
Dan Rather at Convention.wmv http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
18/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
A famous photo of police taking down protesters: http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/68­
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
19/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
chicago.jpg
"Tsk, Tsk" political cartoon:
http://members.aol.com/gestalt768/Chicago1968/images/cartoon1.gif
Delegates inside protest the war:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?
storyId=3613499
Dan Rather gets punched by security:
http://www.ratherbiased.com/video_convention.htm(0:27 minutes)
John Kerry Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement to the Senate
Committee of Foreign Relations (April 23, 1971)
Top
Historical Context
Future Massechusset Senator & Presidental candidate John Kerry served as a Lieutenant in
the United States Navy during the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1970. His 2nd tour of duty in
Vietnam was four months as commanding officer of a Swift boat. Kerry was awarded
several medals during this tour, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple
Hearts.
After returning to the United States, Kerry joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War
(VVAW). VVAW's members, including Kerry, would speak with personal knowledge about
what they had seen in Vietnam. Beyond such specifics, however, they were seen as having
"paid their dues" in Vietnam, and therefore being entitled to at least a respectful hearing.
Americans who opposed the war were grateful for VVAW's work. Many Vietnam veterans
saw the organization as giving voice to the views of the common soldier in exposing official
deceit. Many other veterans, however, such as those who in 2004 formed Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth, deeply resented the VVAW's activities, feeling that their own military
service was being attacked or cheapened.
On April 22, 1971, Kerry became the first Vietnam veteran to testify before Congress about
the war, when he appeared before a Senate committee hearing on proposals relating to
ending the war. Wearing green fatigues and service ribbons, he spoke for nearly two hours
with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in what has been named the Fulbright
Hearing, after the Chairman of the proceedings, Senator J.W. Fulbright. Kerry began with a
prepared speech, in which he presented the conclusions of the Winter Soldier Investigation,
where veterans had described personally committing or witnessing war crimes.
Controversially referring to US servicemen in Vietnam as having been sent "to die for the
biggest nothing in history," Kerry alleged that the military had "created a monster" in the
form of violence­prone American soldiers, and recounted that soldiers had personally
recollected stories of having "personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads," of Vietnamese
citizens and rampaging across Vietnam "[razing] villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis
Khan"
Most of Kerry's testimony addressed the larger policy issues. Kerry expressed his view that
the war was essentially a civil war and that nothing in Vietnam was a realistic threat to the
United States. He argued that the real reason for the continued fighting was political
purposes: "Someone has to die so that President Nixon won't be, and these are his words,
'the first President to lose a war.'" That conclusion led him to ask: "[H]ow do you ask a man
to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a
mistake?"
The day after this testimony, Kerry participated in a demonstration with 800 other veterans
in which he and other veterans threw their medals and ribbons over a fence at the front steps
of the U.S. Capitol building to dramatize their opposition to the war. As Kerry threw his
decorations over the fence, his statement was: "I'm not doing this for any violent reasons,
but for peace and justice, and to try and make this country wake up once and for all."
Attached Document
Kerry's statement to the Sentate Committee of Foreign Relations is included here.
Questions to Consider
1. Kerry claims that atrocities were committed by American soldiers against innocent
Vietnamese, how frequently, in his opinion, did they occur?
2. What kinds of atrocities were committed in Vietnam?
3. With which famed conqueror does Kerry compare American actions in Vietnam?
4. Why does Kerry believe continuing the war is “criminal hypocrisy?” What evidence does
he use? What is wrong with the manner in which the war is being conducted?
5. In Kerry’s opinion, what does the average person in Vietnam want?
6. In Kerry’s opinion, how has the United States distorted the public’s perception of the
war?
7. Why, in Kerry’s opinion, does Nixon prolong the war? What ramifications does this have
for the common soldier?
johnkerry.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
20/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version Available: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1972VVAW.html
Original Photo: http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2004/03/22/image607668x.jpg
Testimony of Charles Manson in the Tate­LaBianca Murder Trial (November 20,
Top
1971)
Historical Context
Charles Milles Manson (1934­) is an American convict and career criminal, most famous for
his murderous actions in the late 1960s. He has spent most of his adult life in prison,
initially for offenses such as car theft, forgery and credit card fraud. After his release from
prison in 1967, Manson moved to the Haight­Ashbury section of San Francisco, California.
He gathered a group of younger followers, referred to later as "The Family". "Family"
members like Paul Watkins, Manson, inspired by the Beatles' song "Helter Skelter" became
convinced of an impending race and nuclear war, based on Biblical prophecy in the Book of
Revelation. On the night of August 8, 1969, Manson directed some members of the Family,
including Charles "Tex" Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, and Linda Kasabian to
go to the former residence of an acquaintance, record producer Terry Melcher, and kill
whoever was on the premises. They arrived at midnight at the grounds of the Beverly Hills
home of the film director Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate. Polanski was in
London working on his next film and had asked friends to stay with Tate, who was eight and
a half months pregnant. The clan proceeded to kill five people including the actress Sharon
Tate and Wojciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger, the two heirs to the Folgers coffee
company. The following night in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, California, wealthy
supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were killed in their home,
once again by members of the Family (Watson, Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten).
Eventually, members of the family were apprehended by police and put on trial. During the
trial, Manson and his followers courted media attention and, on several occasions, Manson
verbally threatened both the judge and prosecutor Bugliosi in court. At one point, he
attempted to physically attack the judge. Although Manson himself was not present at the
Tate/La Bianca killings, he was convicted on seven counts of murder and one count of
conspiracy to commit murder on January 25, 1971, for ordering and directing them, and on
March 29, 1971 was sentenced to death. Manson remains imprisoned, currently incarcerated
in California's Corcoran State Prison.
Attached Document
Included here is Manson's courtroom testimony.
Questions to Consider
1. What types of people has Manson recruited to his family? Who does he blame for this?
2. What does Manson prophesize for the future?
3. What meaning does Helter Sketler have for Manson? What implication does this have for
popular music? How has this contributed to the crime?
charlesmansontestimony.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
21/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
22/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/manson/mansontestimony­
m.html
Life Magazine Cover:
http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/m/manson_char_charlesma_101b.jpg
Original Photo of the Manson Family:
http://www.lehigh.edu/~ineng/emb6/mansonfamily1.jpg
Original Photo of Sharon Marie Tate & Roman Polanski:
http://website.lineone.net/~tymaloney/tate.jpg
Jane Fonda Broadcast from Hanoi (August 22 1972)
Top
Historical Context
Jane Fonda (1937­) is an Academy Award­winning American actor, writer, producer, and
political activist. Fonda visited Hanoi in July 1972. She is credited with publicly exposing
Richard Nixon's potential strategy of bombing the dikes in Vietnam. At the time, she was
called a liar by United Nations ambassador George H. W. Bush. Bush was intending to
provide evidence of US innocence, but cancelled the press conference after Fonda released
filmed evidence, with Bush saying, "I think that the best thing I can do on the subject is to
shut up." In 2004, her former partner Tom Hayden renewed claims that "Fonda was right
and Bush was lying".
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
23/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
In Vietnam, Fonda was photographed multiple times seated on an anti­aircraft battery used
against American aircrews. She also participated in several radio broadcasts on behalf of the
Communist regime, asking US aircrews to turn around without dropping their bombs. In her
2005 autobiography, she states that she was manipulated into sitting on the battery, and
claims to have been immediately horrified at the implications of the pictures. She expressed
regret for her actions sixteen years later, though there is continued hostility shown towards
her by many Americans.
Although opposition to the war was building in the U.S., Fonda's actions in July 1972 were
widely perceived as an unpatriotic display of aid and comfort to the enemy, with some even
characterizing it as treason. Her detractors labeled her Hanoi Jane, comparing her to war
propagandists Tokyo Rose and Hanoi Hannah.
Attached Document
Included here it the text from Fonda's Broadcast from Hanoi.
Questions to Consider
1. During her visit to North Vietnam, what activities did Jane Fonda do?
2. How does she describe the Americans bombing North Vietnam? What do you think about
this description?
3. What gestures of genorisity did Fonda experience during an American bombing raid?
4. Although Nixon claimed that the war was nearing completion, what evidence does Fonda
cite to the contrary?
5. Does Fonda believe the United States can win the war? Why or why not?
6. According to Fonda, what benefits has Communism brought to North Vietnam?
JaneFondaBroadcastfromHanoi.rtf http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
24/25
1/2/2015
Teaching Modules
Citations:
Full Version Available: http://www.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/JaneFondaBroadcast.html
Original Photo of Jane Fonda in North Vietnam:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050331/050331_hanoijane_vmed1p.widec.jpg
"Jane Fonda Traitor" Patch: http://www.spectrumwd.com/c130/patch/ac130_4.jpg
Back To Module List Back to Sections
http://americanhistory.unomaha.edu/module_display.php?mod_id=116&review=yes#1092
25/25