Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, but in some places feelings ran so high that violence erupted. This was evident at Kent State University, 1970, Ohio. Students organized a demonstration against President Nixon’s decision to invade Vietnam’s neighbor, Cambodia. Panicked National Guard troopers opened fire on the demonstrators. Four students were killed and 11 others were injured. The press in the USA and abroad were horrified. Consequently, 400 colleges were closed as 2 million students went on strike in protest at the action. The US student movement led to campaigns worldwide. In late 1960’s, students protested for the rights of Catholics in Northern Ireland. Also, in 1968, the demonstrations in Paris were critical are they targeted and nearly overpowered the Government.
Some young people took up an entirely different kind of protest. They “dropped out” and became hippies. This meant they grew their hair long, wore distinctive clothing and developed an “alternative lifestyle.” Often they travelled around the country in buses and vans and wore flowers in their hair as a symbol of peace rather than war. They were influenced by musicians such as Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, and The Doors.
- Why did the student movement develop in the 1960’s and early 1970’s?
The student movement emerged due to many factors in the years leading up to the 1960s and 70’s and other protest movement of the time.
The 1950’s was a decade of frustration for Americans who wanted to rebel against everything. This frustration led to the formation of teenage gangs and heavy drinking. The media seemed to fuel this rebellious attitude. Films such as Rebel without a cause, led the way, followed by the emergence of rock n roll, a new type of music which spread across the USA and Europe. Parents hated it, which made it even more attractive to teenagers. Elvis Presley was also very influential with his tight jeans and gyrating stage act.
The 60’s continued this rebellion as they young demanded greater freedom in their views and distanced themselves from the older generation and its view of how the young should behave. Demanded freedom included, the music they listened to, the clothes they wore, the social life they led. This greater freedom, in turn was influenced by the introduction of the contraceptive pill, which gave females much more choice over whether and when to have children, and led to greater freedom in sexual behavior, and the wider use of recreational drugs. The 60’s also saw the explosion in pop music which, in turn, was an expression of this emerging youth culture, and an expression of protest against important issue of the day. Protest singers, such as Bob Dylan began to emerge. These singers talked about the problems with the world at the time, and inspired students to rebel middle class beliefs, such as discrimination against blacks, and a nuclear war.
In 1963, Kennedy was assassinated. The death of John Kennedy came as a great shock to the American people, in particular students. Kennedy’s assassination destroyed the optimism that had existed in the USA in the early part of the decade. Many students began to see their society as corrupt. Furthermore, it drove young Americans into protest movements, because he had captured the imagination of the youth in his idea for a New Frontier.
Many young Americans were also influenced by Martin Luther King. MLK’s methods proved inspirational and many white students supported the freedom marches, freedom rides, and the sit-ins of the early mid-1960’s.
USA involvement in the Vietnam War divided US society, especially as the casualty list mounted and the media highlighted US atrocities against Vietnamese civilians. On the other hand, opposition to the war united the student movement. Half a million young Americans were fighting in the war and many others would be called up by the draft or conscription system. Many students disagreed with this ideology, and thus protested for anti-war.
Additionally, the students protest was a worldwide phenomenon in the 1960’s. Student radicalism was not confined to the USA. In the later 1960’s there were student protests in Northern Ireland for civil rights for Catholics and in 1968 student demonstrations in France caused enormous damage to cities all over the country.
It should be remembered that the bulk of students were middle-class origin. They would have been expected, in previous generations, to support the government in a war. For such people to oppose the government was virtually unheard of. One reason the student movement emerged was because young Americans received a thrill from ignoring the views encouraged by their parents.
In conclusion, the student movement appeared in the 1960s and 70s because of the rebellious atmosphere from the 1950s, the wealth of other successful protest movement in the US and worldwide, and the new culture combined with music that emerged at this time.
