DNL T°3/ The United States in the late 1960s

Main question

I. The Cold War Context

II. Political Conflicts and Violence

III. Cultural Revolutions and Social Change

The Cold War was a time of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, lasting from 1947 to 1991. In 1968, the Vietnam War reached a key point with the Tet Offensive, which made more people question U.S. involvement. This year was also full of social changes in the United States. There were protests from students against the war, riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and the rise of groups like the Black Panthers that wanted more radical changes. The presidential election, which was affected by the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, ended with Richard Nixon winning and promising to restore order in a divided country.

Documents

Posters made by the Columbia chapter of Students for a Democratic Society

Students in Hamilton Hall, seized on April 23, 1968. That night, African-American students asked white students to leave and seize other buildings, so they could keep a separate protest.Credit…Don Hogan Charles/The New York Times

Strikers on the ledge of Mathematics Hall, one of five buildings at Columbia University that students took over in April 1968.Credit…William E. Sauro/The New York Times

Word box

Cold War – A global ideological rivalry between capitalist USA and communist Soviet Union after World War II.
Vietnam War – A conflict in Southeast Asia where the U.S. fought to prevent the spread of communism.
Tet Offensive – A major 1968 North Vietnamese attack showing the Vietnam War was far from over.
Anti-war protests – Public demonstrations against the Vietnam War, often led by students and activists.
Draft/Conscription – Mandatory military service; many young Americans avoided it by fleeing to Canada.
Civil Rights Movement – A campaign to end racial discrimination and achieve equality in the U.S.
Assassinations of 1968 – The murders of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, causing national unrest.
Student activism – University-led protests against war, inequality, and government policies.
Counterculture – A youth movement rejecting traditional norms, emphasizing freedom, peace, and alternative lifestyles.
Hippie movement – Part of counterculture promoting love, peace, communes, and opposition to consumerism and war.
Yippies (Youth International Party) – Political activists combining counterculture ideas with theatrical protest and anti-war campaigns.
Music and arts as protest – Artists like Hendrix, Joplin, and The Beatles used music to express political and cultural rebellion.
Woodstock Festival – 1969 music festival symbolizing countercultural ideals of peace, freedom, and alternative living.
Global student movements – International protests in France, Mexico, and Japan challenging authority and supporting social change.
Second-Wave Feminism – The push for women’s rights in work, education, and legal equality during the 1960s–70s.