Liberalism Flashcards
What did Kennedy say about Liberalism?
He said that if it meant forward thinking, flexible, concerned about the welfare of the people and trying to be less suspicious abroad, then he was happy to be classed as one.
Who often made up the liberal community?
It was made up of educated middle class people some of whom were even wealthy and their views might have gotten them into political trouble during the second red scare. They support equality, civil rights and welfare.
What key idea did Liberal Politicians push in regards to civil rights?
They pushed the idea of positive discrimination for the various minority groups within the US which would be given aid to receive equal opportunities in life.
What happened in the 1968 Democratic National Convention?
The party was very much split on its support for the Vietnam war, there had been anti war protests outside and police had responded incredibly violently. The following day Donald Peterson who was one of the delegates led a 2000 strong march against police brutality.
What major effects did liberalism have on congress?
It enabled the passing of both the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act as well as enabling LBJ to implement his Great Society program.
How did young people attempt to create change from outside of the political system?
They created the counter culture movement which aimed to challenge the society created by their parents and create something new as they had a major distrust of the political system, they relied upon a variety of methods.
What did Hippies believe in?
They believed in peace and a simple way of life free from the restraints of living within a society which forced them to work hard to buy more and more goods. Wanted to loosen the tight family system and live in communal societies.
What were Hippie communes often known for?
A lot of them left home and took a lot of mind altering drugs whilst engaging in sexual freedoms often not afforded by marriage. Although they wanted to change society they were happy to live in their own groups separate from society.
What was the main hippie gathering?
The 1969 Woodstock Festival which lasted from the 15th-18th of August saw just under 200’000 tickets sold however, between 400’000 to 500’000 actually attended. The Music was loud, drugs were freely available and sexual freedom was expected.
When was the SDS founded and what was their doctrine based off of?
The Students for a Democratic Society was founded in 1960, they made their Port Huron Statement in 1962 in which they denounced conventional politics as having forgotten the principle that all men are born equal and urged for equality.
What did the SDS protest against and give a key example?
They rejected all forms of bigotry including racism and anti communism and would carry out frequent and often violent anti Vietnam war protests. They carried out the first mass rally against the war in 1965.
What was founded in the California Campus at Berkeley in 1964?
The Free Speech movement relied upon sit ins as well as other non violent means and often cooperated with CORE to help push the Civil Rights cause.
Why did tensions erupt at the California Campus?
A student had been arrested for campaigning for CORE which led to the may square being occupied, protests lasted 2 months and over 700 people were arrested in the subsequent sit ins.
What caused tension to build between students and police leading up to 1970?
The students had originally engaged in a number of non violent methods however, as little changed they took to more violent methods which led to increased police violence and ultimately the deployment of the National Guard.
What happened at Kent State University?
On the 4th of May 1970 the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a number of peaceful student protesters who were protesting against the invasion of Cambodia. This led to 4 deaths and 9 injured as well as National Outrage.
