Other Protest Movements

What other protest movements were there in the 1960s?

During the 1960s, people did not only protest for civil rights. Other movements began to try and change society.

What other protest groups were there in the 1960s?

There were 3 main other protest groups:

• ❖ Students, who protested about a range of issues from civil rights to their education.
• ❖ Women, over equal rights.
• ❖ People who were opposed to the Vietnam War.

What caused people to protest in the 1960s?

There were 6 main reasons people protested in the 1960s:

• ❖ Young people who took part in the civil rights movement, both black and white, used their experience to highlight other aspects of society with which they were unhappy.
• ❖ Women also felt encouraged to campaign for their rights. Many were angry at the lack of change and the unfairness they experienced in post-1945 America.
• ❖ Many people expected life to change when the Second World War ended and were disillusioned and unhappy when it did not.
• ❖ During the 1950s, many teenagers began to rebel against their parents. By the 1960s, a new counter-culture began to develop in which young people questioned their parents' society.
• ❖ During the 1960s there was a huge rise in the numbers of homes with televisions. Coverage of protests attracted more people to join them and helped raise awareness of racism and inequality.
• ❖ America's role in the Vietnam War became a focal point of the new protest movement as it impacted the lives of students and women, and went against all the counter-culture stood for.

What other reasons were there for student protest in the 1960s?

There were 3 other main reasons students protested in the 1960s:

• ❖ The increase in the birth rate after the Second World War meant there were a lot of young people who wanted their views to be heard.
• ❖ Musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan communicated ideas which encouraged young people to challenge their parents' society.
• ❖ Other developments, such as labour-saving devices and the contraceptive pill, caused women to question their roles in society.