60s Politics And Woodstock

Lyrics and Political Persuasions

"Look what's happening out in the streets!" What better line to characterize the feeling of the Americans throughout the chaos and turmoil of one of the most memorable decades in United States history, than this quote in the Jefferson Airplane song "Volunteers?" The people of the time were utterly awestricken by the horrors they were being forced to endure, and they decided they would do the best they could to publicize their total disgust for the United States' approach to its people. The 1960's was a decade to remember, a decade that drastically changed the lifestyles of so many people in the Western World. Not only were the people's lifestyles changing, but their country and government were enduring various drastic and permanent transformations. Politics, ways of living, and beliefs were among the most prominent elements of change in the United States.

During this time of optimism, a "youth revolution" took place in dress, music, and values, and as a result, accepted ideas about sex, politics and religion were challenged. While at some points they tried to stray away from all the politics, many of these young people took lead roles in a great deal of the political turmoil that swept over much of the world. This political conflict often ended in violence, which was a growing and disturbing issue of the 60's. Another social aspect that coincides with the 60's is the many civil rights movements and protests. By 1960, many people hoped and prayed for the equality of races in America, but still, as 1960 began, Jim Crow remained the law of the land. As a result of mass frustration, groups like the Black Panthers along with leaders such as Malcolm

X and Martin Luther King Jr. decided to step out in society and defend what they knew was right.

During that "youth revolution," many other changes were brought about, including the change from the happy and colorful "swinging" aspect of the early 60's to the new mood of the hippies in the later 60's. These hippies rejected society's values and took part in rebellious activities. Such as "dropping out" and refusing to take part in the "rat race" for jobs and money. This group of youths referred to as hippies developed a whole new "counter-culture," which included a minority of the "fake" hippies who basically saw the "counter-culture" as a fashion rather than something they truly believed in. The group of hippies proclaimed itself an "alternative society," and favored very simple and communal living which included free experimentation with drugs, free experimentation of sex, and a strong commitment to "peace and love." These political and social changes such as the civil rights movements and the new "counter-culture" had lasting effects on one specific element of the decade: rock and roll music. Rock and roll musicians were not much different from any other Americans in that they were forced to go through the same hardships as the rest of the people, such as racial discrimination and unjust government, or Establishment. The main difference is that many of the "regular people" of society did not have the same opportunity to express their feelings with the world. The frustration with racism and prejudice was completely obvious in many acts due to the genre's increasing aggression and hostility. Also, the country's cry for peace and love was exemplified no better than by rock musicians on stage. In their search for something different, the youth and rock musicians attempted to find a path leading them away from their problems and the country's problems. When the "counter-culture" was first introduced to the public of America, the older generations thought it was the worst possible thing that could happen to the country. But, in persevering through the hard times during the many civil rights movements and the tolerance of the "counter-culture," rock and roll was able to prove to the country that it could and would have a positive and lasting effect the world of music. New political and social developments and disputes started to rise up all around the country, and the public began to take shape around the new ways and attitudes. One part of society which blatantly responded to the actions of fellow Americans was rock and roll music.

"To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in rage all the time." This is what James Baldwin had to say about the harsh sentiments and powerful echoes among the African American lifestyle in America in 1961. The fifties had seen so much progress in the struggle for equality in races with Supreme Court involvement and various Negro boycotts, but Jim Crow still prevailed as the law of the land in the early 60's. Although the Supreme Court had passed multiple laws to limit discrimination, like integration in schools, the white community showed massive resistance to these laws, continuing to enforce Jim Crow. The Negro community's immense frustration in the whites ignoring the laws resulted in countless episodes of African Americans' fight for what they deserved. One notorious action that four black college freshmen committed in Greensboro, North Carolina was entering a Woolworth's five-and-dime store, neatly dressed and polite, sitting at the whites-only lunch counter, and ordering coffee. Upon ordering their coffee, the four men were refused any service, and they remained in their seats for the remainder of the day, until the store closed. The men were infuriated by the utter disrespect given to them for the sole reason that their skin was a little darker than the white people were. That was February 1, and the next day, the students returned with 20 companion, then again for the third day in a row with more than 60 African Americans who were fed up with the discrimination. The students' courage and will power made the news, which encouraged students all around the country-even some whites-to sit in the wrong section of the store, to the point that two months after that initial "sit-in," the trend had spread to 54 cities in nine states. These actions greatly affected many opinions about the segregation in stores, and after only a few months, lunch counters in San Antonio, Texas, Nashville, Tennessee, and Greensboro, North Carolina were all integrated. These actions did have a large impact on the progress of the Negro's stepping up to racism, but they also had a huge impact on music.

Folk music found a current voice as the civil rights movements grew, and the controversy in Greensboro, along with many similar