An era that changed America forever is analyzed through the words of those who led, participated in, and opposed the protest movements that made the 1960s a signature epoch in U.S. culture.

There is no better way to understand the 1960s than to read key speeches and texts from the decade, experiencing firsthand writings that capture a signature sense of passion and conviction. That is exactly the approach taken by this book as it analyzes major protest movements of the era, including the Vietnam War protests, the Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Lib, the hippie movement, and the nascent GLBQT movement.

Organized by movement, the work presents speeches, testimonies, and other important documents side-by-side with accessibly written, expert commentary. The documents and the themes they represent are linked to each other and to events during the decade to put the passionate thinking of the time in context and demonstrate its importance and legacy. By allowing readers to explore the 1960s in this visceral way, the book will provide an engaging learning experience for secondary school and university students, who will also gain helpful insights on how to evaluate historical documents. For the same reason, the volume will be a welcome resource for the general reader interested in understanding-or recalling-why the 1960s produced so many lasting changes in the American psyche.

Opens a window on a revolutionary time when Americans stood up and demanded peace and tolerance

Highlights the expectations of free speech and equal treatment for all Americans and shows how those expectations were translated into actions

Includes background discussion of the 1960s and background discussion of each document

Compares and contrasts key passages, encouraging the reader to cross-reference documents within the volume and connect the dots between them

Examines exhibits as varied as Abbie Hoffman’s testimony at the trial of the Chicago 7, Noam Chomsky’s essay The Function of a University in Time of Crisis, the Port Huron speech of the Students for a Democratic Society, Richard Nixon’s Silent Majority speech, and Shirley Chisholm’s Equal Rights for Women speech