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Agents of Change Project

Agents of Change - The 1960s/1970s

Key Events

Freedom Riders

A group of white people set the Freedom Rider's bus on fire,
which forced them to leave the bus due to the smoke
and flames.
In order to grasp the nation’s attention in the South about the South’s refusal to integrate bus terminals, teams known as the Freedom Riders traveled down South and rode in interstate buses. The violence that Freedom Riders received made national headlines.



Brown v. Board of Education

After a case where an American girl named Linda Brown was denied admission to her neighborhood school due to race, the Supreme Court ruled in the Brown v. Board of Education of Tokepa, Kansas that segregation was unconstitutional and violated a clause in the Fourteenth Amendment.


Free Speech Movement (Berkeley)

Berkely students protested at the University of California Berkely to challenge the ban of on-campus political activity. Students desired to use their freedom of speech.
The leader of the Free Speech Movement at U.C. Berkeley,
Mario Savio, spoke to students before the protest.

The Sit-In Movement

Four North Carolina students started a new type of protest called the sit-in because they repelled the discrimination African Americans were facing.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave the federal government power to prevent racial discrimination, made segregation illegal, and gave all citizens, no matter the race and nationality, equal access to public facilities.





Prominent Figures

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez performed together at the August 28,
1963 march. They sang the song "We Shall Overcome".
Bob Dylan was a musician who used music as his medium to speak about social issues in the United States. Dylan’s poetic songs included content about anti-war movements and called for peace on earth. His songs brought awareness to his listeners about toxic and inhumane practices that harm certain groups of people. His music contributed to the view of American culture, society, and politics. Dylan was considered a revolutionary artist in the music industry and is considered one of the fathers of rock.





Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his
I Have a Dream speech during the August
28, 1963 march.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential African American civil rights activist and leader. Dr. King was involved in several events that gave equality for all. For instance, Dr. King analyzed the hardships President Kennedy would face when the president was pushing to establish the civil rights bill. Therefore, Dr. King found ways to persuade Congress and created a strong support system for the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is popularly known as the man who delivered the I Have a Dream speech during the August 28, 1963 march. Dr. King’s speech, which was about equality and freedom for all, was considered to be powerful and inspirational. Dr. King’s speech will go down in history as one of the most influential speeches that had contributed to the push for the civil rights bill.








Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez was a famous Chicano
spokesman in the 1960s. The image shows
Chavez at a grape boycott in
California.
Cesar Chavez was a labor organizer who founded the National Farm Workers Association. Caesar Chavez is known for his protests and boycotts against California table grape growers. His nonviolent strikes influenced consumers to boycott table grapes because they felt sympathetic towards the strikers. The purpose of the strikes were to improve labor conditions and compensation for all workers. Chavez was active in several marches, boycotts, and hunger strikes. On top of that, he worked to spread awareness of the use of pesticides since they harm the health of workers.

















The Legacy of the Cultural & Counterculture Movements


We owe it to the counterculture movement because of its impact on the past toxic culture in the United States. Influential figures such as Bob Dylan, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez are examples of people who wanted to change political, societal, and cultural norms in America. Bob Dylan used music to speak about world issues that was occuring around his era, such as the death of Emmett Till. His songs spoke to people all over the world so they could see the injustices African Americans face and how most of the country practices these inhumane actions. As Dylan was stating in his songs, Dr. Martin Luther King experienced these unjust actions as an colored man in America; so, he sought to help implement laws, such as the civil rights bill to help all colored people who were suffering. Cesar Chavez spoke about a different aspect of American life, which helped labor workers in the United States. His several marches, boycotts, and hunger strikes had raised awareness on the topic of improving labor conditions and compensation for workers. The Free Speech Movement along with the Sit-In Movement were also radical and new to the United States when it occurred. Although many opposed of the youth’s choices of changing the past norms of the country, the people and events that contributed to the counterculture movement have positively changed the United States because it opened doors for progression.


Bibliography

Anniston, Alabama: May 14,1961. Freedom Riders on a Greyhound bus sponsored by the Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE), sit on the ground outside the bus after it was set afire by a group of whites who met the Negro and white group on arrival here in Anniston. After setting the on fire, they attacked the passengers as they were forced to leave the bus by the smoke and flames. Twelve of the Freedom Riders were treated at a local hospital. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016. quest.eb.com/search/183_365706/1/183_365706/cite. Accessed 12 May 2019.

Appleby, Joyce, Ph.D., et al. The American Vision. The McGraw-Hill Companies,
2006.

Biography.com Editors. "Cesar Chavez Biography." The Biography.com, A&E
Television Networks, 4 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/activist/cesar-chavez.
Accessed 12 May 2019.

Cesar Chavez. VERTICAL. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.

Mario Savio speaks at Berkeley. VERTICAL. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.


Morrison, Craig. “Dylan, Bob.” Rock and Roll, Facts On File, 2005. American History,
online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=97357&itemid=WE52&articleId=208896.
Accessed 12 May 2019.

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan / Photo / 1963. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia
Britannica, 25 May 2016.

"50th Anniversary Free Speech Movement UC Berkeley." YouTube, uploaded by Diane
Sharp, 6 Oct. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl35STj20Qk. Accessed 12 May
2019.

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