1960s Counterculture & BacklashU.S. History

NCSCOS: 11.03 Identify major social movements including, but not limited to, those involving women,

young people, and the environment, and evaluate the impact of these movements on the United States' society.

11.04 Identify the causes of United States' involvement in Vietnam and examine how this involvement affected society.

11.06 Identify political events and the actions and reactions of the government officials and citizens, and assess the social and political consequences.

Accessing Prior Knowledge

1968 election Assassinations of 1968 (MLK & RFK)Black Power movementsCivil Rights MovementCounterculture/ HippiesCommunismCold War

Feminist MovementGreat Society programsMoral MajorityPresident LBJProtests of Vietnam War Richard NixonStudent ProtestsVietnam War

Eve Of DestructionBy Barry McGuire, 1965

The Eastern world, it is explodin'Violence flarin', bullets loadin'You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'? And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'

But you tell me over, and over, and over again my friendAh, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Don't you understand what I'm tryin' to sayAnd can't you feel the fears I'm feelin' todayIf the button is pushed, there's no runnin' awayThere'll be no one to saveWith the whole world in a graveTake a look around you boy,It's bound to scare you boy

And you tell me over, and over, and over again my friendAh, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin'I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin'I can't twist the truth. It knows no regulationHandful of senators don't pass legislationAnd marches alone can't bring integrationWhen human respect is disintegratin'This whole crazy worldIs just too frustratin'

And you tell me over, and over, and over again my friendAh, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

And think of all the hate there is in Red ChinaThen take a look around to Selma, AlabamaAh you may leave here for four days in spaceBut when you return it's the same old placeThe poundin' of the drums. The pride and disgrace.You can bury your dead, but don't leave a traceHate your next door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace

But you tell me over, and over, and over, and over again my friendYou don't believe we're on the eve of destructionNo, no, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

Okie from MuskogeeBy Merle Haggard, 1969

We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee;We don't take our trips on LSDWe don't burn our draft cards down on Main Street;We like livin' right, and bein' free.

I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,A place where even squares can have a ballWe still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all

We don't make a party out of lovin';We like holdin' hands and pitchin' woo;We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy,Like the hippies out in San Francisco do.

And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,A place where even squares can have a ball.We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all.

Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear;Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen.Football's still the roughest thing on campus,And the kids here still respect the college dean.

We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,In Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.

Play Song Play Song

Imagine it is November of 1968 and the Presidential election is in a few days. In partners, write a dialogue of at least two minutes in length between a person whose POV is represented by Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" and a person whose POV is represented by Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee."

In this dialogue you should: - Discuss the election of 1968 - Establish each character's viewpoint about the events of the 1960s and the upcoming election - Discuss at least three historical events/ facts per character as evidence for why your character's viewpoint is what it is.

Remember, I will be using these videos to assess your knowledge of the historical events of the 1960s and of their effects on the competing forces of society. While your dialogue should be creative and may be funny, above all it should display your historical knowledge.

Collaborative Activity

Attachments

12 - Okie From Muskogee (2006 Digital Remaster).mp3

09 - Eve of Destruction.m4a