Exploring America in the 1960's: Our Voices Will Be Heard

I’ve been waiting years for a book like this, so I can teach middle school kids about the 1960’s; Civil Rights, entertainment, women’s lib, the Kennedy-Nixon televised debate. The book begins with a chapter on the charts, graphs, and diagrams for the students to take notes. The chapters cover the decade’s music, but with a funny twist; the authors pit the Beach Boys against the Beatles. They call it “Beach Music versus British Invasion, and a later chapter deals with folkies (like Bob Dylan) versus Jimi Hendrix. Music forms a big part of the Civil Rights chapter, with protest songs and gospel.

   The book does not include the actual historical sources, but it does list them. The educator will have to download Dr. Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail and the Civil Rights songs, but these are available online. I would supplement these with Harvey Pekar’s Unsung Hero (for the chapter on Vietnam) and some lessons on the 1950’s changes that preceded the 60’s, like Levittown, television, the Cold War, and the GI Bill. Though it might be a little hard to take, I might also add a lesson on the “days of rage,” because the riots in Watts (and other neighborhoods) were a problem. The comic Two Cents Plain has a few pages on how a Brooklyn neighborhood changed, and the old-time Jewish stores found themselves under siege. Perhaps, if the students are interested, they can learn about the Rolling Stones Altamont concert, and how it “ended” the 60’s. All this can encourage the students to think about whether this was our greatest decade, or our worst.

   The most important thing about this book, regardless of the topic, is that it encourages kids to think for themselves. I want my students to learn on their own, so I can sit back and let them take care of business. I think I’ll tweak these lessons plans up a notch; I’ll give select students the documents a week in advance, and let those kids teach a class or two, saving me the effort. It’s good for the kids to learn how to take control for themselves.

After all, didn’t the 60’s teach us to “stick it to the man?”