The Students for a Democratic Society of the late 1960’s...

The 1960’s was a happening decade. It was a time when many people came together for a common good and stood against injustice. The 60’s is often recalled as the era of the peace sign, one ridden with hippies, marijuana and pacifism. While true of much of the era, some of the movements calling for immense social change began as non-violent harbingers of change and later became radicals. The reason for this turn to radicalism, as seen in the case of the Students for a Democratic Society, and as suggested by the change between this organizations earlier Port Huron statement and the later Weatherman Manifesto, is due to the gradual escalation of the Vietnam war. The Port Huron Statement, issued in 1962 by a group of†¦show more content†¦The goal of the RYM is to â€Å"dismember and dispose of US imperialism.† It is amazing that it took just seven years for the Students for a Democratic Society to change from an organization that sees the United States as fundamentally good but in need of change through peaceful means to an organization that sees the United States as an imperial evil and calls for violent revolution. The Port Huron Statement comes from the beginning of a new decade. The fresh tactics of sit ins and protests still show promise of inducing change. The Weatherman Manifesto came after years of protests and continued escalation in Vietnam. During those seven years a lot changed. In 1965 Lyndon Johnson started a large escalation in Vietnam with Operation Rolling Thunder which increased troops and initiated massive bombing campaigns. By the end of 1965 almost 200,000 marines were deployed in Vietnam. The first draft card burnings at University of California, Berkeley took place in 1965. In October of 1967 there was a stop the draft week where more than a thousand people returned their draft cards. In January of 1968 the Tet Offensive began. This, along with dead American soldiers was in the newspapers and broad casted into people’s homes. It was all ofShow MoreRelatedThe Revolution Of The 1960 S846 Words   |  4 Pagesthe 1960’s Many people believe the 1960s, were the golden age but, contrary, by the end of the decade, it seemed like the The United States was falling apart. That could be one of the reason why different groups were growing with new ideas, demands and of course many reforms. Student activists became more and more radical. They protested over colleges, massive antiwar demonstrations and occupied various public places to make their revolutionary ideas visible and to be heard. 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