The New Left and Student Activism

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, organizations, and concepts from the lecture on 1950s Beat antecedents and the 1960s New Left movement.

New Left

A self-appointed term used by 1960s student movements, such as SDS and FSM, to distinguish their political views and fresh ideas from the 1930s Old Left.

Old Left

Left-wing political movements in America during the 1930s associated with the New Deal, the Great Depression, and Franklin Roosevelt.

SDS

Students for Democratic Society; a primary student organization of the New Left movement that began at the University of Michigan and spread to other campuses.

FSM

Free Speech Movement; a student group based at UC Berkeley that, alongside SDS, served as a main example of the 1960s New Left.

Allen Ginsberg

A prominent 1950s Beat movement poet who was openly gay and wrote the poem Howl, exploring themes of Cold War nuclear fear, anti-war sentiment, and individualism.

Jack Kerouac

A Beat generation author who wrote the novel On the Road on continuous teletype paper to preserve his continuous flow of thought without over-editing.

Howl

A sexually explicit poem by Allen Ginsberg that addressed the fear of the atom bomb, anti-war views, and individual rights.

On the Road

A popular novel by Jack Kerouac documenting physical and intellectual journeys, typed continuously without standard page breaks.

Teletype Paper

A continuous spool of paper that Jack Kerouac used in his typewriter to write On the Road without pagination.

Carbon Paper

Paper placed between sheets in a typewriter to transfer ink and make duplicate copies of a typed document.

Mimeograph Machine

An early duplication device featuring a hand-cranked wheel and blue ink, used to produce copies of documents prior to digital printing.

Tom Hayden

A student activist at the University of Michigan who co-authored a foundational statement for Students for Democratic Society.

Todd Gitlin

A key figure in the Students for Democratic Society and the 1960s New Left student movement.

Chilling Effect

A phenomenon where individuals refrain from voicing their true political or social opinions because the personal or social cost of speaking out is too high.

Baby Boomers

The large generation born starting in 1946 who reached college age in 1964, leading to massive expansion of state university systems across America.

Huey Long

The governor of Louisiana elected in 1932 who proposed radical left policies, including a 100% tax on the wealthy, before being assassinated.

Berkeley in the Sixties

A documentary film focusing on the Free Speech Movement and student activism at UC Berkeley during the 1960s.