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Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition’s legacy.
Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop.
In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
lesson:
Artists Protest McCarthyism
How were musicians and artists affected by McCarthyism in 1950s America?
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The Impact of 1960s Antiwar Music
How did antiwar protest music provide a voice for those opposed to the Vietnam War?
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Protest as Event
Since the 1960s, how have artists used musical events to promote change?
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The Vietnam War: A Document-Based Question
In what ways and to what extent did the Vietnam War change American culture, society, and values?
lesson:
The United Farm Workers Movement through Music and Poetry
Who is Dolores Huerta, what role did she play in the United Farm Workers movement, and how is she recognized today?
lesson:
Music of the Civil Rights Movement
How did music advance the goals and inform the tactics of the Civil Rights Movement?
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Student Activism and Music During the Civil Rights Movement
How did activism by Black students challenge Jim Crow segregation during the Civil Rights Movement, and what unique role did music play as an organizing tool?
lesson:
Black Radio and the Civil Rights Movement
How did Black radio empower Black Americans, aid the Civil Rights Movement, and influence U.S. society?
Video
video:
Anti-Vietnam War Protests
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez at the March on Washington
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Police and Protesters Clash at the Democratic National Convention, Chicago
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Ohio
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Mississippi Goddam
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Civil Rights
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Civil Unrest, Part 2
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Bed-In for Peace, Amsterdam
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
We Shall Overcome
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Concert for Bangladesh Trailer
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Get Up, Stand Up
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Live Aid
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
The Role of Pop Music in Humanitarian Causes
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
“Music Was the Glue”
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
“She Showed Up”
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
“Mississippi Goddam”
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
Rifles in the Bushes
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
video:
We Shall Overcome: “That Was Our Shield”
Pete Seeger has proclaimed that so-called “protest” music has deep roots in world culture, roots extending well beyond the protest era of the 1960s. By way of example, he points to the nursery rhymes of Elizabethan England, demonstrating the manner in which they were sometimes veiled criticisms of King and Crown. Music, he insists, has long been a vehicle for social commentary and has a special relationship with the human need to “speak out.” This chapter approaches the protest era of the 60s as a kind of highwater mark in the history of that protest tradition to which Seeger points, and also traces the tradition's legacy. Along with Seeger, other key players in this chapter include Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez. But, as the lessons demonstrate, one can’t fully grasp the character and meaning of their contributions without looking at who and what they learned from, whether Woody Guthrie or the Gospel music of the American South. Similarly, one has to explore what came in the wake of Seeger, Dylan, Baez, and company, whether Punk Rock, Reggae, or Hip Hop. In what follows, teachers will find some of the most concrete examples of music’s engagement with the socio-political arena. From the antiwar demonstrations of the 60s to Civil Rights, anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid activism, music has been at the heart of social and political resistance. When jailed for their activist work, the Freedom Riders responded with song. When they were told that they would lose their bedding if they continued singing, they carried on, using one thing that could never be taken away, the human voice. At the heart of the protest era is just this timeless lesson.
Print Journalism
article:
Bruce Blew My Cover: Pete Seeger
ON THE FIRST Friday of the month, in fine weather and sometimes foul, you will find Pete Seeger, the folk-singing legend and pioneering environmentalist, in a small wooden clubhouse by the Hudson river, 70 miles north of Manhattan. At 87, and only slightly stooped by age, he looks much as he did 40 years ago, when he was the voice of the left, and an inspiration to young folk singers like Bob Dylan. Here at his beloved Beacon Sloop Club, in jeans and with shirt sleeves rolled up, he is still the driving force for a weekly dinner that draws...
article:
With a Little Help from His Friends: George Harrison and the Concert for Bangla-Desh
STEVE VAN ZANDT, May 2011, Lillehammer, Norway: "The anti-apartheid Sun City project (single, album, video, documentary, book, teaching guide) was a high point and a rare clear cut victory from the ten years I spent immersed in the dark, murky, frustrating labyrinth of international liberation politics. It came in the middle of my five politically themed solo albums and had its roots – like all the charity and consciousness raising multi-artist events that would follow – in the Concert for Bangladesh." August 1st marks the 40th anniversary of two landmark benefit concerts that nearly 40,000 attended at Madison Square Garden...