Chapter 4: Bob Dylan
Preview Questions
Introduction
The late 1950s were a time of political and social conservatism dominated by Dwight Eisenhower’s Republican administration. The decade that followed was a time of turbulent social change under the administrations of Democrat presidents John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Republican Richard Nixon. Two of the main divisive issues were civil rights and the war in Vietnam. Many young people became involved in demonstrations to pressure leaders to support racial desegregation and end the war, voiced concerns over air and water pollution and the depletion of oil and gas reserves. Some started eating more natural foods and developed a distrust for technology used in cars and computers. Some took a spiritual path such as Buddhism or Transcendental Meditation, and used recreational drugs marijuana and LSD to develop a greater understanding of themselves. An increase in the use of birth control and cohabitation fueled a sexual revolution. Women’s skirts became shorter, men’s hair grew longer, young people dressed in wild clothing, and some joined communes.
By the end of the decade, 70,000 African Americans had participated in non-violent sit-ins in more than 100 cities, using the techniques of passive non-resistance developed by Mahatma Ghandi in India. The reaction of police and white segregationists sometimes turned violent. In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. joined hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the March on Washington, giving his famous speech “I Have a Dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he called for an end to racism. John Kennedy (age 43) became the youngest person to be elected president, sent federal troops to the University of Alabama, and removed Governor George Wallace from blocking access for two African American students. Soon after Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated. Many people lost hope. Troop levels in Vietnam peaked at nearly 500,000, and the U.S. air force conducted the largest bombing campaign in history. Students were killed by the National Guard in anti-war demonstrations at Kent State University. The war didn’t end until 1975.
Review Questions
- What is folk music?
- How did the 1960s compare with the 1950s culturally and politically?
- When was the peak of the folk music revival? How did it connect with what was going on in the country then?
- What do you know about Bob Dylan?
- How was Bob Dylan connected to the folk music revival? Why did he move away from it?
- What aspect of songwriting is Bob Dylan best known for?
Introduction
The late 1950s were a time of political and social conservatism dominated by Dwight Eisenhower’s Republican administration. The decade that followed was a time of turbulent social change under the administrations of Democrat presidents John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Republican Richard Nixon. Two of the main divisive issues were civil rights and the war in Vietnam. Many young people became involved in demonstrations to pressure leaders to support racial desegregation and end the war, voiced concerns over air and water pollution and the depletion of oil and gas reserves. Some started eating more natural foods and developed a distrust for technology used in cars and computers. Some took a spiritual path such as Buddhism or Transcendental Meditation, and used recreational drugs marijuana and LSD to develop a greater understanding of themselves. An increase in the use of birth control and cohabitation fueled a sexual revolution. Women’s skirts became shorter, men’s hair grew longer, young people dressed in wild clothing, and some joined communes.
By the end of the decade, 70,000 African Americans had participated in non-violent sit-ins in more than 100 cities, using the techniques of passive non-resistance developed by Mahatma Ghandi in India. The reaction of police and white segregationists sometimes turned violent. In 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. joined hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the March on Washington, giving his famous speech “I Have a Dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he called for an end to racism. John Kennedy (age 43) became the youngest person to be elected president, sent federal troops to the University of Alabama, and removed Governor George Wallace from blocking access for two African American students. Soon after Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated. Many people lost hope. Troop levels in Vietnam peaked at nearly 500,000, and the U.S. air force conducted the largest bombing campaign in history. Students were killed by the National Guard in anti-war demonstrations at Kent State University. The war didn’t end until 1975.
Review Questions
- What is folk music?
- How did the 1960s compare with the 1950s, culturally and politically?
- When was the peak of the folk music revival? How did it connect with what was going on in the country at the time?
- What do you know about Bob Dylan?
- How was Bob Dylan connected to the folk music revival? What type of songs did he write that led him away from it?
- What aspect of songwriting is Bob Dylan best known for?
- How did Dylan change the way he sang over the years? Why do you think that happened
- How did Dylan’s lyrics change over the years?