The port huron statement of students for a democratic society is the most. The territory of st clair county split into all that part of said county containing the surveyed townships six, seven, eight nine, in ranges. Initially drafted by tom hayden and debated over the course of three days in 1962 at a meeting of student leaders, the statement was issued by students for a democratic society as their founding document. The port huron statement richard flacks, nelson lichtenstein. A halfcentury after the students for a democratic society adopted their seminal manifesto, 14 activistsincluding three. Port huron statement draft this is the text of the original draft of the 1962 port huron statement, as distributed by alan haber to the attendees at the sds northeast regional conference, april 23, 2006. Port huron statement welcome to the history department. From the port huron statement to occupy wall street, by tom hayden, the nation april 16, 2012. The port huron statement, written by tom hayden for the.
Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Port huron statement analysis essay example graduateway. We seek the establishment of a democracy of individual participation governed by two central aims. The port huron statement was created as a political manifesto, which is a public declaration of policy and aims, and was drafted principally by sds member tom hayden who was assisted by roughly 35 key members as an agenda for a generation. We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit. Rarely if ever had students thought of themselves as a force in history or, as we phrased it, an agency of social change. The port huron statement at fifty dissent magazine. Nielsen book data summary the port huron statement was the most important manifesto of the new left student movement of the 1960s. Led by tom hayden, the 25,700 word statement outlined a new vision for americas future, including disarmament, a revised democratic party, and. Oct 05, 2005 summary of the port huron statement humanities essay 100 level course the first passage, an agenda for a generation, begins with the author diving into an explanation that we as children of the united states grew up into the best and most comfortable world. Nelson lichtenstein is macarthur foundation professor in history at the. Initially drafted by tom hayden and debated over the course of three days in 1962 at a meeting of student leaders, the. Initially drafted by tom hayden and debated over the course of three days in 1962 at a meeting of student leaders, the statement was issued by students for a. He is the author of nine books, including the last gospel of the earth.
Summary of the port huron statement humanities essay 100 level course the first passage, an agenda for a generation, begins with the author diving into an explanation that we as children of the united states grew up into the best and most comfortable world. The port huron statement appears in numerous textbooks and has been the subject of thousands of student papers. Panelists talked about student unrest in the 1960s. Port huron statement institute for advanced university of virginia. Tom hayden was the original drafter of the port huron statement, the founding document of the students for. Port huron statement of the students for a democratic. But frequently students would read it and say how surprised they were at. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. It was written primarily by tom hayden, then the field secretary of sds, with help from 58 other sds members, and completed on june 15, 1962, at a united auto workers retreat in port. After port huron, that article read like a textbook example of false modesty.
Summary of the port huron statement humanities essay. Central to legacy of the port huron statement is the fact that it introduced the concept of participatory democracy to popular discourse and practice. The port huron statement was the most important manifesto of the new left student. Because the 1960s generation is now moving into positions of power in politics, education, the. Port huron statement students for a democratic society. Port huron statement june 15, 1962 excerpts from the original electronic text at the web site of the sixties project. As a cold war document, the port huron statement is significant for several reasons. Professor jim soto spoke about the port huron statement, a political manifesto written in the summer of 1962 by the students for a democratic society. Port huron charter township, in st clair county was established in 1827. The port huron statement, written by tom hayden for the students for a democratic society, june 15, 1962. And this was the night the students made the port huron statement. A pdf file of a scan of the draft document is also available.
The port huron statement ebook by 9780812290998 rakuten kobo. This is the text of the original draft of the 1962 port huron statement. Lastly, these young writers of the port huron statement saw the universities, that they were attending, as forces against free speech and free thought. Yearbook 1960s port huron high school digital museum. The port huron statement by tom hayden 928 words bartleby. Created by students for a democratic society in a small michigan town in 1962, the port huron statement has been called the most ambitious, the most specific, and the most eloquent manifesto in the history of the american left. Summary of the port huron statement humanities essay 100. This continued interest is the more impressive, since the statement was never. The port huron public library served in its original capacity for over sixty years. Port huron statement sds is the manifesto of the american student activist movement students for a democratic society sds, written primarily by tom hayden, then the field secretary of sds, and completed on june 15, 1962 at an sds convention at what is now a state park in lakeport, mich. This was written by tom hayden and was discussed at the port huron conference in june of 1962, which published the final draft of the port huron statement. This collection was made possible by the generous efforts of the st. Sharing the history of port huron through photos,videos,dvds, and information.
Original draft of the port huron statement public history. Because the 1960s generation is now moving into positions of power in politics. The single most influential document in the early history of the american new left, the port huron statement was the manifesto of the students for a democratic society sds in its formative. The port huron statement was adopted by the first national convention of students for a democratic society in june of 1962. Students for a democratic society, the port huron statement new york. Port huron statement project gutenberg selfpublishing. The port huron statement is a 1962 political manifesto of the american student activist movement students for a democratic society sds. Aug 07, 2016 cspans local content vehicles lcvs made a stop in their 2016 lcv cities tour in port huron, michigan, from june 1823 to feature the history and literary life of the community. When we were kids the united states was the wealthiest and strongest country in the world. On june 12, 1962, sixty young student activists drafted a manifesto for their generationthe port huron statementthat ignited a decade of dissent. We seek the establishment of a democracy of individual part. For the final, published port huron statement, click here. What the port huron statement still has to say, 50 years on.
The student department of the league for industrial democracy, 1964. Published and distributed by students for a democratic society 112 east 19 street new. Indeed, id argue that, now that lester frank wards mind as a social factor has been restored, the single most significant omission from hollinger and cappers american intellectual tradition reader is the statement. Port huron statement of the students for a democratic society. Home port huron statement library research guides at. He was the principal author of the port huron statement. Kennedy was a fervent believer in the domino theory and intended to contain communism. There is no question in my mind that the port huron statement is a significantand canonicaltext in american intellectual history. Democracy is in the streets is the definitive history of the major people and ideas that shaped the new left in america during that turbulent decade. In 1962 america was going through a tough period, marked by the cold war, against ussr and its communism.
This was also the time of the vietnam war and the arms race, with the possession of the nuclear weapon, and the president of the time, john f. It was written by sds members, and completed on june 15, 1962, at a united auto workers retreat in port huron, michigan now lakeport state park, for the groups first national convention. The port huron statement offers a vivid portrait of a unique moment in the history of radicalism, showing. Apr 25, 2012 features april 25, 2012 the port huron statement. Jun 14, 2012 our 25,000word document became known as the port huron statement, after the retreat center belonging to the united auto workers on the shores of lake huron. The port huron statement of students for a democratic society, written fifty years ago this june, is the most ambitious, the most specific, and the most eloquent manifesto in the history of the american left. On june 12, 1962, sixty young student activists drafted a manifesto for their generation.
The following year the former library was renovated and reopened as the port huron museum of arts and history. Michael kazin is professor of history at georgetown university as well as editor of dissent and a contributing editor of the new republic. Reading the port huron statement 50 years later home. It was written primarily by tom hayden, then the field secretary of sds, with help from 58 other sds members, and completed on june 15, 1962, at a united auto workers retreat in port huron, michigan, for the groups first national convention. Mar 04, 2012 for a long while i thought the port huron statement was a relic of a hopeful past, mr. For a long while i thought the port huron statement was a relic of a hopeful past, mr. Port huron statement public history um lsa history. Resources on the port huron statement, sds, and student activism in the 1960s contemporary reflections on the phs and sds the port huron statement at 50, by sam robert in new york times march 30, 2012.
Ratified at the sds conference at port huron, michigan, 1962 this document is presented as part of the radical democracy project. Now, fifty years after its drafting, principal architect tom hayden and the other sds contributors revisit this seminal document and provide an original and comprehensive. In 1962, at a united auto workers camp in michigan, students for a democratic society held its historic convention and prepared the famous port huron statement, drafted by tom hayden. As mans own technology destroys old and creates new forms of social organization,man still tolerates meaningless work, idleness. During the late spring of 1962, 60 students whom where part of the students for a democratic society gathered together for four days and nights, in michigan at a lakeside camp of port huron. On the fiftieth anniversary of this occasion, i offer a few comments on this seminal statement by the leading radical group of my generation, the most significant statement of what was called the new left.
The essays in this volumeincluding some from original port huron contributorsprobe the origins, content, and contemporary influence of the document that heralded the emergence of a vibrant new left in american culture and politics. The students for a democratic society 1669 words 7 pages. This document represents the results of several months of writing and discussion among the membership, a draft paper, and revision by the students for a democratic society national convention meeting in port huron, michigan, june 1115, 1962. Sds called for the creation of a new left, that is, a new kind of liberalism. It made sense of the fact that ordinary people were making history and not waiting for parties or traditional organizations. The port huron statement was the most important manifesto of the new left student movement of the 1960s. The port huron statement was written in port huron, michigan, at a meeting of students for a democratic society. The port huron statement called for voter registration of african americans in the south and more liberal candidates in order to change the philosophies and practices of the democratic party. The fiftieth anniversary of the port huron statement. The port huron statement is the 1962 students for a democratic society sds.