Peace, Love, and Politics: How Woodstock of 1969 Epitomized the Relationship Between Social Movements and Music

Jacklynn Ramsey

OAI: oai:digitalcommons.ursinus.edu:pol_sum-1020

This research analyzes the role that music plays in social movements in the United States, focusing on Woodstock of 1969 as a pivotal moment. By examining the 1969 Woodstock through an academic lens, I illustrate the intrinsic relationship that exists between music and politics, specifically through social movements. First, I explore the relationship that music and politics have had historically and extrapolate why they are interconnected. Then, I dissect two different movements, paralleling them from their roots to present day, analyzing the integral role that music has had in them. Those movements include the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter, and the Anti-War Movement with the never-ending War on Terror. This project hopes to not only highlight the important role that music plays in a substantive sense as well as expound the ebb and flow in the proliferation of protest music.

Social Movements Civil Rights Movement Black Lives Matter Vietnam War White Power Movement War on Terror Woodstock American Popular Culture Ethnomusicology political history Political Science Social and Behavioral Sciences United States History