Students for a Democratic Society

Origins In the late 1960s into the 1970s, there was a revolutionary current throughout the college campuses in the United States. In the midst of the Vietnam War and the counterculture movement, student groups and protests began popping up around the country—and then progressively growing larger and more networked. Chief among those revolutionary leftist groups was the Students for a Democratic Society, which would become nearly synonymous with the growing youth discontent. In what would become an official SDS charter, the Port Huron Statement, Tom Hayden laid out his generation’s growing discontent: “We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit.…

trend of alcohol abuse. One of the students who knew his death was still planning a party for next weekend. Many students did not believe this kind of tragedy would happen to them. This article could be a basis for a good…

of people that made a significant contribution to the anti-war movement in the 1960s. How did they achieve this? During the 1960s, many countercultures flourished, protesting against iniquities and inequalities which were still present in America at the time. One of these groups was the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), primarily known for opposing the Vietnam War. Students for a Democratic Society was an antiwar organization that defended Student Rights and protested against violence.…

In order to take a stand on what exactly the purpose of education should be in a democratic society, one must first look at what it is that he or she values in a democracy. To me, the main values of democracy are equality, independence, and choice. Every person in our nation, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, should have equal opportunity and equal access to an education. No one should be denied an education because of a category or status that they may have been…

Amy Guttmann refers to democratic education as “states, parents, and professional educators all having important roles to play in cultivating moral character (pg. 42).” Democratic education recognizes parental education, as well as professional authority, and political education. Amy Guttmann believes that democratic education is more about a structured individual. The distribution with authority supports the core value of democracy (pg. 42). She also is very clear that she is for democratic…

the original purpose of schooling, the change in people’s perceived purpose of education ultimately leads to curriculum, policy, and reform. Labaree described three main purposes of education in his article as democratic equality, social mobility, and social efficiency. In this paper I will describe the benefits and negatives of each and provide evidence as to why I believe democratic equality is an important purpose…

were Dewey and Gutmann. Dewey and Gutmann both believe that democracy is somehow involved in education. Dewey believes that if the education system does its job, then students will be prepared to contribute to society and the government. While Dewey believes that education prepares students to contribute to society, Gutmann believes that democracy rules the education system. Both philosophers believe that education and democracy are intertwined. Dewey sees education as a way for students to…

that the liberty beholden by the above statement threatens a democratic education. In order to this, I will answer the following questions: What is a democratic education? How can a democratic education be achieved in a school? How does capitalism and neoliberalism threaten to destroy a democratic education? For the purpose of defining a democratic education, I now turn to Matthew Knoester who states, “in order to educate democratic citizens it is important to create a…

Amy Guttmann describes democratic education as the values of equality among the students and teachers in her book Democratic Education. Amy Guttmann discussed the four different states which are the family state, the state of families, the state of individuals and the democratic state. Within the democratic theory, the authority is shared between the students, the parents and the state. Amy Gutmann says, “The democratic virtue, too simple stated, is that we can publicly debate educational…

Bois, an African American academic and cultural leader. Although Du Bois’ words are open to some degree of thematic interpretation, there is an undeniable message about the significance of conversations in his statement. I believe communication is the primary theme of this excerpt: productive discussions and constructive criticisms are not only beneficial but also necessary to education, inclusiveness, and democratic society as a whole. Communication is inherently crucial to education because…