Abbie Hoffman: Satirical Humorist and Critic of the Conformity of the American Lifestyle
Kaylin Mahoney
Abbie Hoffman: Satirical Humorist and Critic of the Conformity of the American Lifestyle
Thesis: Abbie Hoffman
was shaped by childhood experiences, the influence of the 1960’s, theatrical
political activism, and the contribution of the media, thus developing his
passion for activism in which he shared through his revolutionary literary
works. Hoffman’s novel Steal This
Book, driven by rhetorical strategies such as satirical humor, delivers
controversial arguments for distinct challenges to
I. Introduction
II. Biography and shaping forces of Abbott Hoffman
A. Childhood: center of other’s attention shapes him as a leader, value of education, college politicizes him
B. Era of the 1960’s: questions of the righteousness of government, the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, Hoffman speaks out against capitalism, contradictory era of conservatives and radicals
C.
Political activism: Maslow,
avocations for the poor/oppressed, co-founder of the Youth International Party,
the Democratic National Convention of 1968 (
D. Contribution of the media: “obstructionism”, thrives on press (NY Stock Exchange), life underground (persona of environmentalist “Barry Freed”)
III. Predominant arguments and rhetorical/style analysis of Abbie Hoffman’s writing and arguments
A.
In Steal This Book, Abbie Hoffman uses
satirical, provocative, and rebellious words and themes to criticize what he
viewed as
B.
Argument #1:
1. Satirizes the corrupt establishment of society, dependence on material things, corporate feudalism
2. Manual format shines a positive light onto anything the straight society tried to suppress, disrespect of “Amerika”
C. Argument #2: Protect freedom of speech
1. Uses provocative language to emphasize passion and to tear down tyranny
2. Uses meiosis through cavalier references underplaying crime and threats to the police
D. Argument #3: Create radical social change, form a revolution
1. Nonchalant tone inspires people to join the YIPPIES and realize the power of corporations
2. Metaphor/appeal to pathos encourages personal aspirations, creating radical social change
IV. Discussion of the legacies and impact of Abbie Hoffman’s rhetoric: analysis and criticism
A. Literary influence: analysis and criticisms, commercial success, literary works and other rhetorical strategies
B. Popular culture: countercultural icon, influence on other writers such as Howard Stern and Kalle Lasn
C. Culture jamming: YIP movement and accomplishments
D.
Political change: laws passed due to his
activism (
E. Hoffman’s unfortunate downward spiral w/loss of media attention, leads to ultimate death
V. Conclusion
VI. Works Cited
VII. Annotated Bibliography
Abbie Hoffman: Satirical Humorist and Critic of the Conformity of the American Lifestyle
Some
observers of
“‘I’ve (Hoffman)
created myself out of left-wing literature, sperm, licorice and a little
chicken fat’” (Raskin 259).
Throughout
his childhood, Abbott H. Hoffman demanded constant attention, and was known to
leave a trail of petty crimes and trouble, displaying his courage to break away
from the masses and rebel (Sloman
1-20). Due to the many situations
where he depended on his quick wit to get away with what he pleased, when he
pleased, he developed an eloquent way with words, which would later be shown
through his many speeches to the public advocating the protection of individual
rights and revolution, such as a “Yippie Workshop”
speech given in 1968 at the Democratic Convention (4
Hoffman 1-5). Despite his reputation
as a rebel-rouser, he was admired and revered by his peers, molding him into
the leader Americans recognize him as today.
Jack Hoffman, Abbie’s father, revealed, “[s]tudying is not on the list of priorities in Abbie’s life in the growing-up years, not at all. Politics are not. Abbie was too busy getting
laid and playing gin” (9). This young rebel never appreciated the value
of education: “[h]e was a kid who you never saw open a book [yet] consistently
made honors” (15).
However, after attending
As the
1960’s emerged, America “woke up from the deep chill of McCarthyism and the
Cold War” of the 1940’s, and a new generation whose interests were at odds with
the social mainstream surfaced, opposing political conservation, perceived
social repression, and the U.S. government’s intervention in Vietnam (Counterculture 1).
As explained within Marian Mollin’s novel, Radical
Pacifism in Modern America, due to the Cold War and the escalating nuclear
arms race in the late 1940s, youthful rebels emerged to challenge the
containment, conformity, and consensus that had come to dominate the 1950’s
postwar American life (Mollin 4). Mollin further
states that the pacifist movement's rhetorical commitment to egalitarianism and
its willingness to engage in tactical experimentation led to the emergence of
alternative models of resistance such as civil disobedience that simultaneously
built on prevailing cultural values (4). In the
mid-1960’s, political opposition rose violently, with activism supporting the
Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War Movements (4). Due to these influences, Hoffman became involved with the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and organized "Liberty House", which
sold items to support the Civil Rights Movement in the southern United States (2 Abbie 1). During the Vietnam War, Hoffman acted as
an anti-war activist, who used deliberately comical and theatrical tactics in
order to voice his opinion that a war should not be fought without the support
of its citizens (1). Within his book Steal This Urine Test, he states his belief that “[k]nowing something stinks in the system changes nothing. People have to be willing to stand up and be
counted. Injustice is transformed into justice
only when people at critical points in their lives are willing to risk the
consequences, go for freedom, and Just Say No” (3
Hoffman 4). Paradoxically,
Though Hoffman had shown early signs
of leadership and rebellion, he did not become involved in politics until he
had attended UC Berkley, where his education helped to develop an interest for
activism, and a reputation as a theatrical political activist. During the early 1950’s, “[u]nder the tutelage of famous humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow, Hoffman conceived political protest as a positive
and life-affirming self-actualizing process” (Burns 1). This ideology and surrounding activism, such
as
Much of the fame and success experienced by Hoffman is due to his remarkable natural understanding and manipulating of the media. Hoffman was in favor of “obstructionism,” as he called it, which urged radicals to embrace “more active, more aggressive tactics” that would attract media attention to crucial political issues (Raskin 40). Whether he was throwing money down upon the employees of the New York Stock Exchange, forcing the stock brokers to scramble for wealth and expose the epitome of American greed, or attempting to levitate the Pentagon with 50,000 others, “[h]is point, always, was to draw the TV cameras so that Americans would finally see what they’d been refusing to see, or hadn’t allowed to see—that the country was profoundly polarized, that antagonism and confrontation were the order of the day, and that violence was endemic” (Kelly 2). Inspired by Groucho Marx, Hoffman regarded the media “…as both playground and a weapon,” actively manipulating it in order to upset cops, presidential candidates, or federal judges (Daily 1). Through his most famous work, Steal This Book, Hoffman articulates the secrets behind this manipulation, and further encourages readers to ferment revolution.
“Steal This Book
[…] preaches jailbreak (from the prison that is
Abbie Hoffman criticized the path
America, and the government, was taking, during both political protests and
within his literature; like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau,
Hoffman may be classified as a Transcendentalist in the fact that he believed
the world should not revolve around money and possessions, but instead on moral
values such as love (Salzman 385). Not only did he take action against these
corruptions, but he used satirical,
provocative, and rebellious words and themes to criticize what he viewed as
Another main idea in Hoffman’s literature is to protect and use one’s freedom of speech. He accomplishes this by encouraging others to fight, organize resistance, and utilize guerilla radio and television stations. Through the use of provocative language, he declares, “[w]e cannot survive without learning to fight and that is the lesson in the second section. FIGHT! separates revolutionaries from outlaws. The purpose of part two is not to f[***] the system, but destroy it” (2 Hoffman 4). To exercise his own personal freedom of speech, outlandish diction covers the pages within Steal This Book. His language also expresses the overwhelming passion he possesses to tear down the tyrannical aspects of American government, for rebellious speech and actions seem to go hand in hand. Hoffman attests that while radicals are in the midst of a demonstration, “[t]here is a growing willingness to do battle with the pigs in the streets and at the same time to inflict property damage. It’s not exactly rioting and it’s not exactly guerilla warfare; it has come to be called ‘Trashing’” (72). Hoffman mastered the strategy of meiosis by underplaying crime and threats to the police, or “pigs.” Additionally, he states, “[m]ost trashing is of primitive nature with the pigs who have the weapon and strategy advantage […] (however) [b]y developing simple gang strategy and becoming acquainted with some rudimentary weapons and combat techniques, the odds can be shifted considerably” (72). Cleverly, he hints that fighting federal police officers is a light matter, when in actuality, it is a serious offense. Hoffman brings meiosis to an entire new level as he explains how to assemble one’s own bomb, while offering a “general bomb strategy” (2 Hoffman 52). He then makes cavalier references to weapons that should be carried during demonstrations for protection if the protests are expected to become violent such as handguns, rifles, and shotguns (52-81). For example, a brief section on knife fighting informs that, “Probably one of the most favored street weapons of all time is the good old ‘shiv,’ ‘blade,’ ‘toe-jabber’ or whatever you choose to call a good sticker. Remembering that today’s pig is tomorrow’s bacon, it’s good to know a few handy slicing tips” (79). Hoffman boldly underplays the reality of a true stabbing to exemplify the extremes to which he is willing to go to in order to get his message across to the world. The encouragement of freedom of expression and straightforward instructions to defend one’s beliefs profoundly shapes his main argument: to create radical social change and form a revolution.
Throughout
his ground-breaking literature, Hoffman attempts to muster the will of the
people to rebel against the corruptions of capitalism. While toying with heavy topics, he
consistently maintains a light-hearted tone.
Casually, he informs, “[t]o steal from a brother or sister is evil. To not steal from the institutions that are
the pillars of the Pig Empire is equally immoral” (2
Hoffman 4). Hoffman presents the
corporations that supposedly control society as the “institutions that are the
pillars of the Pig Empire,” expressing that they play a larger role in the
government and exercise more rights and freedoms than the people do and has
been accepted as the normal state of affairs, undoubtedly raising ire amongst
American youth (Davidson 1). As Kalle Lasn writes in his book Culture Jam, “[w]e go to corporations on our knees. […] [W]e’ve
spent so much time bowed down in deference, we’ve forgotten how to stand up
straight” (1).
Rather than purely begging corporations and the federal government to do
the right thing, Hoffman felt the people are rightfully justified to fight the
system (1).
According to Hoffman in his novel Revolution For the Hell of It,
he explicates that one should live a life driven by passions, not by greed, and
“[u]ntil we understand the nature of institutional
violence and how it manipulates values and more to maintain the power of the
few, we will forever be imprisoned in the caves of ignorance” (Hoffman 5).
Metaphorically, Hoffman demonstrates the federal government as corrupt
and ignorant towards the wishes of the people, and as long as Americans
tolerate this state of ignorance, the general public’s freedom shall be
“imprisoned in the caves of ignorance,” or otherwise disregarded so that
citizens are forced to listen to the own echoes of their own protests (5). By
pointing out the pathetic state of democracy in
“More importantly,
he would want America to see that our country (today) is still divided, and
that it’s still at war with itself and that there are profound radical and
social injustices” (Raskin 2).
Through protests, speeches, and
literary works, Abbie Hoffman left a permanent literary mark in American
history. At first publication, Steal
This Book flew from the shelves as a huge commercial success, selling over
a quarter of a million copies in 1971; Hoffman remarked, “It’s embarrassing,
you try to overthrow the government, and you end up on the best-seller list” (Whitfield 9). As
years passed, a new generation of readers who had not shared the same
experiences as Hoffman read through the supposed “guide to survival,” bringing
both praise and criticism, exposing Hoffman’s true literary influence over
society today. Critics such as David
Kelly have emphasized that using guidebook format, although successful in
promoting these instructions short-term, is quickly outdated, becoming no more
practical than a throwaway (Kelly 2). However, Hoffman seemed fully aware of this
effect; in the text, he expounds, “[m]any of the tips might not work in your
area, some might be obsolete by the time you get to try them out, and many
addresses and phone numbers might be changed.
If the reader becomes a participating researcher then we will have
achieved our purpose” (2 Hoffman 6). Some also criticize the naivety of abruptly
telling the reader that the mainstream culture is hypocritical, as if only the
talented few can see it, yet “…a good case can be made that the current level
of irony might never have been reached without Abbie Hoffman” (Kelly
2). Hoffman’s commercial success
allowed him to write lasting literary works other than Steal This Book such
as Revolution for the Hell of It, Woodstock Nation, Steal This
Urine Test, Soon to be a Major Motion Picture, Square Dancing in
the Ice Age, and more, selling over three million copies (Whitfield 9). In Steal
This Urine Test, Hoffman directly tells that the entire book is a parable
in the introduction: “[t]his is a call to arms against a ritual that has
nothing to do with drug abuse and a lot to do with controlling citizens” (3 Hoffman 3).
Similar to Steal This Book, Hoffman’s other major novels prove
themselves as rhetorically rich, clearly depicting his multiple messages to the
public such as in Revolution For the Hell of It, Hoffman attests that, “when you're an artist,
your art is the point as well as the reason you keep going. Applause, boos,
analysts, critics are all irrelevant” (2 Raskin 7).
Although a few skeptics have criticized Hoffman’s blatantly honest
works, these books have contributed to a profound literary influence on society
and popular culture.
Though the
populace has not made a great deal of progress within popular culture in the
areas of race, class, gender, sexuality, cultural imperialism, and censorship
since the 1960’s, Hoffman made numerous efforts to unveil society’s current
state of excessive consumerism, such as through the New York Stock Exchange
brigade, and discrimination against the poor and oppressed, through his
participation within the SNCC (Reed 1). Hoffman’s influence upon American popular
culture is revered by aspiring activists and outlaws today. Howard Stern, radio host sensation and author
of Private Parts, Miss America, and more, stated, “[y]ou couldn’t help but love Abbie because he was so damned
entertaining and brilliant” (Sloman
xx). In the forward of Steal This
Dream, a biography of Abbie Hoffman, Stern lamented, “Abbie deserved a
televised funeral with a flag round his coffin and a 21 gun salute, because
Abbie was a patriot, Abbie was a hero” (xxiii). Hoffman’s influence on Stern is exemplified
through the subtitle of Stern’s book Private Parts, which is,
“Soon to be a Major Motion Picture” (Howard 1). This is also the title of an inspirational
classic originally written by Hoffman (1). Kalle Lasn, author of the book Culture Jam, also may have
been influenced by Hoffman’s ideas about “
Counterculture
is defined as a term used to describe a cultural group whose values and norms
are at odds with those of the social mainstream (Counterculture
1). As the sixties progressed, the
younger generation who wished to create a different society “gained momentum”,
and among few other leaders, Abbie Hoffman spread the criticism of the
established social order, challenged political conservatism, and opposed the
military intervention in
Throughout
his lifelong fight against “the system,” Abbie Hoffman grabbed the attention of
others and was able to make a splash in politics concerning a variety of
different issues. Even after Hoffman
went underground to escape a prison sentence due to some involvements with
cocaine, he took on the persona of “Barry Freed” and fought against pressing
environmental issues (Jezer 1). When the New York Department of Environmental
Conservation alerted Freed of the impact on the 
color,
religion, sex, or national origin, while the 1965 Voting Rights Act, guaranteed
that no person shall be denied the right to vote on account of race or color (Teaching 1-2). Due
to Hoffman’s contribution of political activism, many citizens such as Howard
Stern and Kalle Lasn now
possess the courage to speak out, question the government, and fully take
advantage of their freedom of speech. He
is a source of inspiration to those who wish to pursue their passions and
create change.
However,
the more famous Hoffman became, the more evident it was that “[h]e was in love
with and dependent on his own reflection in the media, and once the reflection
was tarnished and then nearly disappeared from public view, he had little to
fall back on. Without fame, he had
almost no currency with which to make his way through the world” (Raskin 257). As his cause to manifest a revolution faded
into the background, he began a downward spiral of drug abuse and isolation
from the world, sinking into depression (257). Being sought by the federal authorities due
to an association with cocaine, he went into hiding for several years,
underwent major plastic surgery, and took on a new identity as Barry Freed (Daily 1). In 1980,
Hoffman turned himself in to the police, but opened his eyes to the horrible
reality: his fame was slipping from his grasp, and each day he became more and
more like a memory in the minds of the general public (1). Although he may have insisted he was a “Yippie to the core,” when one peers “behind the scenes
[they shall discover] Abbie the Yuppie” (Raskin
234-5). Hoffman was “very much a
Reagan-era materialist and consumer” in that he often made close to one hundred
thousand dollars a year giving lectures at special events (234-7). In the end, this hypocritical materialistic
dependence destroyed him; living for fame and glory rather than appreciating
free love and life unfettered by unnecessary complications. On
From
childhood experiences to the influences of the Hippie era, Abbie Hoffman was
shaped into an extremely influential political radical whose legacies continue
to thrive within society. Hoffman
authored many literary works, his most famous being Steal This Book,
arguing that America is guilty of oppressing its citizens, enveloping their
freedom of speech, and creating a system by which people resort to depending on
money and materialism while sacrificing personal relationships and ethics. Satirically, Hoffman mocks the American society
in the hopes that the populace will ferment a rebellion against those who
construct conformity. Although he
reached the peak of his fame during the late 1960’s, Hoffman continues to reach
individuals today through his literary influence, American popular culture, the
accomplishments of the Youth International Party, culture jamming, and
political change. Because of Hoffman,
someone may now possess the courage to fight for what they believe is right and
live for personal passions rather than the expectations of others. Despite being falsely accused of conspiracy,
he showed
Works Cited
“Abbie
Hoffman”. Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2009.
Reproduced in
“Abbie
Hoffman on Democracy and Activism”. Encyclopedia.com. N/D. http://www.encyclopedia.com/video/4mdHTmoIrTU-abbie-hoffman-on-democracy-activism.aspx. (
The
Abbie Hoffman Web Page. Global Action Internet
Services.
Bond,
Julian. “SNCC: What we Did – Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee”. Monthly Review. October 2000 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_5_52/ai_66937932/pg_8/. (
Burns, Alex. “Abbie Hoffman.” Disinformation. 29 May 2001.
http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id92/pg1/.
(
“Counterculture”.
Economicexpert.com.
N/D. http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Counterculture.htm. (
“Daily
Dreamtime”. Live
Journal. 2 May 2005 http://drugaddict.livejournal.com/1069753.html.
(
Davidson, Sam. “I Read a Book: Culture Jam”. Sam Davidson.
Goldberg,
Carey. “Materialism is bad for you, studies say”. The New York Times.
“History
of the FBI World War II Period: Late 1930’s – 1945”. Federal Bureau of
Investigation. N/D
http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/worldwar.htm. (
Hoffman, Abbie.
Revolution for the Hell of It.
Hoffman, Abbie. “Steal This Book”. Steal This Web site. N/D
http://www.pieman.org/stealthisbook.html. (
Hoffman,
Abbie. Steal This Urine Test.
Hoffman, Abbie. “Yippie
Workshop Speech by Abbie Hoffman (1968)”. Hippyland. N/D http://www.hippy.com/article-100.html. (
“Howard
Stern Books”. The
Complete Howard Stern Links!.
Jezer,
Marty. “Johanna Lawrenson
and Save the River”. The
Narco News Bulletin. 1992 http://narconews.com/jezer2.html. (
Kelly, David. “Critical Essay
on ‘Steal This Book’”. Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting
Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Words. Ed.
David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth
Thomason.
Linder, Douglas O. “The
Mollin, Marian. “Radical Pacifism in Modern
Raskin, Jonah. For the Hell of It.
Raskin, Jonah “For the Hell of It”.
Reed, T.V. “Popular Culture: Resources for Critical
Analysis”.
Salzman, Jack.
American Studies: An Annotated Bibliography, Volume 1.
Sloman,
Larry. Steal This Dream.
“Teaching With Documents: The
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment
Whitfield, Stephen J.
“The Stunt Man: Abbie Hoffman (1936-1989)”. Virginia Quarterly Review. 1990 <
http://www.vqronline.org/articles/1990/autumn/whitfield-stunt-man>. (
Williamson, Skip. “Abbie Hoffman”.
“Yippies”. Book Rags. N/D. http://www.bookrags.com/research/yippies-sjpc-05/. (
“Youth: The Politics of YIP”.
TIME.
Annotated Bibliography
“Abbie Hoffman”. Contemporary Authors
Online, Gale, 2009. Reproduced in
A
brief biography of the life of Abbie Hoffman, offering detailed information on
his political activism.
“Abbie Hoffman on Democracy and Activism”. Encyclopedia.com. N/D http://www.encyclopedia.com/video/4mdHTmoIrTU-abbie-hoffman-on-democracy-activism.aspx. (
An overview of Abbie Hoffman’s childhood and democratic ideals promoted through social activism.
The Abbie Hoffman Web
Page. Global Action Internet Services.
A website providing various links to
other sites for information concerning Hoffman; such as books by and about
Hoffman, and additional media related to him.
Bond, Julian.
“SNCC: What we Did
– Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee”.
Monthly Review.
October 2000 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_5_52/ai_66937932/pg_8/. (
This provides a detailed explanation about the organization and legacies of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Burns, Alex. “Abbie Hoffman.” Disinformation. 29 May 2001.
http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id92/pg1/. (
A brief summary about Abbie Hoffman’s
political influence and an extended list of links to reliable sites of
information about Abbie Hoffman.
“Counterculture”.
Economicexpert.com.
N/D. http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Counterculture.htm. (
A page that provides a detailed explanation of counterculture, and the countercultural movement of the 1960’s.
“Daily Dreamtime”. Live
Journal. 2 May 2005 http://drugaddict.livejournal.com/1069753.html. (
An
explanation of Abbie Hoffman’s manipulation of the media, and applied to his
protests.
Davidson, Sam. “I Read a Book: Culture Jam”. Sam Davidson.
A literary analysis of the book Culture Jam by Kalle
Lasn.
Goldberg, Carey. “Materialism is bad for
you, studies say”. The
New York Times.
A New York Times article describing the
negative effects of materialism and consumerism.
“History of the FBI
World War II Period: Late 1930’s – 1945”. Federal Bureau of Investigation. N/D http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/worldwar.htm. (
A historical description of the World War
II Period, during the late 1930’s-1945 from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
Hoffman, Abbie. Revolution
for the Hell of It.
Abbie Hoffman’s novel
encouraging readers to ferment a second American revolution.
Hoffman, Abbie. “Steal This Book”. Steal This Web site. N/D http://www.pieman.org/stealthisbook.html. (
An
online read of Hoffman’s major work, Steal
This Book.
Hoffman, Abbie. Steal This Urine Test.
A
parable written by Hoffman describing the injustice of government oversteps,
and the violation of the freedoms and rights of the individual.
Hoffman, Abbie. “Yippie
Workshop Speech by Abbie Hoffman (1968)”. Hippyland. N/D
http://www.hippy.com/article-100.html. (
A speech spoken by Hoffman at the National Democratic Convention of 1968 rousing the ire of his audience towards the government.
“Howard Stern Books”.
The Complete Howard Stern Links!.
A list of books written by Howard Stern,
who has been greatly influenced by Hoffman’s political activism.
Jezer, Marty.
“Johanna Lawrenson and Save the River”. The Narco
News Bulletin. 1992 http://narconews.com/jezer2.html. (
A story of Hoffman’s environmentalism
with the saving of the
Kelly, David. “Critical Essay on ‘Steal
This Book’”. Nonfiction Classics
for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Words. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and
Elizabeth Thomason.
A Gale article of a literary criticism of
Hoffman’s Steal This Book.
Linder, Douglas O. “The
A detailed description of the National
Democratic Convention and the Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial, including lasting
legacies.
Mollin, Marian. “Radical Pacifism in Modern
An excerpt from Mollin’s novel describing the reasons why the 1960’s became an era of radical political turmoil.
Raskin, Jonah. For the Hell of It.
A biography of Abbie Hoffman, detailed information from his childhood to his death.
Raskin, Jonah “For the Hell of It”.
An online version of Raskin’s novel, “For the Hell of It,” a biography of Abbie Hoffman.
Reed, T.V. “Popular Culture: Resources for Critical
Analysis”.
A site providing a general definition of
popular culture, and resources for a critical analysis of current American
popular culture.
Salzman, Jack. American
Studies: An Annotated Bibliography, Volume 1.
A novel consisting of an annotated listing of American Studies monographs published between 1984 and 1988.
Sloman, Larry. Steal This Dream.
A biography made up of quotes and interviews from personal friends of Abbie Hoffman.
“Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the
Equal Employment
A detailed background of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Whitfield,
Stephen J. “The Stunt Man: Abbie Hoffman
(1936-1989)”. Virginia Quarterly
Review. 1990. http://www.vqronline.org/articles/1990/autumn/whitfield-stunt-man
. (
A long biography of Abbie Hoffman consisting of several statistics about his commercial success.
Williamson, Skip.
“Abbie Hoffman”.
A brief biography of Abbie Hoffman and information about the impact of UC Berkeley on his political activism.
“Yippies”. Book Rags. N/D. http://www.bookrags.com/research/yippies-sjpc-05/. (
A summary of the Youth International Party’s accomplishments and impacts on left-wing politics.
“Youth: The
Politics of YIP”. TIME.
A brief article on the Youth International Party’s politics and major demonstrations.
Links
AP U.S. History Term Paper List