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During 1963, Baby Houseman became increasingly appalled that Barry Goldwater might become the Republican Party's candidate in the 1964 Presidential election and that her father might vote for him. Baby's major objection to Goldwater was that he opposed using governmental power to compel Caucasian business owners to serve Negroes. Goldwater argued that the US Constitution recognized people's freedom of association. Caucasians thus had the right not to associate with Negroes -- in particular, a right to not do business with Negroes.
More generally, Baby was developing an opinion that the US Government had to take measures to improve the fairness of US society. Baby had learned about the new and influential book, The Other America: Poverty in the United States, written by socialist Michael Harrington and published in 1962. Harrington argued that about a fifth of the US population was stuck unfairly in poverty. Not everyone was enjoying the USA's era of prosperity that followed World War Two.
Although Harrington was a socialist, he proposed governmental measures -- such as more funding for education, medical services and housing -- that would help that impoverished one-fifth of the population to climb up out of their poverty.
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During 1963, Baby had become upset about three events.
1) Protesting Negroes had been attacked by police dogs in May.In Baby's mind, the three events' common feature was unfairness. Some people had to suffer and had to try to protest, while other people lived in comfort and complacency. The people in the first group were born unlucky, while the people in the second group were born lucky. These unfair differences were a world-wide tragedy -- in particular in the United States.
2) Protesting Vietnamese monks had burned themselves to death beginning in June.
3) Three miners had been trapped in a collapsed mine for several days in August.
Baby's father tried to give Baby a more complex perspective. When she complained about such unfairness, he explained that life is difficult for almost everyone. Although he himself enjoyed financial security and comfort now as a doctor, he had struggled for many years to graduate through college, medical school and a medical internship. After all that personal struggle, he was able to help many people, every day, with his medical knowledge and skills.
He suggested that Baby too would be able to help people if she acquired a higher education.
1) She would be able to help protesting Negroes if she became a lawyer or a judge.Baby's father preached to her that higher education would be her key to her future contributions to improving the fairness of society. She would have to study for many years, and so she would have to develop her personal patience. The USA was making social progress steadily. There already had been much progress during his life, and there would be further progress during her life.
2) She would be able to help Vietnamese monks if she became a diplomat.
3) She would be able to help miners if she became an engineer.
Baby became increasingly frustrated and angry by her father's preaching to be studious and patient. The continuing unfairness outraged her. The US Government could to much more to accelerate and spread progress, but old people like her father impeded such progress by being complacent and selfish and by voting for unfair Republican politicians like Goldwater.
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Baby complained further that too many people were limited in their abilities to obtain higher educations and to rise in professional careers. For example, Negroes and women were thus limited. Even Caucasian men who grew up in working-class families were thus limited.
Baby foresaw that she herself would be limited educationally and professionally because she was a woman. The men in the universities and in the professions inhibited and limited women. The women had to get married, give birth and raise children. Therefore her father was wrong when he preached to her that she wold be able, if she obtained a higher education, to contribute significantly to social progress during her future adult years.
Baby would be able to break through such inhibitions and limitations only if she attended an all-women's college.
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Baby recognized that the USA's society was thoroughly unfair. The older generation -- including her parents and even her older sister -- were failing to recognize the new realities.
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See also my previous article The American Folk Music Revival in 1963,
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I will continue this series in Part 6.
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