An era that changed America forever is analyzed through the words of those who led, participated in, and opposed the protest movements that made the 1960s a signature epoch in U.S. culture.

* Opens a window on a revolutionary time when Americans stood up and demanded peace and tolerance

* Highlights the expectations of free speech and equal treatment for all Americans and shows how those expectations were translated into actions

* Includes background discussion of the 1960s and background discussion of each document

* Compares and contrasts key passages, encouraging the reader to cross-reference documents within the volume and connect the dots between them

* Examines exhibits as varied as Abbie Hoffman's testimony at the trial of the Chicago 7, Noam Chomsky's essay "The Function of a University in Time of Crisis," the Port Huron speech of the Students for a Democratic Society, Richard Nixon's Silent Majority speech, and Shirley Chisholm's Equal Rights for Women speech