The port huron statement was one of the most important manifestos of the new left in the united states. From the port huron statement to occupy wall street on its fiftieth anniversary, the founding declaration of sds echoes today in democracy movements around the world. It made sense of the fact that ordinary people were making history, and not waiting for parties or traditional organizations. The experience of participatory democracy after the port huron statement holds several lessons for activists today. A discussion of richard flacks and nelson lichtensteins the.
A theory of participatory democracy based on the real case of. We seek the establishment of a democracy of individual participation governed by two central aims. A foundational statement of the theme of participatory democracy, the text had an important influence on post1960s politics and, arguably, on post1960s political science. It is true that the conditions today are different, but the transcendent goals of the statement still capture the imagination and the heart. In inspiring participatory democracy tom hayden, one of the principal architects of the statement, analyses its historical impact and relevance to todays movements. We speak with tom hayden, principal author of the port huron statement 50 years ago, the founding document of students for a democratic society sds. From occupy wall street to the arab spring, the ideals of the statement particularly participatory democracy continue to inform popular movements across the world. In a participatory democracy, the political life would be based in several root principles. Student movements from port huron to today ebook written by tom hayden. I am looking backward to the port huron conference of 1962 and its relations to the early new left movements for participatory democracy in europe and especially in federal germany. It is the manifesto of the american activist movement students for a democratic society, which was written in port huron, michigan, at a meeting of students for a democratic society. The port huron statement richard flacks, nelson lichtenstein.
Its key idea, participatory democracy, proved a watchword for sixties radicalism that has also reemerged in popular protests from the arab. The authors of the post huron statement see democracy as a privelige that all eligible suitors should participate in. Tom hayden and the unfinished business of democracy the. The port huron statement of students for a democratic society. The port huron statement and deep problems with american democracy the port huron statement was the foundation on which to build a movement for participatory democracy in the 1960s. Port huron statement of the students for a democratic society. The question of how to turn congress into an instrument of participatory democracy is one of the most important political questions we face. And this was the night the students made the port huron statement. The idea is to show the relevance of the idea of participatory democracy in todays society. As a signpost of the early 1960s, the port huron statement phs is worth treasuring for its idealism and for the spark it ignited in many an. A pdf file of a scan of the draft document is also available. As a social system we seek the establishment of a participatory democracy, governed by two.
After port huron, that article read like a textbook example of false modesty. The port huron statement of students for a democratic society is the most. Port huron statement of the students for a democratic society, 1962. This year has already seen a large number of academic events reflecting on the documents golden anniversary, including a conference at uc santa barbara in february, a dialogue on the port huron statement between noam chomsky and tom hayden at mit in april, and a short series of lectures at the havens center for the. In june 1962, an sds national convention was held in a uaw camp located in the backwoods of port huron. Port huron statement draft this is the text of the original draft of the 1962 port huron statement, as distributed by alan haber to the attendees at the sds northeast regional conference, april 23, 2006.
Original draft of port huron statement students for a democratic. What the port huron statement still has to say, 50 years on. Toward participatory democracy education revolution. Excerpts from the port huron statement of students for a democratic society, 1962 introduction. The port huron statement reflected ideas of these newly conscious middle american youth, increased civil right activism, and created the new left in regards to form a more democratic society. The student department of the league for industrial democracy, 1964.
Participatory democracy and deliberative democracy. In 2002, hayden reflected on the port huron statement at 40. The famous 1962 port huron statement by the students for a democratic society sds introduced the concept of participatory democracy to popular discourse and practice. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read inspiring participatory democracy. No document better frames and explains the 1960s than the port huron statement. The port huron statement, ultimately, was a document of idealism, a philosophical template for a more egalitarian society, a call to participatory democracy.
Such fundamental problems with democracy continue today in the. The port huron statement of students for a democratic society, written fifty years ago this june, is the most ambitious, the most specific, and the most eloquent manifesto in the history of the american left. The visionary call of the 1960s revolution new york. What do the authors of the port huron statement appear to mean by participatory democracy. From the port huron statement to occupy wall street on its fiftieth anniversary, the founding declaration of sds echoes today in democracy. For the final, published port huron statement, click here. The port huron statement 1962 the american yawp reader. The port huron statement was written in port huron, michigan, at a meeting of students for a democratic society. May 04, 2016 what do the authors of the port huron statement appear to mean by participatory democracy. The final, approved text, adopted as sdss founding document and known ever after as the port huron statement, sets out a vision of bottomup participatory democracy as the common thread.
The convention itself embodied participatory democracy through the discussion and debate over the text of the statement. When we were kids the united states was the wealthiest and strongest country in the world. Port huron statement students for a democratic society. Such fundamental problems with democracy continue today. Sds founder, tom hayden on participatory democracy from. The statement was a generational call for direct participatory democracy in which americans would have greater say over the decisions affecting their lives. Participatory democracy is a process of collective decision making that combines elements from both direct and representative democracy.
This is a short movie i made for a digital history assignment in my history class this semester. Port huron statement june 15, 1962 excerpts from the original electronic text at the web site of the sixties project. Mar 30, 2012 marxism replaces participatory democracy. The port huron statement, ultimately, was a document of idealism, a philosophical template for a more egalitarian society, a call to participatory democracy where everyone was engaged in issues that affected all people in civil rights, in political accountability, in labor rights, and in nuclear disarmament.
Tom hayden, the port huron statement and participative. Tom hayden, the driving force behind the manifesto, was a student at the university of michigan and came from a. The term was designed to deflect awareness towards its target market, estranged college students, of the documents underlying marxist ideology. The port huron statement written in 1962 is one of those movements raised to show this disillusionment many people were feeling in the 1960s. Port huron and the new left movements in federal germany michael vester in this essay, i am looking backward and forward. Sds, democracy, participatory democracy, manifesto collection radicaldemocracyproject. A halfcentury after the students for a democratic society adopted their seminal manifesto, 14 activistsincluding three. In their definition, spreading political freedom was at its core about each and every person in the society having a voice and participating in the democratic process.
The port huron statement at fifty dissent magazine. Sds founder, veteran activist tom hayden on participatory. The assault on labor rights launched in wisconsin and other midwest states during 2011, the rise and fall of occupy wall street as a movement against inequality, and the continuing. Students for a democratic society, the port huron statement new york. But, he continued, the core of the port huron statement rings true, and the theme of participatory democracy is relevant today from cairo to occupy wall street to wisconsin to studentled. Citizens have the power to decide on policy proposals and politicians assume the role of policy. The port huron authors focused on promoting a vision of american democracy in the 1960s that was about deepening democratic participation by all members of society. Sds, democracy, participatory democracy, manifesto collection. The vision call of the 1960s revolution 9781560257417. Initially drafted by tom hayden and debated over the course of three days in 1962 at a meeting of student leaders, the statement was issued by students for a democratic society as their founding document. The port huron statement introduces the term participatory democracy in a participatory democracy, political life would be based on several root principles and presents some fundamental theoretical schemes.
Keynote address by tom hayden, delivered on the 50th anniversary of the port huron statement, at the university of michigan. A discussion of richard flacks and nelson lichtensteins. The sds call for a participatory democracy echoes today in studentled democracy movements around the world, even appearing as the first principle of the occupy wall street. Students for a democratic society port huron statement. The conscious youth yearned for a more favorable democracy. Participatory democracy or participative democracy emphasizes the broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems. Us history ii final exam quotes flashcards quizlet. The term participatory democracy was coined by the authors of the port huron statement, the founding manifesto of students for a democratic society sds. In the most recent postwar recessions, for example, private expenditures for. Students for a democratic society port huron statement june 15, 1962 excerpts from the original electronic text at the web site of the sixties project.
It was the promise of participatory democracy to utterly transform the society of. Participatory democracy from the 1960s and sds into the future. And yet the port huron statement, the manifesto of the new left issued in 1962 by members of students for a democratic society sds, still echoes with a modern voice. The port huron statement resonates to this day for example, in the 17 september manifesto of occupy wall street, which called for a direct and transparent participatory democracy. Though the port huron statement itself did not pursue reform of our legislative bodies, its spirit points us in the right direction.
Port huron statement, reprinted in tom hayden, the port huron statement. Participatory democracy with its battlecry let the people decide was the call of 60some young american activists who launched the students for a. The port huron statement was the most important manifesto of the new left student movement of the 1960s. But the port huron vision of a participatory democracy, of a society in which all people have the right to a voice in the decisions affecting their lives, still resonates. Published and distributed by students for a democratic society 112 east 19 street new york 3, new york gramercy 32181 introduction. The second document titled the port huron statement was a manifesto written for the students for a democratic society sds which served to push the concept of participatory democracy, where every citizen, not restricted by race, is able to contribute to the social and political decision making process. W hile the port huron statement was criticized by an older generation as too far left, an opposite attack came from the. The port huron statement, written by tom hayden for the students for a democratic society, june 15, 1962. Tom hayden, the driving force behind the manifesto, was a student at the university of michigan and came from a workingclass family. Etymological roots of democracy greek demos and kratos imply that the people are in power and thus that all democracies are participatory. The sources for this call for participatory democracy when i drafted the port huron statement was exposure to john dewy at michigan through courses i took with coffman.
We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit. This document represents the results of several months of writing and discussion among the membership, a draft paper, and revision by the students for a democratic society national convention meeting in port huron, michigan, june 1115, 1962. The sds call for a participatory democracy echoes today in studentled democracy movements around the world, even appearing as the first principle of the occupy wall street september 17 declaration. The port huron statement was originally thought of as a manifesto, but sds members moved instead to call it. It called for the extension of democratic principles to the workplace as well as the electoral arena. Participatory democracy, the central idea of the port huron statement, is today more relevant than ever before. The port huron statement, written by tom hayden for the. During the late spring of 1962, 60 students whom where part of the students for a democratic society gathered together for four days and nights, in michigan at a lakeside camp of port huron. It is also, at just over 25,000 words, undoubtedly the longest one. Contact us at email protected visit us at 2036 west montrose ave. June 15, 2012, marked the fiftieth anniversary of the port huron statement. Port huron, michigan antiwar vietnam, civil rights, radical democracy, etc. The founding document of students for a democratic society sds, widely considered the political manifesto of the new left.
The port huron statement was a 1962 manifesto by the students for a democratic society sds, written primarily by student activist tom hayden, that proposed a new form of participatory democracy to rescue modern society from destructive militarism and cultural alienation. While the port huron statement was criticized by an older generation as too far left, an opposite attack came from the mid1960s generation. From the port huron statement to occupy wall street. As a social system we seek the establishment of a democracy of individual participation so that the individual can share in those.
To take one example among many, official disclosures in 1984. In june 1962, an sds national convention was held in a uaw camp located in the backwoods of port huron, michigan. Agenda for a generation we are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit. Participatory democracy from the 1960s and sds into the. The importance of representative democracy 882 words cram. This is the fiftieth anniversary year of the port huron statement, the founding declaration of students for a democratic society, issued as a living document in 1962. Port huron statement analysis essay example graduateway. The port huron statement 1962 spoke of participatory democracy an idea that suggested a rejection of the elitist strain that had marked liberal thinkers from the progressives to postwar advocates of economic planning. He coined the term participatory democracy, but the idea is pervasive in us history and traces back to thoreau. Apr 25, 2012 features april 25, 2012 the port huron statement. What the port huron statement still has to say, 50 years. Mar 04, 2012 but, he continued, the core of the port huron statement rings true, and the theme of participatory democracy is relevant today from cairo to occupy wall street to wisconsin to studentled. In 1966 new sds leaders rejected the phs as too reformist.
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