All Men Are Created...
Obviously, even before Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, immigrants who had fled the Old World for America felt that personal liberty was essential, and they understood the risks of not extending it to everyone. Just as obviously, however, even some of those who espoused liberty for all still "owned" slaves. Life is complicated today, and it was complicated back then.
After World War II, a growing number of Americans wanted their country to do more to address its traditional social inequalities; they wanted it to renew its ideals. They viewed the Declaration and the Constitution as having laid the foundation of a national social conscience. Although this movement was not universal, it was largely mainstream - even Walter P. Kellenberg, Bishop over all the Roman Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk, wrote a pastoral letter which urged them to come to a better understanding of "matters of inter-racial and social justice."
By the mid-1960s, the children of many of these Americans were growing into adults, and most of them embraced their parents' principles. There was a resurgence of folk music, which encouraged these young Americans, and furnished them with new anthems. By the time I was a junior (1962-1963) at Hicksville High School, a number of my fellow students regularly wore pin-on buttons in support of social causes. For example, the little "equality" pin shown below signified concern for social justice with regard to people of other races.
7/8" Equality Button
oldpoliticals.com
Other buttons might indicate sympathy with political parties (whether liberal, mainstream, or conservative), or with organizations dedicated to improving social conditions through activism. Of particular relevance to this article is the fact that some Hicksville students wore buttons in support of the activist Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
In short, a great many young Americans felt so strongly about politics and social justice that they wore their hearts on their sleeves (well actually, pinned to their collars and their sweaters). In school, they were willing to discuss their beliefs and engage in restrained debate.
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