Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) is an organization of college students who are on the conservative Right of the Republican party. Their organization was created in the early 1960’s, and continues to be active on many college campuses today. When most people think about the 1960’s, especially in regard to protest movements, they think of the many liberal groups that took hold of politics. However, as John A. Andrew III has made very clear in The Other Side of the Sixties, there was also a strong movement toward the right that is often overlooked. Though less recognized by history, the Young Americans for Freedom were an important part of the culture of protest in the 1960’s.

The social and political movements of the 1960’s were largely characterized by the involvement of young people. Never had so many college-aged people been so active in the struggles to implement change in these arenas. Images of young people at Woodstock and at anti-war protests and civil rights sit-ins spring to mind when we speak of youth in the sixties. At a glance, it seems that liberal movements were the only examples of young people getting involved. However, the Young Americans for Freedom, f

As opposed to liberal organizations, the YAF tended to use the system to achieve their goals rather than rebel against it. Perhaps this is why this movement is heard about less. It did not involve as many sensational events as the liberal movements, but there was quite a bit of activism on the conservative side. The Young Americans for Freedom were strongly anti-communist, as were most Americans at the time. However, this organization felt that it was not enough to simply contain the spread of communism, but rather that the United States should actively try to rid the world of it. One of the YAF’s most successful examples of activism was their campaign to stop American companies from trading with the Soviet Bloc. They used demonstrations, letter-writing campaigns, and boycotts to make their message heard. These were specifically targeted towards very large companies such as IBM, Mack Truck, and Firestone. The YAF successfully managed to stop Firestone from building a plant in the Soviet Union by threatening to drop 500,000 flyers expressing their viewpoint at the Indianapolis 500 (www.yaf.com). They also spoke out in favor of having Peace Corps volunteers trained in how communists use propaganda, and how to effectively debate with representatives of that system they may encounter abroad. Examples like these are highly reminiscent of the liberal protest movements and show that activism was important to both. Conservative

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