Essay

Overview of the 60`s

Many social changes that were addressed in the 1960s

are still the issues being confronted today. The '60s was a

decade of social and political upheaval. In spite of all the

turmoil, there were some positive results: the civil rights

revolution, John F. Kennedy's bold vision of a new frontier,

and the breathtaking advances in space helped bring about

progress and prosperity. However, much was negative: student

and anti-war protest movements, political assassinations,

and ghetto riots excited American people and resulted in

lack of respect for authority and the law.

The decade began under the shadow of the cold war with

The Soviet Union, which was aggravated by the u-2 incident,

The Berlin wall, and the Cuban missile crisis, along with

the space race with the USSR.

The decade ended under the shadow of the Vietnam War,

which deeply divided Americans and their allies and damaged

the country's self-confidence and sense of purpose.

Even if you weren't alive during the '60s, you know

what they meant when they said, "tune in, turn on, drop

out." you know why the nation celebrates Martin Luther King,

Jr's birthday. All of the social issues are reflected in

today's society: the civil rights movement, the student

movement, space exploration, the sexual revolution, the

environment, medicine and health, and fun and fashion.

The Civil Rights Movement

The momentum of the previous decade's civil rights

gains led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. carried over into

The 1960s. But for most blacks, the tangible results were

minimal. Only a minuscule percentage of black children

actually attended integrated schools, and in the south, "Jim

Crow" practices barred blacks from jobs and public places.

New groups and goals were formed, new tactics devised, to

push forward for full equality. As often as not, white

resistance resulted in violence. This violence spilled

across TV screens nationwide. The average, neutral American,

after seeing his/her TV screen, turned into a civil rights

supporter.

Black unity and white support continued to grow. In

1962, with the first large-scale public protest against

Racial discrimination, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Gave a

dramatic and inspirational speech in Washington, D.C. After

a long march of thousands to the capital, the possibility of

riot and bloodshed was always there, but the marchers took

that chance so that they could accept the responsibilities

of first class citizens. "The Negro," King said in this

speech, "lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of

a vast ocean of material prosperity and finds himself an

exile in his own land." King continued stolidly: "it would

be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the

moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro.

This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent

will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn

of freedom and equality." when King came to the end of his

prepared text, he swept right on into an exhibition of

impromptu oratory that was catching, dramatic, and

inspirational.

Everyone agreed the march was a success and they wanted

action now but, now remained a long way off. President

Kennedy was never able to mobilize sufficient support to

pass a civil rights bill with teeth over the opposition of

segregationist southern members of congress. But after his

assassination, President Johnson, drawing on the Kennedy

legacy and on the press coverage of civil rights marches and

protests, succeeded where Kennedy had failed.

However, by the summer of 1964, the black revolution

had created its own crisis of disappointed expectations.

rioting by urban blacks was to be a feature of every "long,

hot, summer" of the mid-1960s.

In 1965, King and other black leaders wanted to push

beyond social integration,