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Essay on Overview Of The 60`s
| Date: |
04-22-98 1:16am |
| Subject: |
History |
| Word Count: |
1741 |
| Page Count: |
6.96 |
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 viet nam 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.
"I have a dream," King cried out. the crowd began
cheering, but King, never pausing, brought silence as he
continued, "i have a dream that one day on the red hills of
georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former
slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table
of brotherhood."
"I have a dream," he went on, relentlessly shouting
down the thunderous swell of applause, "that even the state
of mississippi, a state sweltering with people's injustices,
sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed
into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have dream," cried
King for the last time, "that my four little children will
one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by
the color of their skin but by the content of their
character."
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, now guaranteed under the previous
year's civil rights law, to political rights, mainly
southern blacks' rights to register and vote. King picked a
tough alabama town to tackle: selma, where only 1% of
eligible black voters were registered to vote. the violence,
the march, the excitement all contributed to the passage of
the second landmark civil rights act of the decade. even
though there was horrendous violence, rev. king announced
that as a "matter of conscience and in an attempt to arouse
the deepest concern of the nation," he was "compelled" to
lead another march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
The four-day, 54-mile march started on the afternoon of
Sunday, March 21, 1965, with some 3500 marchers led by two
nobel prizewinners, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. And
ralph bunche, then u.n. Under secretary for special
political affairs. in the march, whites, negroes, clergymen
and beatniks, old and young, walked side by side. president
johnson made sure they had plenty of protection this time
with 1000 military police, 1900 federalized alabama national
guardsmen, and platoons of u.s. Marshals and FBI men.
When the marchers reached the capital of alabama, they
were to have presented a petition to then governor george
wallace protesting voting discrimination. however, when they
arrived, the governor's aides came out and said, "the
capital is closed today."
About this same time, the term, "black power" was
coming into use. it was meant to infer long-submerged racial
pride in negroes. Martin luther king, jr. Specifically
sought to rebut the evangelists of black power. "it is
absolutely necessary for the negro to gain power, but the
term black power is unfortunate, because it tends to give
the impression of black nationalism. we must never seek
power exclusively for the negro, but the sharing of power
with white people," he said.
Unfortunately, the thing that really moved the civil
rights movement along significantly was the murder of rev.
Martin luther king, jr. In late 1965. cruelty replaced
harmony with nightmarish suddenness. rioting mobs in the
negro suburb of watts, california, pillaged, burned and
killed, while 500 policemen and 5000 national guardsmen
struggled in vain to contain their fury. hour after hour,
the toll mounted: 27 dead at the week's end, nearly 600
injured, 1700 arrested, and property damage well over $100
million.
The good that came out of all of this, is that
thousands of negroes were flocking to register in the nine
counties in alabama, louisiana, and mississippi where the
government posted federal examiners to uphold the voting
law. in four days, 6,998 negro voters were added to the
rolls in counties where there had previously been only
3,857.
In that time of sorrow and guilt when King was
murdered, there was an opening for peace between the races
that might otherwise never have presented itself. president
johnson pleaded, "i ask every citizen to reject the blind
violence that has struck dr. King." he went on to say that
to bring meaning to his death, we must be determined to
strike forcefully at the consciences of all americans in
order to wrest from tragedy and trauma, the will to make a
better society.
The Student Movement
Americans who were young in the 1960s influenced the
course of the decade as no group had before. the motto of
the time was "don't trust anyone over 30." another, "tell it
like it is," conveyed a real mistrust of what they
considered adult deviousness.
Youthful americans were outraged by the intolerance of
their universities, racial inequality, social injustice, the
vietnam war, and the economic and political constraints of
everyday life and work. one group that formed during this
time was s.d.s. (students for a democratic society). opposed
to "imperialism," racism, and oppression, the s.d.s. found
the american university guilty of all three. they did do
some good at the beginning like organizing northern ghetto
dwellers in projects such as chicago's jobs or income, now
(join). but the viet nam war led to a change in their
tactics. they became an independent radical force against
society. the deluge of disorders made it harder and harder
for most americans to keep events in perspective. they
tended to forget that most of the nation's 6,700,000
collegians were studying hard at school and not causing
trouble. an underlying pattern emerged in the american
university. The university suddenly became a political
arena. the students wanted to address the national problems
of war, race, and poverty. as a result, the university lost
some of its neutrality. students created a new u.s.
institution: the political university.
However, another element among youths was also
emerging. They were called hippies. this movement marked
another response to the decade as the young experimented
with music, clothes, drugs, and a "counter-culture"
lifestyle. in 1967, hippies preached altruism and mysticism,
honesty, joy and nonviolence. they had a child-like
fascination for beads, blossoms, and bells, strobe lights,
ear-shattering music, exotic clothing and erotic slogans.
they wanted to profess "flower power" and love. they were
predominantly white, middle-class, educated youths, ranging
in age from 17 to 25. Perhaps the most striking thing about
the hippie phenomenon, is the way it touched the imagination
of the "straight" society. hippie slang entered common usage
and spiced american humor. boutiques sprang up in urban and
suburban areas to sell the "psychedelic" color clothes and
designs that resembled art nouveau.
A major development in the hippie world was the "rural
community," where nature-loving hippie "tribesmen" escaped
the commercialism of the cities in an attempt to build a
society outside of society. another development was the
illicit use of drugs, creating the slogan, "tune in, turn
on, drop out." "better living through chemistry" was another
advertising slogan that was a sly joke to the young, but a
real worry
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