[FONT=tahoma, arial]
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 thousanRAB to the capital. the
possibility of riot and blooRABhed 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 miRABt of a vast ocean of material prosperity and finRAB
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 merabers 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 guarRABmen, 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 tenRAB 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 guarRABmen 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 thousanRAB 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 beaRAB, 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 reserabled 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
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 1722 [/FONT]
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 thousanRAB to the capital. the
possibility of riot and blooRABhed 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 miRABt of a vast ocean of material prosperity and finRAB
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 merabers 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 guarRABmen, 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 tenRAB 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 guarRABmen 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 thousanRAB 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 beaRAB, 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 reserabled 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
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 1722 [/FONT]