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1960s Masculinity

Decent Essays

The early 1960s were a time of change and unrest. It was a time period where the “New Americans,” aka the young generation, were making changes in society. There was this domestic ideal that women were supposed to be at home cleaning, cooking, and taking care of children while the men would work. But during the 1960s, more women were finding jobs and eventually forty percent of workers were women. Marriage rates were declining and divorces were increasing because women were choosing to not be married. They were rejecting the lives of their mothers. Men were having anxieties over masculinity. Boys began to grow out their hair, going against the typical masculinity look. Older people saw these as a rebellious act for going against the social …show more content…

“His administration [was] widely [seen] as a moment of youthful glamour, soaring hopes, and dynamic leadership” (Forner, 918). Being the youngest president to be elected at the time, brought lots of hopes for the people of America. During his presidential time, one of his main problems was with Cuba in the Bay of Pigs to attempt to overthrow their communist leader, and in the Cuban missile crisis to get the Soviet Union to remove their nuclear weapons out of Cuba. In 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, leaving Lyndon Johnson as the new President.
One of the biggest social issues faced in the early sixties was that African-Americans were constantly facing racial issues. Since the 1950’s, they were seeing little help from people of higher power protect their rights. Racial segregation was seen in schools, stores, voting booths, jobs, and entertainment. “The civil rights movement challenged the United States to rethink ‘what [was] really mean[t] by freedom’” (Foner 913). The young, especially, were hungry to fight for their freedom, thus creating their own groups to help fight for what they believed …show more content…

The songs is a repeat of questions and saying that the answers have “blowin’ in the wind.” The message behind this song and its lyrics is that many Americans have the same questions they keep asking themselves, such as when will there be peace and freedom among their own country and the world. For example, many questioned when African Americans would fully gain their freedom and there be peace between all races in America. They questioned when would there be no more war to be peacefully. It is also saying that it is important to ask these kind of questions and its okay to question everything. “With God on Our Side,” was a song about militarism that was released in 1964. Dylan’s purpose for this song was to question the involvement that America had in several wars. At this time, many people were against the wars and wanted peace. Bob Dylan was seen as an important representative for “a larger, new, and emerging young audience: the White supporters of the Civil Rights movement and the post-Hiroshima generation,” (Capel,

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