The Economic And Political Challenges Of The 60's And 70

When most people think of the 1950’s or 1960’s, they think of Elvis, Greasers, jukeboxes, Woodstock, and rainbow peace signs and hippie love. Although these symbols are somewhat accurate (and very popular), not many people think about the changes society and culture went through. The 1950’s and 60’s were a time of great change and freedom for many Americans. Everything from World War II, to the gay liberation movement, to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped to change society. Many of the views American’s had on topics such as war, gender roles and sexual preference were changed greatly after these events and have led to our culture being what it is today. The 1950’s and 1960’s were a time where great changes took place that helped to

However, in the 1960s, prosperity was becoming too far out of reach. The Cold War and the Korean War were very costly in military spending. It had taken its toll on the economy. Even with more people buying, the economy was growing at a very slow rate. There were also millions of Americans who were still living in poverty, and the economy had gone into recession quite a few times in the 60s. Then, the stock market fell dramatically, the worst it had been since the Depression. Kennedy addressed this by making tax cuts for larger business, which helped the economy develop and grow more prosperous in the years to come. However, inflation made a reappearance

The values of the modern American society have changed drastically from how they were sixty years ago, in the 1950s. The values of today’s society consist of relationships (social), appearances (clothes), and items of possessions (technology).

Many people inaccurately assess the 1950s and 1960s. Historians, in particular, tend to describe the 1950s as a decade of prosperity and the 1960s as one of turbulence. According to most, peace and harmony defined the 50s while violence and protest conjured the 60s. This isn't true because controversy existed in the fifties, many achievements occurred in the sixties, and both decades had its political ups and downs. With all the criticism surrounding it, the 1960s remains one of the most controversial decades in American history.

Life in America began to undergo great economic and social changes during the 1980s under the Reagan Administration. During this period of time, stagflation began to distress the US economy, leaving millions of Americans to fall victim to homelessness and poverty. The unemployment rate had reached its highest peak since the Great Depression, creating a major crisis for low-income families and other individuals concerning living conditions. The introduction of Reaganism into society primarily focused on reducing the growth of government spending through the modulation of federal income tax and reduction of government regulation to diminish inflation. Despite all attempts for economic recovery, the US struggled to bounce back from the 1970s recession and in time led to the significant rise in urban poverty. Uniquely, an American film director from the 1980s by the name of John Carpenter produced a science-fiction film, They Live, that served as a powerful and eye-opening depiction of his own personal views of Reaganism (Reaganomics). He essentially depicts our world to be controlled by powerful elites who have created a repressive society that we are unwilling brought to live and build in. He also clarifies how the majority of Americans during the 1980s were focused primarily on materialism and how an individual’s “success” was measured by the amount of money they possessed. Carpenter’s major criticisms of 1980s America included the impact of consumerism in America as well as

Ever get that feeling, you’re going through problems, or some type of adversity but everything turns out fine? It’s an awesome and free feeling, and this was the feeling the American people experienced during the 1960s. The people went through the great stress of beating their rivals, the Russians, in the great space race with the Apollo Program during that commotion, engineers around the country were working double time trying to find ways to create and improve the blueprints for the laser. This wasn’t even the most problematic as the American people had to cope with one of America’s greatest movement, the civil rights movements and one of its fearless leaders Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr became an icon during the 1960s due to

Historians tend to portray the 1950’s as a decade of prosperity, conformity, and consensus, and the 1960’s as a decade of turbulence, protest, and disillusionment. Do you agree or disagree with this view? Show evidence to support your argument.

The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil

Many people challenged the status quo during the 70s, but one group that stood out to me was the Native Americans. The Native Americans become challenging the status quo prior to 1970 as early as 1961, they were trying to shape things for the better. "In 1961, more than 4000 members from 67 tribes gathered in Chicago and issued the Declaration of Indian Purpose..." (Brinkley 741). The document stressed the right to make their own choice and live the life that they wanted to live. This event was just the beginning of the American Indian civil rights movement, over the course of the next 20 years they kept pushing for new legal rights. After a push from the Indians, Congress passed the Indian Civil Rights act which protected them under the

The 1960s were filled with a multitude of events that made it emerge as a profoundly vital decade in American History. Looking back since the start of the decade, many Americans believed that they were standing at the height of a profound golden age. The strikingly handsome and charismatic John F. Kennedy seen as the ideal representation of a nation's leader became the president of the United States. His prodigious reservoir of confidence resonated a type of glow that assured the government possessed all the right answers to all the major problems that that have risen or will rise in the future. Other noteworthy people began to emerge in the spotlight as major issues were addressed such as Martin Luther King Jr. with his stance on black discriminated

Many people believe the 1960s, were the golden age but, contrary, by the end of the decade, it seemed like the The United States was falling apart. That could be one of the reason why different groups were growing with new ideas, demands and of course many reforms. Student activists became more and more radical. They protested over colleges, massive antiwar demonstrations and occupied various public places to make their revolutionary ideas visible and to be heard. In 1960s, the new radicalism took place. New groups of students became to gather, such as the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) two years later. Both groups were viewed as the leading edge of a new radicalism. These group believed they had a new route to greater freedom. The students documented and summarized their beliefs and what some called the New Left. They believed the participatory democracy was the real social change. By the mid-1960s, facing growing opposition among the young to the war in Vietnam, they were viewed as a rebellion force. They became more militant and active in social issues and politics. Some demonstrations were violent and even people died. The young group became a strong force in The United Stated and, also other countries. Also, changed their physical appearance by growing their hair, used drugs and, practice “free love.” In the beginning of the 1960’s these small groups of student started to emerged and rapidly

To some people the 1960s were the best of times, to others it was a

The estate tax is a tax upon your right to transfer property at the time of your death. It is often called the death tax and it has been a partisan point of disagreement for quite some time. As the tax only applies to estates of $5.45 million and over, this tax only applies to the wealthy. Enacted in 1916 to help finance World War I, the estate tax has come under more scrutiny lately because of our government’s financial situation and the one-hundredth anniversary (Caron 825). The intellectual world is divided on whether to repeal, reform, or keep unchanged the estate tax. Some even argue that transfers of wealth should not be taxed at all. This essay will contend that the current estate tax should be replaced with a lifetime accessions tax to encourage donors, reduce concentrations of wealth, and safeguard equality of opportunity. Additionally, this paper will compare the lifetime accessions tax to other proposed alternatives.

The 1960s are frequently referred to as a period of social protest and dissent. Antiwar demonstrators, civil-rights activists, feminists, and members of various other social groups demanded what they considered to be justice and sought reparation for the wrongs they believed they had suffered. The decade marked a shift from a collective view on politics, to a much more individualistic viewpoint. The 1960s could easily be characterized as a period during which political, ideological, and social tensions among radicals, liberals, and conservatives in American society are seen to have rapidly unfolded. Due to this, the decade has had an overwhelming effect on the decades that have followed. The sixties have had the greatest impact on American society out of any decade in recent history. Whether for better or for worse, the decade has had a profound influence on politics, society, foreign policy, and culture.

While the Presidential election of 2016 has been non-traditional in many ways, one issue that has retained its conventional place in American politics is the debate over the estate tax. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2016) the estate tax, labeled the “death tax” by its opponents, is a tax that a person must pay on an estate (money or property) that he or she inherits. Given the circumstances surrounding the estate tax, usually owed after a family member or close relative has passed way, there can be emotional resentment in regard to its existence and structure. The estate tax also represents a philosophical divide within American political thought. While the effect of the estate tax is confined to only a few thousand wealthy families (Hanlon & Steinberg, 2013), it strikes at the core of the contemporary debate over the role of government in American life and what the scope of American’s tax system should be. Two prominent political think-tanks, The Heritage Foundation and Center for American Progress, have published papers on this issue using argumentation, evidence, and data. Scrutinizing and analyzing these two different arguments on the subject of the estate tax illuminates the current ideological divide within the United States.