The Sixties Terry H. Anderson Summary

Throughout recent history, the fifties proved to be the most interesting to me because not only was it a time of great economic expansion; but it was also known as a period where current citizens and leaders of the United States frowned upon. The “Golden Age” proved to be one of the most outbreaking movements of the industrial age. This period in American history gave citizens of the United States access to a better standard of living, transformed American agriculture, and brought the rise of the suburban nation. Remarkably, the employment rate for women had skyrocketed during the year of 1955 proving that

The Sixties were an exciting revolutionary period with great cultural change. Some people called it the “decade of discontent” (Britannica) due to the race riots in Detroit and La, and the demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Other people called it the decade of “peace, love, and harmony” (Woodstock 69). This decade was identified as such as a result of the peace movement and the emergence of the flower children. (Britannica) The sixties were about assassination, unforgettable fashion, new styles of music, civil rights, gay and women’s liberation, Vietnam, Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, peace marches, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, and Woodstock. All of these components caused a revolutionary change in the

When looking into the 1950’s and 1960’s, it is important to look at the many struggles going on back then in order to truly differentiate between the two decades. These two decades experienced many different challenges both socially and politically. In fact, many people have portrayed the 1950s as the decade of prosperity, conformity, and consensus. While others have portrayed the 1960s as a decade of turbulence, protest, and disillusionment. In order to truly differentiate between both the 1950s and 1960s, we must consider the war, civil rights, and social changes.

During the 1960s our nation was going through many important and crucial events. From the Vietnam War to national politics, and even civil rights, our country was changing a lot. In particular, the year 1968, was when our country went through a major turning point, especially when you take in consideration the major events that involved the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement such as the “Tet Offense”, violent protests, and the Civil Rights Act being passed.

Many critics classify the 1960’s as the decade of urban uprising and political shifts in the United States. Controversy surrounded these changes whether they were good or bad for the nation and leaving many Americans questioning the power of urban and political movements. In the excerpt “Triumph of the Left: Sixties Revolution and The Revolution in Manners” Kenneth Cmiel from the University of Iowa shows how the era of the sixties altered and affected the morals of many Americans when they encountered discrimination, hatred, and inequality. Along with that, Dan T. Carter carefully analyzes the political outcomes of the Presidential campaign of the 1960’s and it’s victory in the excerpt “Triumph of the Right: George Wallace, Richard Nixon, and the Critique of Federal Activism.” While many still argue that both of the tumultuous decade’s social movements harmed the way the United Sates functions today, it also evidently shows to be victorious due to its liberal changes that alters the ways Americans live and perform then and now. Both Cmiel and Carter support their positions with evidence that demonstrates that both urban uprising and political shifts successfully depart the nation from falling into conservative circumstances. Not only do both triumphs succeed, but they also open up doors for economic and political opportunities in the United States.

With the overwhelming amount of Levittown houses, the obsession to obtain the perfect American “ideal family” as seen on TV and the unspoken agreement to fear any and all foreign ideas and values, the 1950s were revealed to be a decade of prosperity, conformity and consensus. Just ten years later the atmosphere in America was shockingly different; the 1960s were a decade of turbulence, protest and disillusionment due to the ongoing struggle for civil rights, arising feminism, and the Vietnam War.

During the 1960s our nation was going through many important and crucial events. From the Vietnam War, to national politics, and even civil rights, our country was changing a lot. In particular the year 1968 was a year that was filled with change, conflict, and turmoil. With events such as the assassinations of prominent political and social leaders within the United States such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy to the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and everything else in between, 1968 proved to be a very challenging year for America. The events of 1968 didn’t only impact the period of time that they occurred in but they continue to influence society today.

The 1960s in America brought a host of movements that pushed for equality, power, and change. Each movement helped to shape and effect the other

As the world’s eyes are observing the United States and President Eisenhower desperate to regain control over the U.S., and Federal Troops were called in to protect African Americans, and Governor Fabus closed the schools in 1958 and 1959. Still, the Movement accentuated the idea of peaceful coexistence and the establishment of legal authority for members of all races. What maybe made the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s so significant is not essentially what battles were won but what training had been done as the decade drew to a close. (Jackson, 2006). If the 1950s were traditional politically, and filled with media images of the perfect family, despite the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement, the 1960s were anything but peaceful. The 1960s were especially unique in that so many children had been born in the years after WWII that now, in the 60s, they were becoming of age, thus '' the 60s are also known as the Age of Youth. Several general trends characterize the era: a vast counterculture and social revolution, typically youth rebelling like never before; increased attention to civil rights, feminism, the Vietnam War and the anti-war

Historians tend to portray the 1950s as a decade of prosperity, conformity, and consensus, and the 1960s as a decade of turbulence, protest, and disillusionment. These stereotypes are largely true, though, as with everything in life, there are exceptions to this perspective. Therefore, the historians’ portrayal of the 1950s and 1960s is accurate for the majority of Americans, though some groups were clearly exceptions.

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

The sixties were a time of questioning and rebellion. The baby boomer generation was born into the most powerful, affluent, and influential nation in the history of mankind. Despite this, baby boomers were asked to fight in a foreign war, conform to societal norms, and accept institutional change in their lives. John Ketwig, Bill Ayers, and Robert Coles all showed in their own way the crumbling of American institutions in the sixties due to the belief that the US government was not working for its people. No other time in American history saw so much activity in terms of political and social movements and it brought the country into the age of questioning and rebellion which remains today.

American life was transformed in the 1960s from the start of the decade. The 1960s consisted of new rights and new understandings of freedom. The sixties consisted of rights for racial minorities to be involved in the mainstream of the American lifestyle. However, unsolved issues of urban poverty still existed. Women in the 1960s established a conversion in women’s status, for instance, women entered the paid workforce. America experienced a growth of conservative movements, consequently, the 1960s would confront judgment for social ill, crime and drug abuse and drug abuse as well as decline respect towards authority. In despite of crisis, America became a tolerant nation. The sixties are known as a decade of drastic change, rebellion, and backlash. Also, for the American individuals that came of age during the sixties, the generation known as the “Baby Boomers,” wanted to change the culture of their parents. Terry Anderson and Peter Clecak both present different judgment of the social activism of the 1960s. Terry H. Anderson, from the The Sea Change, implied that the sixties achieved a positive transformation within politics, society culture, and foreign power. Anderson believed that America became more democratic as well as comprehensive. (361) On the contrary, Peter Clecak, from The New Left, argued that radicals failed to revolutionize in the sixties and additionally became powerless against the dominant social order. (361) Although certain Americans opposed and judged

“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans” (Kennedy 916). With these words, John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address in 1961 described the 1960’s decade. This era in American history encapsulated a belief in the power of young people to change the world, a desire to help others globally and accept their differences, and a war that would eventually destroy all that America stood for. It was a time for new ideas in all aspects of life. This shift in thinking is apparent when looking at the happenings in society, the younger generation, and the media. The sixties were the beginning of many great revolutions in society.

During the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s various aspects of the United States society changed tremendously. These three decades were times of extreme evolvement amongst culture in an unusual brisk manner. Nowadays it is easy to forget that current people involved in our life actually were witness to these revolutionary events.