The Long Sixties Essay

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‘The Long Sixties: From 1960 to Barack Obama’

The Long Sixties: From 1960 to Barack Obama is a book set in the current historical setting but dating its foundation in the 1960. The book is a political satire that displays the origin and growth of democracy in terms of how all ruling parties or factions are being divided in our society. Hayden creates a political picture that may shape the political perception of the current generation. In his book he challenges the current generation to appreciate the political struggles in the 1960s and recognize the advantages of these efforts. Hayden also describes to the reader how politics were previously handled at earlier times and how democracy was not well established yet. He then creates an evolution theory that denotes the faces and the political scene in America to the current Barack Obama government. In his analysis of the political journey, he recognizes the impact and importance of some political figures in United States history. Each political leader highlighted is analyzed on their importance to the journey towards complete democracy and free will. Apart from the political journey, the author recognizes the growth of the social class and environment. According to Hayden, the growth of social activity greatly depends on the growth of a nation’s political stability (211). This means that a stalemate on the political scene would results in a stalemate on the social environment. Social environment is described as the social condition in which people work and live in. The author further argues that the social independence the United States enjoys today is a process that dates back to the 1960s. The social environment in the sixties did not have same pomp and color as the 21 century social environment. All these advantages are products of the revolution that began in the 1960 (108). The Barack Obama project would have never been successful minus the sixties (44). Hayden argues that the Barack Obama project is more than 50 years old. The platform set for Barack Obama dates back to the sixties. It was an era in American political history where people realized the importance and significance of proper representation in the government. However, this was not an issue that was openly addressed and fought for. It was an era where the killing of both the Blacks and the whites was rampant across the nation. Scenes of corpses due to political instability were not a new scenario. This made people more afraid of political activism and challenging bad leadership of the land. However, the sixties came with its own heroes that championed the fight towards achieving a Barack Obama. The assassination of Martin Luther King and J. F. Kennedy was proof enough of how much the sixties had tense political moments (98). These two political figures remain some of the adored figures in the political history of the United States. The death of Martin Luther King is however, viewed as good part of the political history. It was only after this assassination that Americans realized how important free will and activism may be important to the society. People needed a propelling factor that would make them realize their position as citizens and whether it was right for them to be placed in that position. Martin Luther King empowered people to fight for what belonged to them, which in this case is the power. In the sixties power to the people was not an achievable dream as leadership entailed the chosen few. Hayden praises these moments by terming them as landmark changes to the political scene of the United States. Minus the two significance political assassination cases, the society would not have been empowered towards the revolution that led to the freedom of expression the American people enjoy today (111). The social movement activism in the sixties was remarkable. People realized how enriched their lives were therefore they could put it into good use. It was this factor that led to the
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