The Sixties Essay

Submitted By culitoderana
Words: 1980
Pages: 8
Open Document
The Sixties

Americans were tired of their rights being overlooked by the end of the 1950’s. The Cold War created paranoia against communist beliefs and the government’s control over morality and “American” values seemed to plant the seed for the young generation to rebel. Protests against the violation of civil rights, racism, and the Vietnam War led to an inhibited society ready for sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. Music, not only went through one of the biggest transformations in style, but it also created an outlet for people to express their discontent with the government through radio stations, protests and public concerts. Thus the decade of the 1960’s was a time of change from politics to the American culture that impacted the decades to come and still has an impact on the present day.

One of the main changes that occurred in the 1960’s was in relation to the civil rights of the American people. The civil rights movement peaked in the United States around the 1960’s causing major protests and riots that continued all throughout the decade and well into the mid 1970’s. The civil rights ranged from LGBT rights, which are still being debated to this day, to women’s rights for gender and sexual equality. In the decade of 1950’s, women were expected to be the perfect wife who attended the house and nurtured the children. Yes, women did start to get education degrees, but most of them attended college for the mere sake of finding the ideal husband to form a family. As idealistic as this sounds, many wives were asking themselves “Is this it?” and many “were desperately anxious and dissatisfied, mostly because of the crushing commitment to home and community (P. 9, Anderson). One of the prominent female musician of the 1960’s, Janis Joplin, in her song “Bye Bye Baby” sings how she’s going to leave her honey for her “living standard” and to “move uptown”. Women then wanted to make a stand and began to form different groups and organizations to deal with their various issues. Due to these organizations, laws were passed such as the Equal Pay Act signed by J. F. Kennedy, which prohibited wage discrimination for “equal work for jobs” (P. 36, Anderson). These acts and laws had many loopholes and they took time for it to make a noticeable impact towards women’s rights.

Not only were women seeking equality, but also the gay community. Gay rights came into play towards the end of the 1960’s when at the peak of the time everything was being questioned. Homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender people were completely shunned from society before this time. They were thought to be ill and the medical community “debated how to treat them” and “make them normal heterosexuals” (P. 11, Anderson). As the song “Have I the Right” from the Honeycombs say “have I the right to love you?” questioning the right to love from a man to another man. Showing any sign or public display of homosexuality was prohibited in 49 states, 7 of those the crime was “punishable by castration” (P. 152, Anderson) and was definitely not acceptable in the military service or the government employees. People were starting to realize their sexual freedom and so formed over 50 groups in the late 1960’s, of which held gay pride parades and led marches in New York and in Washington D.C.

Aside from the civil rights of women and the gay community that were being fought for, discrimination against African Americans came into play in the 1960’s. Although the end of the Civil War led to slavery being abolished, many rights towards equality, specifically involving race, were not being mandated. Racism, specifically against African Americans, became a very big political issue starting from the 1950’s continuing on to the 1960’s and 1970’s. The Jim Crow segregation law of “separate but equal” sparked up the interest of many, particularly in Southern states where state laws of segregating public spaces were enforced. A national poll in that time
Show More

Related Documents: The Sixties Essay

The Sixties Summary

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 '1970s, 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…

Words 1856 - Pages 8

The Long Sixties Essay

‘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…

Words 1148 - Pages 5

Civil Rights In The Sixties

Civil Rights in the Sixties HIS/145 John Lary By Linsey Tisdale Week two Civil Rights in the Sixties Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a 17 minute speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to over 200,000 civil rights followers. This speech was polled in 1999 and ranked the top American speech of the 20th century. The King had a way of educating, inspiring, and informing people throughout the…

Words 1087 - Pages 5

Essay On Kennedy's Sixties

President Kennedy convinced not only the public that occupied Rice stadium, but the entire American nation to literally and metaphorically shoot for the stars. While there were problems that plagued the nation in the sixties; such as the fight for civil rights and the fear of the cold war overseas, one could not help but forget all of that on the evening of September 12, 1962. The nation was uplifted and encouraged to fight for a common cause that for once, did not involve violence. In previous situations…

Words 1176 - Pages 5

Sixties Scoop's Role In Cultural Genocide

This is an informational paper that will address the Sixties Scoop, its role in cultural genocide, and its impact on the children it affected. From the early 1950’s to the late 1980’s, the government of Canada took an estimated 20,000 indigenous children from their homes and placed them in the care of generally white, non-indigenous families, with the intent of assimilating them into Western culture. In 1951, the government legalized the implementation of the Child Welfare Act on Indigenous reserves…

Words 654 - Pages 3

Gary Shteyngart's Sixty-Nine Cents

In the essay "Sixty-Nine Cents", Gary Shteyngart reveals the psychology of self-determination of immigrants and their descendants. For emigrants who left their native country in adulthood , it's very difficult to change their cultural and spiritual values that have been formed over the years. Whereas their children that abandoned the native country in the childhood, do not find it necessary to adhere to cultural traditions. In this essay, Shteyngart writes about his "new incarnation" (Shteyngart…

Words 163 - Pages 1

Comparing Sixty-Nine Cent's Relationship With Their Parents

today’s standard, a healthy relationship between family members is when the individuals both listen to each other’s viewpoints and try to compromise conflicts. In Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden, My Fictional Grandparents by Laila Lalami, and Sixty-Nine Cents by Gary Shteyngart, the speakers define their past relationship towards their parents as one filled with regret, resignation, and bitterness due to their lack of gratitude, understanding of the world, and perspective of themselves. In…

Words 672 - Pages 3

Essay About The 1960's Sixties

Why did the sixties happened ? This question has many answers to it. The 1960's burst of social movement was led by many factors. After World War II (1939-1945), the United States emerged as a global power that competed with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR); this competition was both a political and moral crusade to convince people around the world that Western democracy was superior to the Communist system adopted by the USSR. The 1950s and 1960s were periods of relative economic…

Words 619 - Pages 3

Summary Of The Second Regular Session Sixty-Eight General Assembly

Second Regular Session Sixty-eighth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. 12-0782.01 Julie Pelegrin x2700 HOUSE BILL 12-1201 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Gerou, Becker, Levy SENATE SPONSORSHIP Steadman, Hodge, Lambert House Committees Appropriations Senate Committees A BILL FOR AN ACT 101 102 103 104 CONCERNING ADJUSTMENTS IN THE AMOUNT OF TOTAL PROGRAM FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR THE 2011-12 BUDGET YEAR, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, MAKING AND REDUCING APPROPRIATIONS…

Words 1314 - Pages 6

Analyzing Debtors 'Prisons' By Samuel Johnson

his position. Sarcasm, facts, and good diction are some of what he used. The sarcasm facts and diction are all smashed together in the text. He used horrible facts and amazing diction to create sarcasm. Firstly the text starts slowly, angry. Line sixty-four “who would have belived till now that every English generation a hundred and fifty thousand perish in our gaols!” the exclamation point, and wording show shock yet also a bit of sarcasm. Facts, facts, facts, this text is full of them. The entirety…

Words 269 - Pages 2