The 1960's was one of the most dynamic decades in American history. The decade saw drastic changes in the music that was heard, the political scene was volatile with the youth of the country questioning the established leaders, drug use became more predominant, the first man landed on the Moon and events such as the Woodstock Music Festival, the assassination of President Kennedy, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War were all key events. All of these events helped shape the sixties into one of the most memorable in history.
Music
During the sixties, the music scene in the United States saw an influx in musical acts from elsewhere. Acts such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles became popular and led a change in the music scene. Other popular acts in the sixties were Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan among others. The face of music changed from straight rock and roll to the beginnings of acid rock by the end of the decade.
People
The sixties were such an explosive decade, that many different people helped to shape the decade. Some of the notable personalities include President John F. Kennedy, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Muhammad Ali and J.D. Salinger. People were notable for a variety of reasons and in politics, sports and literature.
Television
Television in the 1960's also say some changes. Shows and personalities such as Ed Sullivan and Red Skelton offered variety shows, with the Ed Sullivan Show making headlines as the show that brought the Beatles to the United States. Other popular shows of the sixties include Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Twilight Zone and Lassie.
- 1960's Television Guide
- Sixties Television as Pop Culture
- Television in the 1960's
- 1960's Television
Movies
Many different genres were popular among moviegoers in the 1960's. A wide variety of diverse movies were popular such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther, Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Graduate and Easy Rider. During the sixties movies started to push the envelope in the areas of sex and violence which forced the industry to implement a rating system to alert the public about movie content.
Culture
The sixties became of the decade with the most changes in the history of the United States. At the beginning of the decade, the biggest fight facing the country was that of civil rights. The country was divided by civil rights marches and protests, and unfortunately also the scene of violence. Also during the sixties, a faction of people began to question the decisions of the government. Decisions such as involvement in the Vietnam War and having a strong military was met with strong opposition. The feeling of many of the younger generation was that of make love, not war. With this sentiment, the peaceful generation was born, and culminated in the Woodstock Festival where thousands of people appeared to listen to music and enjoy the scene.
- 60's Pop Culture
- 1960's Culture and Counterculture
- Counterculture and Music of the 60's
- The Hippie Generation
Politics
The political scene in the sixties was mixed. During the early part of the sixties, the country enjoyed the happy times and optimism under President John F Kennedy. Unfortunately, this ended on November 22, 1963 with the assassination of Kennedy. The rest of the decade saw the United States involvement in the Vietnam War which was a dividing point for the country. In addition, the civil rights movement, led by Dr Martin Luther Kin Jr, was another key political point during the decade. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed giving equal rights to all men, regardless of race.Fashion
Space Exploration
During the 1960's, on the key international factors was the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. The two powerful countries competed with each other for worldwide supremacy in many different arenas. One was the race for space exploration and to put a man on the moon. While the Soviets led the space race by being the first in space and first to orbit the Earth, the United States won the race by putting the first manned spaceship on the Moon. This event essentially ended the space race in the favor of the United States.
- The Space Race
- American Space Program
- American Space Programs for Kids
- Timeline of Space Exploration
Fashion
The sixties saw a change in the fashion scene for people. People, both men and women, started to wear longer hair, wear unique cloths such as bell bottom jeans, clog shows and a more natural approach to clothing. many of the fashion trends of the sixties were because of the influence of the hippies. In addition, fashion ideas such as the bikini and miniskirt also made its appearance in the 1960's and became part of the popular culture.
Written by Michael S. Atwood