The Sixties

The 1960's was especially turbulent.  There was everything from a presidential assassination to huge governmental programs to the Vietnam War to the Civil Rights Movement.  The 1960s greatly affected the lives of Americans.  America struggled to put its political and social ideals into practice while fighting wars overseas and fighting social wars at home.  President Kennedy advanced women's rights and improved the nations economy.  President Johnson focused on health and welfare to help the lives of Americans. African Americans began to gain political power.  The United States began to aid South Vietnam as tensions escalated.  The events in Vietnam led to an armed struggle.  Many Americans began to question the nations involvement in the war.

Interview

What were the biggest differences between the 1960's and today?
I would say some of the biggest differences were the presence of segregation, the discrimination against women in the workforce, and there was a lot of social unrest.
What was segregation like?
Whites and blacks were not integrated.  They went to different schools. To give blacks an equal footing, the government started busing blacks to white schools and whites to black schools.  Some people didn't want their kids bussed so they sent them to private schools.  As blacks moved into white neighborhoods, the whites would leave; and they slowly became black neighborhoods.
What were the main events of the social unrest?
In 1963 Kennedy was killed.  Then Martin Luther King was killed. There was also the Cuban missile crisis.
What was the Cuban missile crisis like?
It was as close to war as you want to come. Everyone was thinking it would start world war three.
What were your opinions on the Vietnam War?
Coming from Germany and having lived during WWII, I don't think they should have started the Vietnam War.  I knew we could not win.  I also remember when the war was over, people treated the soldiers horribly.  They spit on them and called them names.

“The Slow U.S. Withdrawal.” Issues of our Times in Cartoons (HighsmithInc. 1995.).

The United States slowly withdrew from Vietnam in the 1970's.  We called this Vietnamization.  This cartoon suggests that Vietnamization was not working because the South Vietnamese could not scare off the North Vietnamese. Vietnamization ultimately failed when in 1975 North Vietnam took over South Vietnam.

Civil Rights Poem

EVERYONE'S CROWN
Martin Luther King
Had a dream
That freedom would ring
But others did not
So one man took the shot
Because he thought
That bringing him down
Would forever remove his crown
Of equality
But he could not see
That it was not his crown
But it was everyone's
And their sons

Creedence Fortunate Son

Creedence Fortunate Son
 Some folks are born to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,
Yeah!

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no,

Diary entry

  Dear Diary,

President Johnson's great society program has made its biggest successes in the passing of the civil rights act.  There can no longer be segregation in public places or job discrimination.  Also the voting rights act has let the minorities breathe easy about registering to vote.   I no longer have to take a literacy test or pay poll taxes; this is great.  Unfortunately, the laws may have changed, but peoples' minds have not changed. I still get dirty looks from people. I hear that in the South some people are not obeying the laws and still discriminating against us.   Like that Governor in Arkansas who would not let the black kids into the school.  The National Guard had to come so the blacks could go into the school.  I remember all the sit ins and various protests it took to get here.  They were very painful!  The fire hoses aimed at us and the hot coffee thrown on us, but I'm glad I participated.

Watergate scandal

Watergate scandal

     In the 1970's a political scandal known as the Watergate scandal occurred in the United States. When there was a "break in" at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex, Nixon's administration tried to cover up its involvement.
    On June 17, 1972 five men were arrested for breaking and entering into the Watergate complex. The FBI found money in possession of the intruders, and the FBI traced the cash to a fund which the re-election committee had used to fund Nixon's campaign.  One year later the public learned that President Nixon had recorded many conversations in his offices.  These recordings proved that he attempted to cover up the illegal things he was doing before and during his presidency.   The Supreme Court then ruled that Nixon had to give the tapes to investigators.  He agreed.  Nixon knew that he was certainly going to be impeached and possibly convicted
    As a result of the scandal, Richard Nixon resigned, on August 9, 1974.  He was the only president to ever resign. The scandal also resulted in the incarceration of 43 people.  Among them were dozens of Nixon's top officials.  Gerald Ford then took over the presidency and gave Nixon a pardon.