The years that made up the 1960s were some of the most exciting and turbulent years in American history. The postWorld War II baby boomers grew up, a president and prominent civil rights leaders were assassinated, the Vietnam War dragged on for years,...

The 1960s were years of enormous contrasts in American politics. President John F. Kennedy's challenge to "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country" at his inauguration in January 1961 ushered in...

During the 1960s major changes took place in American attitudes toward and about the law. At the same time the law itself was consolidating a trend in the direction of individual rights that had begun twenty-five years before. Three notorious criminal...

Although the 1960s are long past, events and influences of that turbulent era continue to color American culture. Looking back, the early sixties seem as flat and gray as the old, grainy black-and-white comedy shows still showing on cable TV. High...

The new frontier of outer space captured the imaginations of scientists and of the public in the 1960s. Astronomers discovered quasi-stellar objects, or quasars, and beamed radio messages to the stars in a search for intelligent life on other worlds....

The 1960s were a decade of change, often so dramatic that some feared for the American way of life. Minorities, women, and young people challenged the Establishment — mostly white, male, and affluent — to honor the equal rights granted to...

Americans in the 1960s became aware that the nation was suffering from a shortage of citizens whose education and training were sufficient to meet the technological challenges of modern society. The gap between the learning needs of the country and...

In the media, if not in other segments of American life, the 1960s were a decade of consolidation, not revolution. After the radical change brought about by television in the 1950s, the next decade was consumed with evolutionary change as television...

The 1960s were a time of transition in every aspect of American life, and the world of taste and fashion was no exception. To move from conservative Jacqueline Kennedy dress suits, large American- made cars with tail fins and gargantuan engines,...

The "Death of God"; no compulsory prayer or Bible reading in the public schools; nuns and priest leaving their orders for secular lives, including marriage — the religious controversies of the 1960s seemed endless. While these issues...

Cracks in the...

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When people in the early 2000s think about the 1960s, they might think first about the "hippies." Along with the civil rights movement, antiwar protests, and the Beatles, hippies were one of the most distinctive features of a very...

In the early 2000s, President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963; served 1961–63) was widely esteemed as one of the most important leaders in U.S. history. In fact, a 2003 poll conducted by Ohio University and the Scripps Howard News Service...

The 1960s is known as a decade of political movements. The civil rights movement, the New Left student movement, the feminist movement, and the antiwar movement all attracted a great deal of attention. Each of these movements had its own goals, yet...

Until the 1990s, the 1960s marked the longest uninterrupted period of American economic expansion. The American economy was the largest in the world. Its giant corporations, such as General Motors, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Coca-Cola extended...

The arts—literature, art, dance, and theater—went through a fascinating period of growth and change during the 1960s. New, experimental art forms like pop art and happenings drew new public attention to artistic expression. Literary...

The 1960s had its share of thrilling athletic events, fiercely contested rivalries, dominant teams, and inspiring sports heroes. The Green Bay Packers, the Boston Celtics, and the New York Yankees dominated professional football, basketball, and...

As with other areas of American popular culture, fashion underwent a real transition in the 1960s, from conservatism to excess, from social conformity (doing what society expects) to individuality ("doing your own thing"). The fashion...

As the 1960s began, Americans were filled with hope and optimism. Their newly elected president, John F. Kennedy (1917–1963; served 1961–63), called on Americans to join him as they ventured into a "New Frontier," one that...

The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. The term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends which occurred roughly during the years 1958-1974 in the west,...