1

ElijahHelfand,IsabelJacobs,AustinNahouray,andSamPekelney
Ms.Dyer
AmericanHistory11.1
13May2016
Takeawaysfromthe1960s
Thebeginningofthe1960swasmarkedbytheelectionofoneoftheyoungestpresidents
inAmericanhistory,JohnKennedy.FormanyAmericans,theyoungpresidentepitomizeda
senseofhopeandoptimismforthenation.However,afterKennedy'sassassination,thedecade
ofhopeandoptimismsoonbegantoappearasthedecadeplaguedwithanger,violence,
negligentforeignpolicy,anddomesticracialinequality.Thecivilrightsmovementhighlighted
theprejudicetowardAfricanAmericans,participationintheVietnamWarquestionedthe
guidelinesofmoralityinwar,theEnvironmentalistMovementbroughtattentiontothe
dilapidatedenvironment,andtheRedScarecausedeverydayAmericanstoperceivetheirworld
asthreatenedbycommunisticideals.Eventhoughexperiencessuchasthesecharacterizedthe
1960sasadecadeofpoliticalandsocialturbulence,theseexperiencesprovedadvantageous
becausetheyestablishedsomeofthemostvaluablelearnedlessonsofthetwentiethcentury.
Thoughslaveryendedalmostonehundredyearspriortothe1960s,AfricanAmericans
stillfacedsystematicoppressionundertheJimCrowlaws.SuppressionofAfricanAmericans
engenderedtheCivilRightsMovement,whichsoughttoendtheomnipresentracialinequality
facingAmericansociety.Throughtheuseofboycotts,nonviolentprotests,sitins,andmarches,
theCivilRightsMovementattemptedtoexpressoppositiontowardthegoverningprincipleof
racialinequality,separatebutequal.OneofthemostnotableexamplesistheSelmaMarch

fromSelmatoAlabamascapitol.InMarch1965,over500AfricanAmericansbeganthemarch
totryandobtainvotingrightsforAfricanAmericans.OncethemarchreachedtheAlabama
River,theprotesterswerebrutallyattackedbypoliceandstatetroopersbytheordersof
GovernorGeorgeWallace.AnarticlepublishedintheMobilePressdetailstheaccount:
...troopersanddeputies,someofthemonhorseback,attackedtheapproaching
processionwithteargas,whips,andnightsticks...seventeenwenttohospitalsand
fiftysevenreceivedextremefirstaidcare...Wallacedefendedtheattackasanactinthe
interestofpublicsafety(MobilePress).
TheSelmaattackwascrucialintheestablishmentoflessonslearnedfromcivilrights,mostly
duetoitsomnipresenceinthemedianationwide.AccordingtotheNewYorkTimesin2012E,

BloodySunday,wascoveredinnewspapersacrossthecountryandbroadcastedonnational
news,outragingmanyAmericans.Thepresenceofthestoryinperiodicalsandmediaiswhat
ultimatelycementedintotheAmericanmindsetthatthesociallyrootedidealsofseparatebut
equalwerefalsebecauseAfricanAmericansweretargetedandattackedbecauseofthecolorof
theirskinsimplybecauseoftheirpeacefulprotest.TheCivilRightsMovementmoreimportantly
demonstratedthroughtheSelmaMarchthattheoppressionofanentireraceofpeoplewas
morallyandethicallywrongbecauseitledtothebrutalandcruelassaultoftheoppressedfor
superficialreasons.LessonsofracialequalityoftheCivilRightsMovementhaveprovedso
valuablethattheyareapplicabletothetwentyfirstcentury.AccordingtoInequality.org,theratio
ofwhitetoblackwealthyhouseholdsis13:1(Inequality.org).Eventhoughracialinequality
suchasthisisstillubiquitousinAmericansociety,thelessonsfromCivilRightscanhelpbetter
achievetheracialequalitydesiredbycivilrightsleaders.
Thecivilrightmovementultimately

instilledoneofthegreatestlessonsoftwentiethcenturyonthenationonethatwouldlatergoon
tobetterdefinethenationunderthefoundingprinciplethatallmenarecreatedequal.
DirectlyfollowingtheFederalHighwayActof1956andthescientificdevelopmentof
theearlytwentiethcentury,previouslyarduoustasksperformedbypeoplewerenowfacilewith
thedevelopmentofmachines.Machinesandothertechnologicaladvancementsledtomass
productionofgoodsandtheultimatedevelopmentofAmericanConsumerism.Consumerism
meantmoreAmericanswouldnowbeabletoaffordgoodssuchascars,televisions,andfood.
CarsbecamethenewmodeoftransportationforeverydayAmericansandpesticidesbecamethe
methodofcropmassproductiontomeetthepopulationsurgeofthebabyboomersandamethod
foreradicatingcertaindiseases.Eventhoughthesenewtechnologiesseemedbeneficial,thenew
technologiessuchascarsandpesticidesproveddetrimentaltowardstheenvironment.Previous
tothe1960s,Americansocietyhademployedarathernegligentpolicytowardstheenvironment.
Inthelate1940sand1950s,theUnitedStatesused
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane,also
knownasDDT,asawidescalepesticideanddiseasekiller(EnvironmentalProtectionAgency).
Beforetheuseofpesticides,arablelandwithfewpestswereraresothemassgrowingofcrops
wasextremelyarduous,busoncepesticideslikeDDTweredeveloped,thatcompletelychanged.
Additionally,theEPAstatesthat[DDT]wasinitiallyusedwithgreateffecttocombatmalaria,
typhus,andtheotherinsectbornehumandiseasesamongbothmilitaryandcivilianpopulations
(EnvironmentalProtectionAgency).EssentiallyDDTwasreleasedonAmericancitiesasa
methodofdiseasecontrolandtheeffectofthechemicalwasrelativelyunknownuntilthe1960s
whentherewasalargecancerepidemicasaresultDDTscontaminationoffoodproductsand
water(EnvironmentalProtectionAgency).Itwaseventssuchasthesethatengenderedthe

EnvironmentalistMovement,whosegoalitwastoraisepublicconsciousnessofthedereliction
oftheenvironmentandrestructuresocietytoamoreenvironmentallyconsciouslifestyle.Rachel
Carsonwasattheheadofthemovementandhernovel
SilentSpring
greatlyimpactedpublic
consciousness.WiththeemergenceoftheEnvironmentalMovement,actiontowards
environmentalprotectionbecamemoreprevalent.AftertheinstitutionoftheEnvironmental
Movement,theUSgovernmentstrictlyregulatedDDTandemissioncontroldevicessuchas
positivecrankscaseventilation,whichreturnedunburnedgasolinetotheengine,wereinstituted
intocars(CAEPA).ThelessonsfromEnvironmentalismprovedsovaluablethattheidealsof
reducingcaremissionsisstillprevalentinmodernsociety.Automanufacturersareinvestingin
alternativesourcesforfossilfuelssuchasgasolinehybrid,biodiesel,E85Ethanol,liquefied
naturalgas(LNG),andbatteryelectric(AlternativeFuelsDataCenter).The1960swasa
hallmarkoftheEnvironmentalMovementandthelessonslearnedfromthehealtheffectscaused
byenvironmentaldereliction,willimpactandinfluenceacleanandsustainablefuture.
TheinstitutionoftheBerlinWallmarkedthebeginningofdecadesofhostilitybetween
theideologicalsystemsofcommunismandcapitalism.Bothsidesfearedbeingundercontrolof
theopposingideologicalsystem,thusgivingrisetotheRedScareonthedomesticfrontanda
foreignpolicyofcontainment.PolicyofcontainmentinvolvedtheUnitedStatesinconflictssuch
astheKoreanandVietnamWarsandatfirst,itappearedasifcontainmentwouldbea
triumphantventurebecausetheUNultimatelyhinderedcommunistinfluenceinSouthKorea,
butlatercontainmentwouldbeprovedasanineffectiveforeignpolicy.ShortlyaftertheKorean
Conflict,theU.S.becameincreasinglyworriedaboutthespreadofcommunisminVietnam.
Startinginthe1950s,PresidentEisenhowerbegantosendthefirsttroops,butitwasnotuntilthe

1960sthattheU.S.escalateditspresenceinVietnam.LikeKorea,theU.S.warrantedtheir
presenceinVietnamwiththeirpolicyofcontainment,butunlikeKorea,theU.S.didgainthe
supportoftheUNorthedomesticfront.ManyAmericansopposedthewarbecauseeventssuch
astheTetOffensivewhichdemonstratedtothepublicthatAmericawasnotwinningthewar.In
additiontotheeverydayAmericansthatexpressedoppositiontothewar,someelected
governmentofficialsfeltthesameway.TheiroppositionwasdetailedinthePentagonPapers
whichexposedAmericasunwarrantedbombingofSoutheastAsia.Topstatedepartment
officialssaidTheconsequence...eachtime[being]anewescalationontheAmericanside.In
thisrespect,henotedthatworldopinionwasagainsttheU.S.(PentagonPapersMtg2,Aug
1967108).ThePentagonPapersrevealedthatgovernmentsupportofthewarwasrelatively
circumscribed.Eventhoughthepaperswereproduced,manyAmericanswereunawareof
governmentoppositiontothewar.Whaterodedpublicopinionwasthemurderofinnocentlives
likeattheMyLaimassacrewhereU.S.troopsopenfiredonavillageofinnocentchildrenand
elderlypersons(DigitalHistory).Themurderofinnocentlivesseverelyerodedpublicopinion
andcausedthepublictoviewthewaraspointless.Omnipresentoppositionandcarnageofthe
Vietnamesebroughttheoverallmoralityofthewarintoquestionwhichwouldinstilloneofthe
greatestlessonseverlearnedinAmericanarmedconflictthattheuseofAmericanforceabroad
haslimits.Thislessonhasprovedtobesoimperativetoarmedconflictabroadthatitgoverns
moderninstitutionsofforeignpolicylikePresidentObamaslimitedinvolvementintheMiddle
Eastwhichgivessupportbutdoesnotdirectlyinvolvegroundtroops(Reuters).However,even
thoughthelessonsfromVietnamwereintendedtoinstitutemorerationalityintoarmedconflict,
theideasofAmericanforceabroadhaslimitshavebeenignored.Forexample,thewarinIraq

disregardedthelessonsfromvietnambecausetheUSinvadedIraqunderfalsesuspicionof
nuclearactivitywhichledAmericaintoapotentiallyavoidablewar.Eventhoughtheconflict
Iraqmayhaveseemedpointless,theconflictactuallyprovedbeneficialinthesensethatit
reinforcedthelessonsofvietnamintomodernpolitics.ThelessonsfromVietnamwillhavea
lastinginfluenceonthemoralityinarmedconflictandwillultimatelymakeCongresscogitate
beforetheinstitutethedecisiontobecomeinvolvedinarmedcombatonceagain.

Asadecadethatwentfromhopeandoptimismtotragedyandnegligentforeignpolicy,
the1960sprovedtobeoneofthemostnoteworthydecadesinhistory.Foritisonlyfroma
decadeoftragedy,dereliction,violence,andfearthatsomeofthedeepestlessonsarelearned.
Whenlookingtothepast,historianswillalwayslookbackatthe1960sbecausethelessonsof
the1960scanbeappliedtothepastandthefuturetocome.Fromracialequality,tonegligent
environmentalandforeignpolicy,the1960saddressedadverseissuesthatwoulddevelopinto
someofthegreatestlessonslearnedofthetwentiethcenturythatwouldgoontogreateralterthe
courseofAmericanhistory.

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