America during the 1960s
20th January 1961, John F. Kennedy was elected as the president of the United States. Kennedy believed that the government possessed answers to big problems facing America. During his campaign, Kennedy promised Americans the “New Frontier.” New Frontier consisted of new laws and reforms that sought to eliminate inequality, and injustice in the United States (Chan, Furlano & Khorsandi, 2017). Kennedy was assassinated in 1964, and Lyndon B. Johnson took over. Johnson promised to make America, a country free from poverty, and racial injustice. Johnson had an Economic Opportunity office that encouraged the less advantaged citizens to take part in designing, and implementing government’s agendas on their behalf. Johnson also had a Model Cities program that offered federal subsidies for community projects, and urban development.
During the 1960s, rock and roll music had gained popularity in America. Many Americans did not like the rock and roll music describing it too sexual. The Beatles was the most popular rock and roll music group. The Beatles consisted of four musicians from Liverpool (Chan, Furlano & Khorsandi, 2017). During 1969, many young Americans participated in the Woodstock music festival. The young Americans used to listen to popular music groups like Who and Jefferson Airplane.
Many Americans used to listen to songs about sex and drugs. Other Americans were watching television programs like “The Andy Griffith Show,” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Most movies filmed were about the rebellious spirit of the 1960s. Some of the films included “The Graduate” and “Doctor Strangelove.” From 1950-1960, the number of college students had increased, creating a big pool of high minded people, with the encouragement, and time to dedicate to political and social issues.
20th July 1969 America went into the books of history when Neil Armstrong and Edwin Eugene become the first humans to land on the moon hence fulfilling the American dream of landing a person on the moon before the Russians (Chan, Furlano & Khorsandi, 2017). Also during the 1960s, women wore miniskirts and leather boots, while men wore paisley shirts and velvet trousers. In 1966, psychedelic clothes were introduced; they had bright colors for both men and women.
In conclusion, a lot of events took place during the 1960s. John F. Kennedy was elected as the president of the US, he was later assassinated, with Lyndon B. Johnson taking over as the president. In 1969 Armstrong and Edwin were the first humans to land on the moon. During the 1960s, rock and roll music had gained popularity in America.
Reference
Chan, E., Furlano, J., & Khorsandi, A. (2017). 1960s American Culture and Identity.