Putting It Together: America in the 1960’s

The 1960s were a complex period of progress, triumph, violence, and conflict. Many of the decade’s changes resulted in the fuller inclusion of historically marginalized U.S. citizens who mobilized successful grassroots efforts to demand civil rights, voting rights, and economic equality. The U.S. government responded by creating programs to address poverty and passing laws that deterred discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and sex.

It’s easy to see the story of the 1960s as one of progress and hope, yet international and internal tensions also characterized the decade. Abroad, the Cold War threatened to heat up in Cuba and Vietnam while at home participants in the civil rights movements faced violent opposition from fellow Americans. Even those invested in and working for change didn’t always agree on either immediate actions or long-term strategies. Members of President Johnson’s administration were divided over Community Action programs while participants in the Black, Chicano, and women’s civil rights movements argued over tactics, identities, and goals.

As you work through the next module, continue to be on the lookout for examples of both progress and conflict in a given period. Consider how recognizing the triumphs and failures of an event, person, or era helps us create a more complex understanding of history.

Critical Thinking Questions

  1. Describe the changing role of the federal government in the 1960s. What new roles and responsibilities did the government assume? In your opinion, can the government effect permanent social change? Why or why not?
  2. Discuss how and why various groups of people within American society began to challenge and criticize the nation’s way of life in the 1960s. Were their criticisms valid? What were some of the goals of these groups, and how did they go about achieving them?
  3. In your opinion, what is the most effective method for changing society—voting, challenges in the courts, nonviolent civil disobedience, or violence? What evidence can you provide from actual events in the 1960s to support your argument?
  4. Were groups that advocated the use of violence in the 1960s justified in doing so? Why or why not?
  5. Discuss how the United States became engaged in the Vietnam War. What were some of the results of that engagement?