1960s By Matthew Sokolovsky

The Background was a decade during which both the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War happened. In particular, the Vietnam War had quite a drastic effect on American popular culture because of the fact that it was the first war to be televised significantly. People who weren’t soldiers were able to see the brutality.

The Background Part 2 After WW2 and continuing on through the 1960s, there was a drastically increasing number of youths in the American population. This decade was also the peak of the civil rights movement.

Now, it’s time to explain the pop culture! The decade of the 1960s is well known for its hippy movement. Hippies rejected conservative America; some of them grew their hair long, wore revealing or otherwise strange-looking clothing, took drugs such as marijuana, adopted eastern religions, listened to/played rock ‘n’ roll music, opposed the Vietnam War/all wars, supported civil rights for all races and/or sexes, or did other things that at the time were looked down upon by the general American public. NO HIPPY PHOTO HERE NOT ALL HIPPIES LOOK ALIKE. SEEK YOUR STEREOTYPICAL PICTURES ELSEWHERE.

Protest Songs The protest songs of the 1960s signified all of the major aspects of the decade’s pop culture: support for the civil rights movement, opposition to the Vietnam War (as well as all other wars), and general liberality in thought. Songs like Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” called for an end to war. Songs like Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” spoke against prejudice and segregation. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a way to play a protest song along with this presentation. Sorry.

Woodstock In 1969, the Woodstock Concert ended up becoming the greatest symbol of the 1960s hippy pop culture. In order for the event to happen, the directors had to put aside their materialism and make it a free concert. Little did they know, far from being a generic, stock performance, this concert wood become one of the most significant events of the decade. Between and people came to this festival of rock ‘n’ roll, sex and drugs upon hearing that it was free.

JFK Shot Between 12:30 and 1:00 pm, president John F. Kennedy was shot and killed during his motorcade in Dallas, Texas. The assassin, a “Lee Harvey Oswald,” was arrested at 2:00. Friday, November 22, 1963

Missiles Removed From Cuba After almost two weeks, the USA and the USSR have finally come to an agreement concerning Cuba. The missiles have been removed from that country, and the USA has promised not to invade it. October 28, 1962

Congress Passes Civil Rights Act Today, Congress passed an act which will prevent future racial and sexual discrimination related to hiring, firing and promoting. This act will most likely be difficult to enforce. July 2, 1964

Apollo XI Lands on Moon The United States has achieved its goal of landing a person on the Moon before the Soviet Union did. July 20, 1969

Sources Sources of photos: tz.blocks_desktop_large.jpg tz.blocks_desktop_large.jpg