14. The Sixties
A Decade of Protest and Change
President John F. Kennedy
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Space Race
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Against Soviet Union
Sent John Glenn into space
Created
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(1961-1963)
Alliance for Progress
Peace Corps
Major failure: Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba (1961)
Major success: Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
Assassinated in Dallas, November, 1963
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1968)
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Proposed the Great Society
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Civil Rights Act of 1962
Medicare Act of 199965
War on Poverty and aid to the cities.
Instituted changes in immigration policy
Space Race continues
A Decade of Change
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New Lifestyles
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Birth of Anti-War Movement
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Impact of music (Beatles)
Challenged materialism
Challenged establishment
Youth objected to Vietnam War
Influenced U.S. policy.
Twenty-Sixth Amendment: Lowered voting age to 18
Women’s Liberation Movement
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Objected to traditional roles of women.
Focus: Gain economic and social equality
Betty Friedan: The Feminine Mystique
Title IX; Promoted gender equality in education
Rising Ethnic Dissent Among Minorities
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African-American Militancy
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Ghettos erupted with assassination of Dr. King in 1968
Cause of unrest found to be a lack of job opportunities.
Black Power Movement.
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One leader was Malcolm X.
Sought African American control of their own communities
Emergence of Black Panthers
Other Minorities
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Chicano Movement. Mexican Americans
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Sought to correct past discrimination and racism against
Mexican Americans.
Leaders of the movement:
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Hector Garcia. Challenged discrimination.
Cesar Chavez organized farm workers using non-violent methods.
American Indian Movement (AIM)
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“Red Power”; Raise respect for Indians.
Occupation of Alcatraz / Wounded Knee
Racial Equality in Courts
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Mendez v. Westminster School District. No
segregation of Mexican-American children without
specific state law.
Hernandez v.Texas (1954). Mexican Americans
cannot be systemically excluded in practice from juries.
Delgado v. Bastrop ISD (1948). Segregation of
Mexican-American children in schools in Texas is illegal.
Edgewood ISD v. Kirby (1984). State must revise its
school funding system.
Vietnam War, 1954-1973
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Causes
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Highlights
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Vietcong with North Vietnamese support attacked South Vietnamese
government.
U.S. intervened to stop fall of a “row of dominoes” to Communism.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964): Johnson escalates the war
Tet Offensive (1968): Major Communist offensive
Fall of Saigon (1975)
Impact.
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Large number of U.S. casualties
Distrust of American leaders.
Led to passing War Powers Resolution
Hero of war: Roy Benavidez
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