Society in the
‘60s and ‘70s
Goal 11
Essential Idea
• The 1960s and ‘70s were times of
major changes in American society.
The New Frontier
• Kennedy’s Inauguration: JFK said “ask
not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country”
The New Frontier
• Kennedy’s Potential: JFK
was seen as a youthful,
inspiring leader who
could improve society
• Kennedy’s Program:
New Frontier – JFK’s
series of programs
meant to improve
conditions in America
and around the world
Alliance for Progress
•
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Program #1: Alliance for Progress
This program improved relations with Latin American countries
Latin America would be less likely to fall to communism
The Peace Corps
•
•
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Program #2: Peace
Corps
This volunteer
organization was run
by the government
Volunteers were sent
to needy countries
Program #3: VISTA
This was a domestic
version of the Peace
Corps
LBJ’s Great Society
•
•
Lyndon B. Johnson
Continues the Legacy
After JFK died, Johnson
began his own set of
programs known as the
“Great Society”
Great Society
Accomplishments
• Medicare:
• Healthcare for
the elderly
• Medicaid:
• Healthcare for
the poor
Great Society
Accomplishments
• Head Start:
• Education for
preschoolers
• HUD (Housing and
Urban
Development Act):
• Made housing more
affordable
Great Society
Accomplishments
• Clean Water Act:
• Created water quality
standards
• Clean Air Act:
• Created air quality
standards
Great Society
Accomplishments
• Civil Rights Act
of 1964:
• Prohibited racial
discrimination
and segregation
• Voting Rights Act
of 1965:
• Protected voters
from
discrimination
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
• SDS:
• Students for a
Democratic Society
• This student
organization
originally protested
the Vietnam War
• SDS also addressed
poverty, nuclear
energy, and racism
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
• Latinos:
• Cesar Chavez – major
civil rights leader who
promoted non-violence
• Chavez worked to
improve working
conditions for MexicanAmericans
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
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Hippies:
Hippies were the
major counterculture
movement of the
1960s
Hippies believed in
non-traditional
living, dressed
flamboyantly,
listened to rock
music, and used
drugs
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
• Hippies promoted love,
peace, tolerance, and
cooperation
• Haight-Asbury District –
famous hippie destination in
San Francisco
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
• Hippie culture embraced music and musicians like Jimi
Hendrix and Bob Dylan
• Woodstock – the most famous hippie music festival
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
•
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Feminism – the belief that men
and women were equal in society
Betty Friedan – wrote “The
Feminine Mystique,” describing the
discontent of women
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
• NOW – National
Organization of
Women, worked to
gain equality
• Gloria Steinem – ran
a feminist magazine,
“Ms.”
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
• Title IX:
• Kept schools
from
discriminating
against women
Cultural Movements of the
1960s and 1970s
•
•
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The ERA: Equal Rights Amendment – this law would
give equal rights to women
Opposition: Phyllis Schlafly – warned that the ERA
would allow women to be drafted and take away
alimony and maternity leave
Fate: the ERA failed to be ratified (passed)
Nixon: The Paranoid
President
• Richard Nixon:
• Richard Nixon became president after Lyndon Johnson
• Nixon was an extremely paranoid president
Watergate
• The Burglary:
• In 1972, 5 men
were caught
breaking in to the
Democratic National
headquarters at the
Watergate Hotel
• Some people
suspected Nixon
was connected
The Cover-up Begins
• The Cover Up: Nixon ordered the CIA to stop the
investigation into his connection
• Trial courts subpoenaed recorded tapes of Nixon’s
conversations
• Nixon refused, claiming “executive privilege”
Nixon is Suspected
• United States v.
Nixon:
• The Supreme Court
ruled that Nixon was
not above the law
• The tapes were
given up, but they
were suspiciously
edited
Nixon Looks Guilty
• Congress decided
to move to
impeach Nixon
• Before he could be
impeached, Nixon
resigned
Nixon Resigned, American
Disillusioned
•
•
•
Gerald Ford became
president
Ford pardoned Nixon of
any wrong doing a
month later
•
Impact of the
Watergate Scandal:
The scandal made the
American people
distrust the
government
•
Watergate