Introduction
Why study the period of the 1960s?
The 1960s was a period of cultural, social and political
change. It is often known as the “Sixties” or “Swinging
Sixties”.
The 1960s witnessed a social revolution in terms of
fashion, drugs, music and lifestyle. It was during the
1960s that many young people adopted a liberal attitude
to life.
The 1960s witnessed many important events in the
history of the 20th Century. The Sixties saw the
assassination of JFK, American Civil Rights Movement,
the Vietnam War, anti-war movement, space exploration,
and Cuban missile crisis.
What are we going to Study?
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How politics changed during the 1960s
How culture changed dramatically during the 1960s
The influence of music
The influence of TV & Film
Fashions of the 1960s
Famous people and art of the 1960s
The Civil Rights Movement
In the 1960s in many of the southern states of America
black people were treated very differently from white
people – very unfairly. Black people did not have the
same rights as white people. Consider the life of Mary
Brown, an African American living in Alabama, USA in
1962:
In the morning, Mary sent her children to a school for coloured
children only. Going to town, she sat at the back of the bus on the
seats for coloureds. When a white man came on the bus, she had
to give up her seat for him. She went to the Post Office for
coloureds, visited a library for coloureds and walked in a separate
park. When she went shopping, she stood in line, so that white
women could go in front of her. Her husband went to work but he
could never be the boss despite the fact he was very good at his
job. That job was for a white man. He used a separate toilet and
separate rest room.
Discussion point
After reading the story of Mary Brown and carefully
looking at the different pictures. What do you think life
was like for African Americans in the US?
In sentences write down 6 ways Mary Brown life was
affected due to the colour of her skin.
As you can see, life for black people in America in the
1960s was very difficult. This policy of keeping blacks
separate was known as Segregation. Segregation affected
every minute of a black person’s life.
 Blacks were not allowed to vote
 Blacks were not allowed to have good jobs
Segregation meant that black and white people were kept
apart in buses and public places like waiting rooms,
shops and restaurants. Even park benches, drinking wells
and public toilets were labelled “WHITES ONLY”.
Black children had to go to separate schools.
Above is an overcrowded black school teaching woodskills.
Notice the difference in the white schools below.
How did white people treat Blacks?
Life was very difficult as you have found out however
blacks lived in constant fear. The Jim Crow laws and
restrictions on black people’s right to vote were was of
maintaining White power over Black people, but fear
was a far more effective weapon.
A civil rights worker reported:
A Negro in the south who tried to vote might lose his job
or be beaten up. When a man was asked why he didn’t
vote he said ‘I don’t want my throat cut’
Lynch Law
‘Lynching’ was the word used to describe a variety of
murders, tortures and punishments given to black
Americans. Lynching meant black people being whipped
hanged or even burned alive by a mob who believed the
black person had done wrong.
1920s newspaper report
The Negro was chained to the tree stump, beaten and
then castrated. The fire was lit and a hundred men and
women, young and old, joined hands and danced around
the burning Negro. That night a big party was held in a
nearby barn.
As you can see, black people in America faced many
problems and had struggled long and hard to achieve
equal rights as white people. The name of the movement
to achieve equality was the Civil Rights movement, led
by Martin Luther King.
Martin Luther King organised various peaceful events to
highlight the inequalities faced by blacks in America.
1. 1960 Sit-ins
Sit-ins were a form of
protest used by the Civil
Rights fighters, which
involved sitting down
and refusing to move
from places where
blacks were not allowed.
2. 1961 Freedom Rides
A group of students decided
to test laws that banned
segregation in public
accommodation that catered
for interstate travellers. They
became known as ‘freedom
riders’.
3. 1963 Protests in Birmingham, Alabama
People in the town
protested against Civil
Rights and the Chief of
police, ‘Bull’ Connor
unleashed fire hoses
and attack dogs on
peaceful protestors.
Task 1
1. In what ways were black people treated differently
from whites in the 1960s?
2. Why did White people make Black people use
separate facilities such as toilets?
3. What differences can you see between the black
classroom and the white classroom?
4. (a) What does the term lynching mean?
(b) Why would White people celebrate during a
lynching?
5. What was the Civil Rights movement?
President Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born 29th May 1917. The
Kennedys were a very wealthy family of IrishAmericans. The Kennedy family were very successful
immigrants indeed; Joseph Kennedy (JFK’s father) was a
self-made millionaire who had ambitious plans for his
sons to enter politics.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon and
became President of the United States of America. John
F. Kennedy was and remains the first and only Roman
Catholic to be elected President.
The election of 1960 was one of the closest elections in
history.
Kennedy
Nixon
34,226,731 votes
34,108,157 votes
The 1960s was a time of change and many citizens in
America wanted change. Like Barack Obama’s election
in 2008, the election of John F. Kennedy signalled
change in America.
Kennedy was also the youngest President to be elected
into office and appealed to a younger generation. JFK
promised to deliver a “Great Society” were poverty,
disease, war and education would all be tackled.
Kennedy also was involved with civil rights as well.
During his inauguration speech, Kennedy proclaimed,
“Ask not what your country can do
for you, but what you can do for your
country”
John and Jackie Kennedy
brought youth and glamour to
the white house. Jackie
Kennedy gained status not only
as the First Lady but also as a
fashion icon. American
newspapers and TV stations
carried stories and pictures of
Jackie and her clothes and
hairstyles were copied by
woman all over America and
Europe.
Task 2
1. What is meant by the term Irish-American?
2. Looking at the table of votes, what information can
you gather from the table about the election of
1960?
3. Why do you think JFK would appeal to a younger
generation?
4. Look at JFK’s Inauguration Speech, What do you
think he means by “ask not what your country can
do for you, but what you can do for your country”
5. In what ways do you think the Kennedy’s brought
glamour to the White House?
6. Imagine you have won the election in 1960. Prepare
a 2 minute speech outlining how you are going to
change America for the better.
Assassination of John F Kennedy
Dallas Texas, Friday 22nd November 1963
Timeline of Assassination
11.45am – President Kennedy
and the First Lady land at
Love Airfield Dallas.
11.52am – The President’s
motorcade leaves Love
Airfield. The day was warm
so Kennedy asked for the
protective bubble top to be
removed.
A police car drove in front to make sure the route was
clear. In the limousine, the front seats were occupied by
the Driver, Bill Greer and a secret serviceman Roy
Kellerman. Behind Greer, sat Mrs Nellie Connally, wife
of the Governor of Texas, John Connally.
Task 3
In your Jotters, cut out and glue the diagram of the
President’s car and label the positions of the occupants of
the car.
Death of a President
The President’s car passed cheering crowds and entered
the area of Dallas, Texas known as Dealey Plaza. What
happened next still remains largely a mystery.
Why is it a mystery?
The only evidence we have to analysis what happened is
eyewitness accounts and the Zapruder Film. The 1960s
was a time when TV was becoming popular and TV
cameras were not as advanced as today.
The Zapruder Film is the only video evidence of the
assassination. It was shot by amateur cameraman
Abraham Zapruder.
Mini Task
If the assassination occurred today, why would there be
far more evidence than in the 1960s?
1 or 2 Gunmen?
Many people argue that Kennedy was killed by more
than one gunman, making the assassination a conspiracy
(a plot by a group of people). Others argue that it was
carried out by one gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald.
Grassy Knoll
Many people believe that a second gunman, who fired
the fatal shot to JFK’s head, was located at the grassy
knoll.
Newspaper Assignment
What will you need?
A poster sized newspaper dated 23rd November 1963 –
The day after the shooting.
The front page headline, title and layout will be decided
by you but MUST include;
1. Report of the shooting – On the Spot Report of the
events
2. Editorial – How people are feeling about the
assassination
3. Layout – Newspaper name/Headlines/pictures
The sixties witnessed new styles of art which reflected
the cultural change in the late 1950s and 1960s. Art full
of colour and unusual images as well as images of
popular culture became very popular. Different styles of
art emerged during the 1960s such as Abstract Art, Pop
Art and Minimalism.
Mona Lisa Smile by
Leonardo Da Vinci
(1506)
Water Lily Pond
by Claude Monet
(1899)
The two paintings above are famous paintings by two of
the world’s most famed artists, Leonardo Da Vinci and
Claude Monet.
The next paintings are from famous artists from the
1960s which reflect the culture of the period.
Roy Lichtenstein
In the Car (1963)
Andy Warhol
Campbell’s Soup Cans
(1962)
Frank Stella
Harran II (1967)
What differences can you see between the pieces of Art
can you see?
Task 4
Your task is to design your own piece of 1960s art.
It can be of anything you want it can be abstract or pop
art. You Decide! but it must be colourful and radical.
Here are some other examples of famous art pieces from
the 1960s to give you some ideas.
"If you can remember anything about the sixties, then you
weren't really there."
What do you think this means?
The 1960s saw a massive change in attitudes especially among
the younger generations. It was a period in history that was
flamboyant, exciting, radical and revolutionary.
The sixties were the age of youth, as
70 million children from the post-war baby boom became
teenagers and young adults. The movement away from the
conservative fifties continued and eventually resulted in
revolutionary ways of thinking and real change.
Many young people in the 1960s adopted a much more liberal
attitude towards ideas such as alcohol, drugs and sex.
The 1960s heralded a new culture of "free love” with millions of
young people embracing the hippie ethos and preaching the
power of love and sex before marriage. Hippies also believed in
contraception and the pill, public nudity, gay Liberation,
liberalisation of abortion, interracial marriage, women's rights
and feminism.
Much of this “free love” was down to the use of drugs such as
acid (LSD) or marijuana.
Who were the Hippies?
Hippies looked to find meaning in life, choose their own way
and be independent. The hippie movement in the United States
began as a youth movement. It was composed mostly of white
teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 and 25 years
old. By 1965, hippies had become an established social group in
the U.S., and the movement eventually expanded to other
countries extending as far as the United Kingdom and Europe,
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil.
The hippie ethos influenced The Beatles and others in the
United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, and they in turn
influenced their American counterparts. Hippie culture spread
worldwide through a fusion of rock music, folk, blues, and
psychedelic rock; it also found expression in literature, the
dramatic arts, fashion, and the visual arts, including film, posters
advertising rock concerts, and album covers.
Task 5
1. Why do you think the sixties were described as “exciting
and radical”? Give examples
2. What is meant by the term “Liberal”?
3. How do you think the sixties were viewed by conservative
people and religious organisations?
4. Can you see any similarities between the sixties and
today’s culture?
5. What is a hippy
a. Do they have any unusual characteristics?
b. Can you think why many hippies used drugs such as
LSD and Marijuana?
Other Youth Sub-Cultures
Hippies were not the only youth sub-culture of the 1960s. There
were many other youth groups such as Mods, Rockers, teddy
boys and Greasers.
Greasers
Greasers, also known as hoods (hoodlums),
were a working class American sub-culture
that started in the 1950s and 60s. Their
name came from their greased back hair,
which involved combing back hair with
wax, gel, creams, tonics or pomade. Other
popular greases used were olive oil or
petroleum jelly. Some greasers worked at
gas stations or shops that repaired cars or
motorcycles. The greaser style was imitated by many youths not
associated with gangs, as an expression of rebellion. American
greasers were known more for their love of hot rod cars.
Mods and Rockers
Are you a mod or a Rocker?
This was a common question in Britain during the 1960s. These
groups were seen as Folk Devils (Outsiders, Criminals) in the
British Media.
Mods
Significant elements of the mod subculture include: fashion
(often tailor-made suits); pop music, including African
American soul, Jamaican ska, and British beat music and R&B;
and Italian motor scooters. The original mod scene was also
associated with amphetamine-fuelled
all-night dancing at clubs. From the mid
to late 1960s onwards, the mass media
often used the term mod in a wider sense
to describe anything that was believed to
be popular, fashionable or modern.
Rockers
Rockers are members of a subculture that started in the United
Kingdom in the 1960s among motorcycle riding youths. The
first rockers were primarily known for their motorcycles, but by
the 1960s, their subculture became associated with a specific
music genre and clothing style. Many
rockers mostly favored 1950s and early1960s rock and roll by artists such Chuck
Berry and Elvis Presley. Rockers
generally bought standard factory-made
motorcycles and stripped them down,
tuned them up and modified them to
appear like racing bikes. They wore
heavily-decorated leather motorcycle
jackets; often with metal studs, patches and pin badges.
Gang fights were common between the mods and the rockers.
The mods and rockers conflict attracted attention in 1964
because of sensationalistic media coverage of fights between the
two groups. Mods and rockers became known for Bank Holiday
clashes in the southern English holiday resorts of Clacton,
Margate and Brighton.
Many of the youths involved would carry weapons such as
Flick knives
“Cosh” Baton
Task 6
1. In your opinion, why do you think there were so many
sub-cultures in the late 1950s and 1960s?
2. What appeals did these sub-cultures have for young
people?
3. What differences can you spot between the mods and the
rockers?
4. Why do you think the mods and rockers were known as
“folk devils”?
5. Can you see any similarities in culture between the 1960s
and today?
6. What youth sub-cultures exist today?
a. Describe each sub-culture and their characteristics
b. What youth sub-culture do you belong to and why?
c. What sub-culture do you think you would be part of
in the 1960s? explain your answer.
Discussion Point:
What is fashion and what impact does it have on our personality
and life?
Fashion is something that is present in society that takes many
forms and is constantly changing. Fashion influences people’s
clothes, hairstyles, music, cars and homes. Like in today’s
society, the 1960s had many different fashion trends.
The 1960s was a decade when fashion traditions were broken.
The 1940s & 50s were a fairly conservative period for fashion.
Look at the picture, as you can see the
ladies are wearing conservative
clothing with long dresses and very
little skin shown. This was common
for the 1940s and 50s were many
people believed that it was
inappropriate for ladies to wear
‘revealing’ outfits.
The picture on the left is common of
the 1960s. What differences can you
see between the styles of the 1940s/50s
and the 1960s?
Men’s fashion also changed during the 1960s from pale, toned
shades to bright and flamboyant.
Above is fashion from the 1940s compared to the fashion of the
1960s below.
It was not only clothes that became more flamboyant. The
sixties saw new hair styles emerge as well as changes to the
interior of people’s homes.
The pictures above show some of the new styles that were
popular in the 1960s. You might recognise some of the faces?
Hairstyles for men changed dramatically as some men chose to
grow their hair longer, while many women had shorter
hairstyles. More and more people became influenced by
celebrities as TVs and magazines became more popular and
widespread.
Task
You are the editor of Vogue Fashion Magazine; create an upbeat
article about the new fashions of the 1960s compared to the dull
periods of fashion during the 1940s and 50s.
1. What different youth sub-cultures can you remember from
the film Grease?
2. In the film what are the relationships between the different
sub-cultures? i.e. between the Jocks & Greasers.
3. How do we know the T-birds belong to the sub-culture of
the Greasers?
4. In the Dance scene, why do you think the teachers find the
pupils dancing inappropriate?
5. Would this style of dancing style still be classed as
inappropriate today or would do you think it would be
classed as old fashioned?
Television was still a fairly new phenomenon to many in
Britain. Television was only introduced in 1929 and was
obviously very expensive. Not every city had broadcasting
centres, so TV was not as popular as radio.
On 1st January 1960, the only television available in the UK
was in black and white, and was broadcast on two channels only
- BBC Television, and the ITV Network. TV sets themselves
were tiny, with an average picture size of approximately 12 to
14 inches across the diagonal of the screen (as opposed to
standard 32 inch sets seen today). The way in which television
was broadcast in the 1960s was radically different from the way
it is today. Channels generally only broadcast from teatime to
late evening, aside from a few limited children’s programmes
and schools’ programmes during the day. By 1964, a third
channel was introduced, BBC2.
The first regular colour broadcasts in Europe were by BBC2
beginning on July 1, 1967. The broadcast was of the tennis
championships from Wimbledon. By the end of the 1960s, there
were only approximately 200,000 colour TV sets in the whole of
the UK.
What was popular on TV in the 1960s?
The most popular shows during the 1960s were shows such as
Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Dad’s Army, Top of the Pops,
Blue Peter, The Avengers, Star Trek and Batman.
Most watched TV in Britain during 1960s
Title Channel
1
The World Cup Final - 1966
2
The Royal Family
5
Royal Variety Performance
1965
News [John F. Kennedy
Assassination]
Miss World
6
Apollo 8 Splashdown
7
8
9
10
The London Palladium Show
Steptoe and Son
Coronation Street
Mrs Thursday
3
4
Date
BBC1
BBC1 &
ITV
Audience (millions)
30/07/1966
21/06/1969 (BBC1),
28/06/1969 (ITV)
ITV
14/11/1965
24.20
22/11/1963
24.15
19/11/1967
23.76
27/12/1968
22.55
03/12/1967
18/02/1964
02/12/1964
22/03/1966 & 29/03/1966
21.89
21.54
21.36
21.01
BBC &
ITV
BBC1
BBC1 &
ITV
ITV
BBC
ITV
ITV
32.30
30.69
Most Watched TV of the 2000s
Title Channel
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Only Fools and Horses
Euro 2004: England vs. Portugal
EastEnders
Coronation Street
Tonight with Trevor McDonald - Millionaire a
Major Fraud
Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Tonight with Trevor McDonald -Living with
Michael Jackson
Heartbeat
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
A Touch of Frost
Audience
(millions)
BBC1 25/12/2001
BBC1 24/06/2004
BBC1 05/04/2001
ITV 24/02/2003
21.34
20.66
20.05
19.40
ITV
21/04/2003
16.10
ITV
19/01/2000
15.90
ITV
03/02/2003
15.32
ITV
ITV
ITV
23/01/2000
09/02/2004
14/01/2001
15.20
14.99
14.69
Date
Task
1. Why do you think radio was still more popular in the
1960s than television?
2. Do you think this is still the case today?
3. In what ways was the broadcasting of Television different
to modern television?
i. Think about things like Sky TV and the Internet
4. “The average person watches 4 hours of television a day,
by the time the average person is 65 they will have spend 9
years watching TV”
a. Why do you think people watch TV far more now
than in the 1960s?
b. Why do you think TV was not as important to people
in the 1960s as it nowadays?
5. Compare the two tables of the most watched programmes,
What information can we gather about the differences
between what people watched in the different eras and
why?
Music of the 1960s was characteristic of the
revolution that was going on during the decade. It
was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which
the younger people were questioning everything,
including authority, corporations, the government,
and other aspects of everyday life. It was essentially
a revolution of the status quo (things as they are
now). This gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement of
the decade along with other movements that affected
the rights of society as a whole.
Music as a form of Protest
In the 1960s, many people were
protesting against different things such
as Racism & Civil Rights and the Vietnam
War. One of the most important musicians
was Bob Dylan, who protested against
the war in Vietnam and also for the Civil
Rights Movement.
You will hear a couple of Bob Dylan’s songs called
“The times are a-changing” and “blowing in the wind”.
Other famous protest songs are “what’s going on” by
Marvin Gaye.
The British Invasion
The British Invasion is used to describe rock
and roll, beat and pop performers from the
United Kingdom who became popular in the
United States from 1964 to 1966. This was the
time when The Beatles became very popular
and later John Lennon claimed to be “more
popular than Jesus”.
Beatlemania was a term used during the 1960s
to describe the intense fan frenzy particularly
demonstrated by young teen girls directed
toward The Beatles during the early years of
their success. 'Beatlemania' was characterised by
intense levels of hysteria demonstrated by fans both
at the actual concerts played by the band and during
the band's arrivals and travels to and from locations.
This means GIRLS WENT CRAZY for the Beatles!
How do you know if you are suffering from
“Beatlemania”?
♫ If you scream uncontrollably at the sight of the
Beatles
♫ If you faint during Beatle concerts or seeing a
band member
♫ If you cry during concerts
♫ If you camp out for hours to see a glimpse of
the Beatles
♫ If you can think of nothing other than the
Beatles
Examples of Beatle Mania!
AS YOU CAN SEE THESE WOMEN
ARE SUFFERING FROM THE
CONDITION CALLED
“BEATLEMANIA”,
UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO
CURE!
MUSIC TASK
In Groups create a poster!
What is to be in the Poster?
A PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING ABOUT BEATLEMANIA!
- Warn the public about the symptoms of
“Beatlemania”
- Who is most likely to be affected?
Here is a Health Poster about Flu as an example!
Make your poster more eye catching and fun!
Protest Music Task
Questions
Do you think Music was an effective form of Protest
during the 1960s? (Listen to the words of the songs)
Give Reasons for your answer.
What advantages does Protest Music have over other
forms of Protest?
Why do you think Protest songs were common during
the 1960s?
Do you think protest music helped change peoples
attitudes about issues such as war and racism?
Think about today’s issues, what issues do you think
would benefit from protest music?
eg. World Poverty
Who was the most Famous Person of the 1960s
Internet task
Who do you think was the ‘face’ of the 1960s?
Write a biography about this person.
Should be 1 A4 Page in length!
Here are some possible candidates!