The 60s and American Society - Research Paper Example

The 60's and American Society Throughout history, there have been many points in time that have defined the era and impacted those who resided within the general populous. One such period in time, would be the decade of the 1960's. A period that would see the election of a young President, the civil rights movement and the subsequent events that would, in many ways, shape the landscape for future generations to come. Impacting not only the political structure of the United States but also, would go on to influence and shape the psyche of the average citizen. The year 1960, would begin with the campaign being waged by Senator John F. Kennedy & Richard Nixon, both men in pursuit of the highest office in the land. As the current Vice President to outgoing President Dwight Eisenhower, Nixon would have gained some sense of what the job would entail and would wish to have the office for him, so that he would be able to enact his own vision for the American people moving forward. As the young Senator from Massachusetts and a member of one of the more prominent families in the United States at the time, John Kennedy would ultimately be guided by a desire for public service and a quest to help the average American. This would prove to be a crucial election for many reasons, some yet to be seen at this point in time. The ultimate outcome would see Kennedy overcome the opposition from Richard Nixon and be able to move on to the White House in January 1961. Each political party would profess views for the betterment of the American public and the national ideals, with each differing in points and desired execution. With regard to the Republican Party, "Through the 1960s the emergent conservative wing, first witnessed in Barry Goldwater's 1964 candidacy, began to push out liberal Republicans," ("Profile", p.1). A political group that would, in many ways, wish to define themselves as a party that sought to protect conservative values and ideals. Thus, the Republicans would ultimately find themselves becoming a political party that would wish for such things as lower taxes and higher national defense. With regard to the Democrats, "In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy challenged an optimistic nation to build on its great history. Kennedy proclaimed a New Frontier and dared Americans to put a man on the moon, created the Peace Corps, and negotiated a treaty banning atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons," ("The Democratic", p.1). Both political parties, through their public assertions and general action taken, would claim to be the party of the average citizen. With every Presidency, events transpire that can not only shape the public itself but also, influence the trajectory of the President's administration. Impact the very decisions made by the chief executive, as they wish to serve the public for whom they were elected by, in such a manner that stays within the realm of the power of their office. For John Kennedy, two of the key events that would occur during the period of his administration, would be the Bay of Pigs in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. Events that would involve the island of Cuba but despite that, would bring about differing circumstances that would force the young President to act and to act quickly, so that the world would be safe from eminent danger. With its entrance early on in Kennedy's presidency, the Bay of Pigs would be one of many attempts made by the intelligence community, as they sought to invade the island of Cuba and ideally, remove the dictator in power. Subsequent events that would transpire, would ultimately lead to the declaration of the invasion being seen as a failure and as such, something that would be seen as a humiliation for the President. In the aftermath of the invasion, Kennedy would take what he learned and utilize it in future circumstances, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 that would find the American people pitted again the Soviet Union, with the island of Cuba being in the middle of this scenario. With the missile crisis in 1962, the events would begin with the discovery of missiles being placed in Cuba that looked to have the potential of being used to fire upon the United States. One of the concerns on the part of the Soviets would be the suspicion on their part that the United States had intended to invade Cuba. Despite the overwhelming desire on the part of his military men, who wished to attack and invade the region of Cuba, Kennedy instead would take a differing approach that ultimately, would lead to the successful end to the conflict two weeks after it would have begun. One of the actions taken by the President would have been the initiation of the quarantine around Cuba. Essentially, the quarantine would not remove the missiles that were already installed on the island but in any case, would prevent other weapons from being transported to the island and installed. There would also be talk, privately, of the proposed removal of missiles in Turkey, as a way of coming to a peaceful end to the conflict. In the end, President Kennedy would agree to this removal of missiles from the regions of Turkey, as well as Italy and would bring about the conclusion to the thirteen days of discontent that many in the world would have felt, as they watched the uncertainty unfold between the Soviet Union and the United States. The events of those days in October 1962 would be felt by many who resided within America. As many prepared for what they thought would be annihilation, as a result of the missiles being activated from Cuba, many would seek to protect themselves, as well as their loved ones, from whatever fall out would come. As the images have shown, children would climb under the desks at school during special drills created for such an occasion. While being on the brink of catastrophe, the American public would be faced with an uncertain future and would look to their leaders for protection. With the actions taken by their leaders in those fearful thirteen days, America would be brought back from certain death and because of that, be able to exist and nurture future generations to come. The year following the Cuban Missile Crisis, would bring about the beginning of the assassinations that would take place throughout the decade. Before the end of the 1960's, the American public would see the deaths of both John Kennedy and his brother Robert, along with civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. All men gunned down in the pursuit of a greater purpose. The desire to see America and its citizenry, achieve a level of greatness that they felt it was capable of. All four men would possess a desire to see change in a society that was fraught with civil unrest and animosity towards many. In the autumn sun of Dallas, Texas, the public would see the first assassination come with the death of President John F. Kennedy. Many reasons have been brought about, as to why President Kennedy was killed. Lyndon Johnson would form a group of individuals, known as the Warren Commission, to investigate the very events surrounding the death in Dallas. The deaths of these men, starting with John Kennedy, would have a considerable impact upon the American public. They would feel a sense of shock that such events could take place, along with a sense of fear in regard to what may come next. As the conspiracy theories abound, many details have become known to the general masses but in that same vein, many details have yet to become known about the very reason(s), as to why these men were shot and in the case of President Kennedy, general concern as to whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald, would have been the one and only shooter that dark day in Texas. Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., would both be men that sought to heal the racial divide that would have been present within the nation's composition. The suggestions which have been raised in the decades since, as to what would have motivated their killers, would vary in nature as well. Just two days before his own death, Malcolm X would utter these words, "It is a time for martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood. Thats the only thing that can save this country," (Bell, chapt.1). In discerning the message behind his statement, Malcolm X would have been a man that sought the unification of the masses, without the segregation based upon skin color that had been a familiar practice for many years. As would have been the case with President Kennedy, there would be elements of uncertainty surrounding the exact details involving the death of Malcolm X. In terms of the Muslim community, there would have been those who would have followed Malcolm, while others who would have elected to stay away from him, as they thought he would have been trying to step above the present leader of their faith. As for a potential motivation for his death, "Fear may have been growing that Malcolm X was gaining the support of Martin Luther Kingto make the struggles of African-Americans an international issue by presenting a petition of human rights violations to the International Court of Justice conference at The Hague," (Bell, chapt.4). The sentiment of the general populous would be best aided by the suggestion made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His feeling that, in order to do something of great benefit, one must first be prepared to give their life in the pursuit of that goal. Others would look towards the Muslim community, as they searched for answers to the crime. As a follower of the Muslim faith, Malcolm X would have been considered by some within the community, to have left the faith and went against the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. For Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, their lives would both come to an end in 1968. As a man who so famously would have proclaimed to have a dream, Dr. King would go about his life in such a manner that would call for the equal rights of African Americans. He would pursue the goal of eliminating racial discrimination and achieving the same state of well being that others throughout the country would have had. During his speech at the march on Washington, D.C. in August of 1963, Dr. King would begin as follows, "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation," (King Jr., 1963). The deaths of Robert Kennedy and Dr. King, would have a profound impact upon the American public. Two men that, in their own way, sought to fight for the freedom of all men, no matter what background they may have come from. In that quest for universal hope and faith, both men would be shot down by assassin's bullets. The Great Society would be an ideal put forward by President Lyndon Johnson, in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination. Maintaining the notion of America's promise and the strongly held conviction that American's were tired of the status quo and were motivated to enact great change. At this point in time, America would be deeply entrenched in the Vietnam War. Aspects from the Great Society pledge, would have come from things first thought of by President Kennedy. Americans were led to believe in the possibility of a great society, in large part, based upon the proclaimed desire to accomplish many things that mattered to a lot of people. In an era of great unrest and general concern, the notion of a great society, would remain comforting for many. As rogue elements would seek to take down leaders of promise, as would have been the case with the Kennedys, Dr. King Jr. and Malcolm X, the idea of a great society being possible, would be something that many would wish to strive for and ultimately achieve. References Bell, Walter. 'The Assassination of Malcolm X'. Retrieved April 20, 2010 from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/assassins/malcolm_x/index.html King Jr., Martin Luther. "I Have a Dream". American Rhetoric: Top 100 speeches. Delivered August 28, 1963. Retrieved April 20, 2010 from http://www. americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm "Profile: The Republican Profile". BBC News. Retrieved April 20, 2010 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3340221.stm "The Democratic Party". Party History. Retrieved April 20, 2010 from http://www. democrats.org/a/party/history.html Read More