Dreaming In The 1960s Essay examples -- essays research papers

In 1962, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said his intimately famouswords "I have a dream." He was not the only one who feltthis way. For many, the mid-sixties was a decade in which theirdreams about America exponent be fulfilled. For Martin LutherKing Jr., this was a dream of a truly qualified America for bathroom F. Kennedy, it was a dream of a young agilenation that would put a man on the moon and for the hippiemovement, it was one of love, peace, and freedom. The1960s was a tumultuous decade of social and policy-makingupheaval. We are still confronting many social issues thatwere addressed in the 1960s today. In spite of the turmoil, in that location were some positive results, such as the civil rightsrevolution. However, many outcomes were negativestudent antiwar protest movements, political assassinations,and ghetto riots worked up American people and resulted in alack of respect for pledge and the law. The first presidentduring the 1960s was John F. Kennedy. He wa s young,appealing, and had a guardedly crafted public image thatbarely won him the election. Because former PresidentEisenhower support the Republican nominee, RichardNixon, and because many had doubts about Kennedysyouth and Catholic religion, Kennedy only acceptedthree-tenths of one percent more of the popular vote thanNixon. The first social function Kennedy did during his briefpresidency was to try to restore the nations economy.Economic growth was inert in 1961 when Kennedyentered the White house. The President initiated a series oftariff negotiations to beat exports and proposed afederal tax cut to help the economy internally. John F.Kennedy was known as one of the few presidents inhistory who make his own personality a significant part ofhis presidency and a focus of national attention. Nothingillustrated this more clearly than the reaction to the tragedyof November 22, 1963. Kennedy was driving through thestreets of Dallas. The streets were full of cheering peoplewatch ing him adopt by. The President was surrounded byloud motorcycles driven by the abstruse Service. Oneonlooker, looking into a sixth floor window, noticed other man with a rifle. "Boy ," he said. "You sure cantsay the privy(p) Service isnt on the ball. Look at that guy upthere in the window with a rifle" (Pett 12). That man withthe rifle was not a member of the Secret Service. A fractionof... ...on. Another eccentric ofchemical, chemical pestisides, were also important in the1960s. A book write by Rachel Carson described for thefirst time the dangers of using pesticides. Carson believedthat the h ramp upful chemicals were winning a dreadful toll,and that the only way to fix the situation was to " permit thebalance of nature take care of the number of insects"(Carson 17). Another poisonous chemical was being usedon humans. Mistakes made in the noncurrent caused a great dealof health problems to children around the world when itwas notice that using a tranquilizer called thalidomidecaused severe birth defects. Babies were born with giveand feet like flippers, attached to the body with little or noarm or leg. Every compound drug containing the sedativewas taken moody the market. The 1960s began on a lower floor theshadow of the Cold War and ended under the shado wofthe Vietnam War. What happened inbetween was a seriesof dreams, failures, and realities that have made the sixtiesone of the most tumultuous decades in the history of theUnited States. From assassinations to Woodstock, the1960s was an era of mental confusion in which every Americantried to make his dream a reality.