history 1960s

Winds of Change : The Sixties

To most experts , the 1960 's was a defining period for the Americans one which saw the emergence of the United States as a global superpower whose clout and influence extended to the far reaches of the globe America 's glorious victory in World War II has paved the way for a leadership role that the United States took to with effortless skill This newfound sense of economic and political power changed the lay of America 's land . After the dust of World War II has settled , most

of the world was struggling to rise from the ruins of war . In the United States , the situation was different . While the country was deeply involved in the war , the United States came to the war , but the war was not able to reach its shores . American soil was untouched by the ravages of World War II . As such , while other places in the world struggled to rebuild homes and regain their sense of sovereignty , Americans were busy redefining their identity . From the victories of war rose a renewed and reenergized America , with a new culture that most historians refer to as culture of change

Following the repressive and tension-filled fifties , the United States was ready for a change . This need to empower oneself is perhaps a direct result of the new-found affluence that Americans were enjoying in the 1950 's (Bloom and Breines , 1995 ,

.3 ) The prosperity that Americans enjoyed in the 1950 's gave them the financial freedom to pursue other avenues of thinking which saw fruition in the 1960 's , a decade which was marked as a decade of defiance and change . Americans became more aware of the issues going on around them they were no longer preoccupied with making a living as was more concerned about the world . Americans began looking outwards after a decade of paranoia and looking out for themselves (Roche , 2003

The 1960 's brought with it a legacy of assimilation and cultural legitimization (Benham , 2002 , 3 , and it left on its heels a society that is more aware of their rights and more assertive in pushing for those rights . All of these heightened awareness made Americans more involved in social issues . As a culture of defiance , two events best captures this image of change : the beginnings of the civil rights movement and the rise of women 's liberation . While on the surface all of these two developments may seem disparate , they are all interrelated to the need to change the status quo . The civil rights movement dares to defy and altogether eliminate the enduring legacy of racial discrimination in the United States . The civil rights movement began when Rosa Parks , wanting some rest after a hard day 's work refused to give up her bus seat to a white man . By that simple act of defiance Rosa Parks defined the culture of disruption in the 1960 's and sent into motion the civil rights movement

The sixties saw...