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THE MAKING OF A NATION -October 17, 2002: The 1960s
By Jeri Watson
VOICE 1:
This is Rich Kleinfeldt.
VOICE 2:
And this is Stan Busby with THE MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English program about the history
of the United States.
(Theme)
Today, we tell about life in the United States during the nineteen-sixties.
VOICE 1:
The nineteen-sixties began with the election of the first president born in the twentieth century -- John Kennedy.
For many Americans, the young president was the symbol of a spirit of hope for the nation. When Kennedy was
murdered in nineteen-sixty-three, many felt that their hopes died, too. This was especially true of young people,
and members and supporters of minority groups.
VOICE 2:
A time of innocence and hope soon began to look like a time of anger and violence.
More Americans protested to demand an end to the unfair treatment of black
citizens. More protested to demand an end to the war in Vietnam. And more
protested to demand full equality for women.
By the middle of the nineteen-sixties, it had become almost impossible for President
Lyndon Johnson to leave the White House without facing protesters against the war
in Vietnam. In March of nineteen-sixty-eight, he announced that he would not run
for another term.
VOICE 1:
In addition to President John Kennedy, two other influential leaders were murdered during the nineteen-sixties.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis, Tennessee, in nineteen-sixty-eight. Several weeks
later, Robert Kennedy --John Kennedy's brother --was shot in Los Angeles, California. He was campaigning to
win his party's nomination for president. Their deaths resulted in riots in cities across the country.
VOICE 2:
The unrest and violence affected many young Americans. The effect seemed especially bad because of the time
in which they had grown up. By the middle nineteen-fifties, most of their parents had jobs that paid well. They
expressed satisfaction with their lives. They taught their children what were called "middle class" values. These
included a belief in God, hard work, and service to their country.
VOICE 1:
Later, many young Americans began to question these beliefs. They felt that their
parents' values were not enough to help them deal with the social and racial
difficulties of the nineteen-sixties. They rebelled by letting their hair grow long and
by wearing strange clothes. Their dissatisfaction was strongly expressed in music.
Police in Alabama attack
civil rights marchers, 1965.
Rock-and-roll music had become very popular in
America in the nineteen-fifties. Some people, however,
did not approve of it. They thought it was too sexual.
These people disliked the rock-and-roll of the nineteen-
sixties even more. They found the words especially
unpleasant.
Bus in Fourth of July
VOICE 2:
parade, New Mexico, 1968.
(Copyright - Lisa Law)
The musicians themselves thought the words were extremely important. As singer and song writer Bob Dylan
said, "There would be no music without the words." Bob Dylan produced many songs of social protest. He wrote
anti-war songs before the war in Vietnam became a violent issue. One was called "Blowin' in the Wind. "
(MUSIC)
VOICE 1:
In addition to songs of social protest, rock-and-roll music continued to be popular in America during the
nineteen-sixties. The most popular group, however, was not American. It was British -- the Beatles -- four rock-
and-roll musicians from Liverpool.
(MUSIC)
That was the Beatles' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand. " It went on sale in the United States at the end of
nineteen-sixty-three. Within five weeks, it was the biggest-selling record in America.
VOICE 2:
Other songs, including some by the Beatles, sounded more revolutionary. They spoke about drugs and sex,
although not always openly. "Do your own thing" became a common expression. It meant to do whatever you
wanted, without feeling guilty.
Five-hundred-thousand young Americans "did their own thing" at the Woodstock music festival in nineteen-
sixty-nine. They gathered at a farm in New York state. They listened to musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Joan
Baez, and to groups such as The Who and Jefferson Airplane. Woodstock became a symbol of the young peoples'
rebellion against traditional values. The young people themselves were called "hippies." Hippies believed there
should be more love and personal freedom in America.
VOICE 1:
In nineteen-sixty-seven, poet Allen Ginsberg helped lead a gathering of hippies in San
Francisco. No one knows exactly how many people considered themselves hippies. But
twenty-thousand attended the gathering.
Another leader of the event was Timothy Leary. He was a former university professor
and researcher. Leary urged the crowd in San Francisco to "tune in and drop out". This
meant they should use drugs and leave school or their job. One drug that was used in
the nineteen-sixties was lysergic acid diethylamide, or L-S-D. L-S-D causes the brain
to see strange, colorful images. It also can cause brain damage. Some people say the
Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was about L-S-D.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE 2:
As many Americans were listening to songs about drugs and sex, many others were watching television programs
with traditional family values. These included "The Andy Griffith Show" and "The Beverly Hillbillies. " At the
movies, some films captured the rebellious spirit of the times. These included "Doctor Strangelove" and "The
Graduate. " Others offered escape through spy adventures, like the James Bond films.
Musicians in San Francisco,
1967.
(Copyright - Lisa Law)
Allen Ginsberg
(Copyright - Lisa Law)
VOICE 1:
Many Americans refused to tune in and drop out in the nineteen-sixties. They took no part in the social
revolution. Instead, they continued leading normal lives of work, family, and home. Others, the activists of
American society, were busy fighting for peace, and racial and social justice. Women's groups, for example, were
seeking equality with men. They wanted the same chances as men to get a good education and a good job. They
also demanded equal pay for equal work.
VOICE 2:
A widely popular book on women in modern America was called the feminine mystique. It was written by Betty
Friedan and published in nineteen-sixty-three. The idea known as the feminine mystique was the traditional idea
that women have only one part to play in society. They are to have children and stay at home to raise them. In her
book, Mizz Friedan urged women to establish professional lives of their own.
VOICE 1:
That same year, a committee was appointed to investigate the condition of women. It was led by Eleanor
Roosevelt. She was a former first lady. The committee's findings helped lead to new rules and laws. The
nineteen-sixty-four civil rights act guaranteed equal treatment for all groups. This included women. After the law
went into effect, however, many activists said it was not being enforced. The National Organization for Women
- NOW -- was started in an effort to correct the problem.
VOICE 2:
The movement for women's equality was known as the women's liberation movement. Activists were called
"women's libbers." They called each other "sisters." Early activists were usually rich, liberal, white women. Later
activists included women of all ages, women of color, rich and poor, educated and uneducated. They acted
together to win recognition for the work done by all women in America.
(Theme)
VOICE 1:
This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jeri Watson and produced by Paul Thompson.
This is Rich Kleinfeldt.
VOICE 2:
And this is Stan Busby. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of
the United States.
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