To those who remember, what were the TEN things that made the 1960s in America a

1. 86

   gmwilliamsposted 10 years ago

   To those who remember, what were the TEN things that made the 1960s in America a DISTANTLY
   
   UNIQUE decade that broke the historic mold?
   
   

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2. 68

   Rod Marsdenposted 10 years ago

   
   
   1. The freedom marches, especially the march on Washington.
   
   2. Rock an' roll. It was established that four young men from England could cause a sensation throughout the world through their music. This  included the USA. The notion that a band need not be large in order to be successful still fuels musician in the USA as well as elsewhere with a certain kind of hope. You don't have to be big in order to win acclaim. You just have to be out there will a good sound.
   
   3. Science Fiction took off like it had never taken off before. There was the British television show Doctor Who which has its following inn the USA. There was also novels written by Americans such as Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison (1966), American movies such as Forbidden Planet (1965), and USA television shows such as Star Trek and Lost in Space.
   
   4. There was the return of popularity when it came to the superhero in the comic books. Marvel prospered with The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil, The Avengers, and Ironman. D. C. did well with Batman, Superman, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman. The light hearted, and somewhat light headed but fun Batman television show was a sensation. I was a comic book collector. Make mine Marvel. 'Nuff said. Artists such as Jack Kirby and Gene Colan were my inspiration. 
   
   5. John F. Kennedy became president. It appears there were a number of firsts with his presidency. He was the first Roman Catholic to rise so high in American society. He was the youngest man to have become president and it is said that it was his youth and push for a better America that spurred on the comic book superhero. He was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963. This was not only a sad moment in history for Americans but also people in far away places such as Australia.
   
   6. The Vietnam War. In 1965 Australia sent in troops to aid America and the South Vietnamese. There was the draft in both the USA and Australia. There were also protests against the war in both the USA and Australia.
   
   7. Flower Power became a form of passive resistance in the late 1960s. Long hair was part of it since the military hair cut tended to be short. San Francisco was at the heart of the movement in the USA. In Australia it was Sydney. Underground comics (referred to by the creators as Comix) took off. Also fear of the Atomic Bomb reigned!
   
   8. Western television shows such as The Wild Wild West proved popular.
   
   9. The moon landing in 1969.
   
   10. The first successful heart transplant.

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3. 0

   Sri Tposted 10 years ago

   Self exploration. The self help psychology movement to clear the mind of negative behavior and self defeating habits. New Age thinking. Standing up to wrongs and the government. Waking up and taking control of life instead of ignorantly following the patterns of parents and previous generations. Rebellion. Questioning authority. Civil disobedience. Eastern gurus/alternative thoughts. Love and peace instead of hate and war because of others opinions. Respect for nature. Mind expansion with drugs for humor, relaxation, transcend the world, see a higher truth that people are being programmed and controlled by the media and the government  and herded where they don't want to go, an explosion in artistic expression. A destruction of cultural, racial and gender barriers and intolerance set up by a selfish society, previous generations, the laws and government. Waking up from the governments greatest nightmare, "free thinking individuals". Although the authority managed to snap some controls back in place, the locked doors can never be completely closed again. The 60's generation has not forgotten what they learned. And they continue to fight for their freedom and push the creativity to higher levels. On the other hand, the government has also become more adept and more stealth at mind control, war devices, surveillance/spying on citizens under the guise of terrorist protection, and other devices like mass media waking hypnosis and mass financial manipulation through false crisis, and unjust laws and decisions to favor corruption.

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4. 71

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   1. The Vietnam War
   2. Protest of the war an distrust of government
   3. Civil Rights Movement/ "I have a dream" speech, Women's Lib.
   4.The hippie drug counter culture. Don't trust anyone over 30!
   5. "Free love" - sex without marriage or commitment
   6. Assassinations of JFK, MLK, RFK, and Malcom X
   7. The Motown Sound exploded on the scene
   8. Rock & Roll changed with "The British Invasion"
   9. Manson Family Murders
   10. Apollo 11 - A man walked on the moon in 1969
   Most people remember the 60s as being turbulent times. The "baby boomers" were rebelling against conformity and questioning tradition and government decisions.
   Men grew their hair down to their shoulders. African Americans sported Afros. Bell bottoms, Tie Dyed Shirts, incense burning, pot/coke/acid/heroine were "mind liberators".
   The concept of "living together" also called at the time "shacking up" would forever change the nature of courtship's progression to marriage and eventually remove the stigma of having children out of wedlock.

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   1. 68

      Rod Marsdenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Education was also a big issue. More young people were entering college and getting a better education. The result was a questioning of the need to be involved in the Vietnam War.

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