History of the 1960s

By Darleen Roche

The 1960s were a turbulent decade, but why?

The Cold War is in full SWING

The Civil Rights Movement

The “Swinging Sixties” is referred to the fall or relaxation of social issues like sexism and racism.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The SPACE RACE

The Power of Music

Key Players of the 1960s

John F Kennedy

Martin Luther King Jr

Lyndon B Johnson

Richard Nixon

Nikita Krushchev

John F Kennedy

Took office in 1961 as the youngest President.

His inaugural speech promotes change for our nation

Pledges we reach the Moon by the end of the decade, kicking off the space race with the USSR

Click to play video

John F Kennedy Cont…

He is most known for his creation of the Peace corps in 1961The Cuban Missile Crisis in The Bay of Pigs invasion led by the CIA and backed by KennedyIn 1963 while in a parade in Dallas with his wife and governor of Texas John Connally John F Kennedy was shot in the head and died instantly

Lyndon B Johnson

Swore into office on Air force One the day JFK was assassinated with Jackie Kennedy by his sidePresident Johnson becomes a prominent voice in the civil rights movementHe passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which out laws racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment.He also signed the National Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawing discriminatory voting practices against African Americans

Lyndon Johnson swearing in next to Jackie right after her husbands death

Martin Luther King Jr

Played a prominent role in the civil rights movementHe was a very influential speaker and wanted equal rights for all racesHis most famous speech was “I have A Dream” given in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in 1963

http://youtu.be/KUP_ISA030c Check it out! MLK was Assassinated on April 4th 1968 in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel His death was followed by public riots all over the nation

Cuban Missile Crisis

Took Place October 1962US spy planes captured pictures over Cuba of Soviet missiles being housed in basesIt was the closest the US came to an all out nuclear attack between the Soviets and the USThey confronted Nikita Khrushchev and he eventually agreed to dismantle the missiles in CubaOn October 28th 1962 President Kennedy and the United Nations reached a public agreement with Khrushchev and in exchange for returning the missiles to the Soviet Union the US vowed to never attack Cuba again. Spy plane captures missile bases in Cuba

Space Race

During a speech President Kennedy vowed we would reach space by the end of the decade.The Space Race was between the Communist USSR and the Free WorldThe Space Race was from 195-1975

Earth Rising as seen from Apollo 8

Space Race cont..

The first missions were the launches of satellites from both sides they were days apart. Sputnik was first (USSR) followed by Explorer 1 by the USNext were a series of launches from both sides including launching dogs, monkeys, and eventually humans.We eventually reached the Moon with the Apollo 11 crew on July 20th 1969An estimated 500 million people back on Earth watched it live

Sputnik

Buzz Aldrin, walking on the Moon 1969

Cant get enough Space Race Facts

The Space Race created NASA and sparked us into a technological craze that has given us many technologies that we use todayThe Space Race increased our spending in education and scientific experimentsThe Space Race gave us the NASA program and created several jobs here in Florida and TexasThe Space Race virtually bankrupted the USSR and they eventually stuck to low orbit flights, giving up on going to the moon.The Space Race led the International Space Station

International Space Station 2010

The Power of Music and the Hippie Movement

The culture movement was sparked by the demand for civil rights for everyoneThe Vietnam War brought out a social movement for peace and love for allPopular bands like the Doors, Pink Floyd, Jimmie Hendrix, The Beatles,Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Greatfull Dead, and The Rolling Stones all brought out a movement of new sounds that sparked change and imagination in the 60s. The biggest event was Woodstock in 1969 This time period sparked for many young adults to rebel and grow their hair long and experiment with drugs and alcohol.

References and Pictures

Flower power. (2011, March 29). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:48, April 9, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=Flower_power&oldid=421367857 1960s. (2011, April 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:49, April 9, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

title=1960s&oldid=422870055 http://www.jfklibrary.org/

http://youtu.be/KUP_ISA030c

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Race

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade60.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_Festival

http://www.martinlutherking.org/