Part IV

Starting a Revolution: Social Upheaval and Angst

In this part . . .

The 1960s were a decade of upheaval. After the relative conformity of the 1950s, many young people began to question almost everything about their lives, their government, and their parents’ morality and lifestyles. Some of the questioning came from this discontent, while others came from the sense of youthful empowerment created under Kennedy’s New Frontier platform. University students challenged the administration’s authority, especially concerning issues such as civil rights, freedom of expression, and most of all, the Vietnam War.

Women began to question their roles as wives and mothers and worked to gain equal employment opportunities as well as change men’s perception of them as sex objects. The civil rights movement inspired other groups to fight for recognition and equal treatment under the law. Led by Cesar Chavez, Hispanics used nonviolent methods, such as demonstrations and boycotts, to improve working conditions, and American Indians worked to reclaim their rights and full participation in American society. And as the decade closed, gays and lesbians began their public battle against discrimination and prejudice. But not everyone agreed that the changes they were seeing was the proper direction for American society. These folks made their voices heard as well. In this part, we cover the efforts of all these groups to remake the fabric of the nation and assert their place in it.