HIST 282 - The 1960s - Primary Source Research

Few eras in U.S. history have begun with more optimistic promise and ended in more pessimistic despair than the 1960s. When JFK became president in 1960, the U.S. was the hope of the world. Ten years later American power abroad seemed wasted in the jungles of Indochina, and critics at home cast doubt on whether the U.S. was really the land of the free and the home of the brave. This book takes an encyclopedic look at the decade--at the individuals who shaped the era, the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement, the women's movement, and the youth rebellion. It covers the political, military, social, cultural, religious, economic, and diplomatic topics that made the 1960s a unique decade in U.S. history.

What was America watching in the realm of factual, documentary television in the 1960s? This guide covers the entire period, 1955-1979, including both single and series documentaries and news shows.

Progressing at a dizzying, frenetic pace, the 1960s were synonymous with rebellion and conflict. No other decade in the 20th century was so tumultuous in this way. This gripping and engagingly written guide to the forces that shaped the 1960s cultural revolution examines the New Left, the antiwar movement, and the counterculture. A narrative historical overview puts the decade in perspective. Essays follow on each of the above topics, and a concluding essay discusses the legacy of the era. The work also features a wealth of ready reference material--a comprehensive timeline of events in the 1960s, biographical profiles of key players, the text of important primary documents associated with the political, social and cultural rebellion, a glossary of terms, and a helpful annotated bibliography of print and nonprint materials suitable for students. The author, an expert in the social history of the era, examines the political activism, protests, music, and social conduct that made the 1960s such an extraordinary era. He also demonstrates that contrary to popular thinking, only a small minority of the baby boomers who came of age then were directly involved in student demonstrations, protests against the Vietnam War, or antisocial behavior that many Americans perceive as typical of the 1960s. Bringing to life the passion of the era are the texts of primary documents such as statements from the Students for a Democratic Society, speeches by leaders of the student protest movement and the Hippies, interviews, and responses from establishment politicians. The analytical essays, primary documents, and ready-reference material will help students to gain a deeper understanding of the period.

There has never been a decade quite like the '60s, and the diversity, conflicts, hope and anger that characterized those years are all captured here, day by day.