The 60s
Sofia Restrepo, Natalie Guillamon, Sophia Sims
Fashion By: Sofia Restrepo The 1960s were a significant decade for fashion because many fashion traditions were broken and new various diversified trends came to be. The change in fashion was influenced by social classes, music, movies and social movements. During the 1960s, fashion traditions were broken due to social movements and youth who rejected the expectations from the previous decades. Unisex clothing such as denim jeans and leather jackets that could be worn by everyone became popular which meant that people were encouraged to express individuality. By the mid-1960s, Mod fashion reached the United States and was popular among the rich, young people and they would wear bold colors and bold geometric shapes. People who opposed the Mod look became known as "Greasers", and they challenged the colorful fashions worn by Mods and they got their name because of their greased-back hairstyle. They are famous for popularizing the leather jacket as casual. During the late 1960s, as a result of the hippie movement, which encouraged social change and the acceptance of different lifestyles, long maxi skirts and bell bottomed jeans began to gain popularity as well as floral patterns, tie-dyes, and paisley patterns.Women also tended to have a natural look and wore little to no makeup.
Movie stars, music, and the first lady, Jackie Kennedy also influenced fashion trends. Iconic movie stars that impacted the styles were Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Birkin, who each developed their own style and signature look which was copied by many people. Musicians such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and The Kinks made tailored suits topped with anorak popular during the early 1960s and during the late 1960s, they helped the bohemian style and the hippie movement increase in popularity. Jackie Kennedy influenced many young women with her elegant outfits, bouffant do, and pillbox hats and many people admired and imitated her style. The hairstyles that were popular during the time were short haircuts with geometric and asymmetrical cuts. Vidal Sassoon, a famous hairdresser revolutionized women's hairstyling and his famous cut became known as the Sassoon cut.
Food By: Natalie Guillamon There are were many appetizing foods that came about to be in the 60’s and many famous companies. In particular, one of the most common soda company, the Coca-Cola company. Fresca soda created in 1969, it is a calorie-free, lime and grapefruit flavored soft drink. Sprite is another soda that was invented during 1961. As well as Diet pepsi was introduced in 1964, it's a sweetener based soda having Zero calories . Two popular now in days fast food chains opened their first ever restaurant. Wendy’s made its first opening in 1969. As well as the mexican-american food chain, Taco Bell opened its first fast food restaurant in 1962. Mcdonald's afterwards then introduced its first ever big mac in 1967.
The snacks in the 60’s were a big thing, company factories started manufacturing snacks, which these snacks now in days are popular. Pringles are potato chips canned with different flavor including the original favorite flavor. They were introduced in 1968 to the food market. Campbell's soup was also a big hit in the 60’s, there is still now in days many flavors of campbell’s soup. The original and most fan favorite is the chicken alphabet soup. Another snack that was popularly active back then as well as now was the toaster pastry, Pop tarts. The first Pop-Tarts came out in four different flavors: strawberry, blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon, and apple currant.
Culture By: Sophia Sims During the 60’s, the culture revolved around the appearance, lifestyles, and social behavior or in more depth, the clothing, music, art, and liberalization of the young society. This was because of the fact that almost half of the American population at the time was made up of people eighteen and under. The way that people would dress was a way for them to express their freedom and pop-culture. Bell-bottom pants were one of the biggest trends for clothing in the 60s and 70s. Some of the most popular bands in the 60s included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, and
Led Zeppelin. All of these bands were rock bands that included genres ranging from rock, pop, hard rock, power pop, surf, psychedelic, blues rock, folk rock, and heavy metal. Moreover, media allowed people’s views and voices to be seen and heard all over. The media addressed the liberal movements, sex, and violence. Throughout the 60s and 70s there was an uprising of women’s rights movements, equality rights, and gay pride. Overall, culture was at a very high point throughout the 1960s.
Film & Theater By: Sofia Restrepo
The 1960s were a time of great advancement in film and theater and the decade is known to be the birth of modern film. Movies from 1960s were the most creative in cinema history. Violence, racism, vulgarity, and other strong thematic content were no longer forbidden in cinema although they were still taboo. Movies during this time are known to be fun and they had to do with fashion, rock n’ roll, the civil rights movements, and social movements. Influential and famous movies from the decade include the Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Bonnie and Clyde, Spartacus, and The Psycho. Bonnie and Clyde was an important movie in particular because it changed cinema forever in its style, acting, and violent content, and it led to even more violent films.
Although there were a lot of great movies during this time, there was a great decline in movie revenues and the industry suffered. Only about 200 movies were released during the decade. This was about half the amount that were released in the previous decades. Increased popularity in television was what caused there to be lower profits for the industry. In an attempt to lure more people to theaters, the price of a movie ticket was decreased to 69-cents, the equivalent of $4, however, it was still not a common activity for people to go to the theaters. The biggest problem for the film and theater industry was the criticism they received for their ratings of movies. In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America started a rating system that included the ratings G (for general audiences), M (for mature which was later changed to PG), and R, for restricted, and this rating system is still used today.
Music By: Natalie Guillamon Music during the 1960’s played an important role in the life of people. Artistic groups such as The Rolling Stones, The beatles, The Marvelettes were important during the musical era in the 60’s. The Rolling Stones were an English rock band formed in London in the year 1962. This group consisted of the Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and Ian Stewart. Their two most popular hit songs were "Give Me Shelter, and "Rocks Off. Another one of their hit songs during the 60’s was “Paint it, black” which came out in 1966. This is one of the most famous songs by the English rock band, reaching the number one spot in both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. and "Sympathy for the Devil" was another hit song launched in 1968.
“Paint it Black” is referenced as a depressed song have lyrics echoing feeling shared by many during the Vietnam, War Civilians and soldier alike.When the song was released in 1966, public opinion was already turning against the Vietnam War, which seemed it might never end. There are many theories on how the song is about the Vietnam War, but the band stated that it was about dark times in drug use. The Marvelettes were a popular girl group during the 60’s with their hit song, “Please, Mr. Postman” launched in 1961.
Sports By: Sophia Sims The Olympics is one of the main worldwide sporting events that brings nations together. It occurs every four years, ever since April 6, 1896. The 1960 olympics officially known as the Games of XVII Olympiad, began on Thursday, August 25. This amazing sporting event was held in Rome, Italy. Athlete, Boris Shakhlin was a Soviet gymnast and the 1960 Olympic all-around champion. Also, Wilma Rudolph was a sprinter for America and she became a world record holding olympic champion. The very well known, Muhammad Ali, first earned his recognition through winning the light-heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 olympics.
Other than the Olympics throughout the 60s, big sporting events included the Super Bowl, Baseball World Series, and Tennis US National Championship which is also known as the US Open. The first Super Bowl in history was in 1967. Super Bowl I was held in Los Angeles, California and it was won by the Green Bay Packers. The 1960s Baseball World Series was held from October 5th through the 13th. It was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NL and the Yankees of the AL. The 1960 US Open tennis tournament lasted from September 2nd to the 17th. Neale Fraser won the men’s singles and Darlene Hard won the women’s singles.
Education By: Sofia Restrepo
During the 1960s, a revolution in education took place and education changed for the better. The federal government became more education-oriented because Americans became aware of the lack of educated people in the nation. Education became a debated topic during the decade for two major reasons: the fight for equal rights for African Americans and also the government refusing to offer funds to private and parochial schools. Students during the 1960s began learning and studying old subjects in a new way and work encouraged more thinking and was more difficult. Diversity was emphasized when courses exploring the United States were taught. The struggles of African Americans for equality and the experiences of Native Americans were taught like never before. New courses such as social science, sociology, and theater arts became available to students during the decade and an important program that was created, was the foreign language program. The number of bilingual people in the nation's increased when bilingual education programs were increased as a result of immigrants insisting on maintaining their native language and also learning English. These changes led to a stronger American workforce.
Although the Supreme Court issued the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling in 1954, which claimed that segregated schools were unconstitutional, it was not until the 1960's that schools began to desegregate. After Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech, President John F. Kennedy sent the Civil Rights Bill to Congress. The Civil Rights Act was finally passed in 1964. The act protected students from racial discrimination in educational institutions and it led to the integration of schools. In 1964, only two southern states, Texas and Tennessee, had schools in which more than 2% of the students were African American. The following year, the number of African Americans integrated increased to 6%. By the late 1960's, three-fourth of African Americans got their high school diplomas. In 1969, the Supreme Court declared that it was the obligation of every school district to terminate dual school systems out and operate as unitary schools. This led to the soaring of college admission and to a stronger and better educated workforce for African Americans.
Law & Justice By: Natalie Guillamon Nearly 100 years after the emancipation proclamation, African Americans in southern states still lived with an unequal world. There were many race inspired violence like segregation and other various forms of oppression. Before there were “Jim Crow “ laws. Which ordered the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. Then came 1954 through 1968, African Americans were tired of segregation and their scornful treatment just because the color of their skin. The Civil Rights Movement came to be. civil rights activists used nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to bring about change.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, it was signed by President Lyndon B Johnson on August 6, 1965. It aimed to overcome the barriers of African not having the right to vote. The Civil Rights Act of 1968, it was signed on April 1968 known as the Fair Housing Act- prohibited discrimination concerning rental and financing of housing based in race, religion, national origin and sex. The civil rights Act of 1964, it outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Many leaders from within the African American community and beyond rose to fame during the Civil Rights era, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Andrew Goodman and others. They risked—and sometimes lost—their lives in the name of freedom and equality.
Government & Politics By: Sophia Sims Throughout the 1960s, there have been four iconic US presidents. Ending his administration, the 34th president of the US and Republican, Dwight D. Eisenhower had a term from 1953-1961. Some of his accomplishments included signing the Federal Aid Highway act of 1956 and he ended the Korean War. He was known for staying calm and acting rational in many tense situations throughout his term. Next came Democrat, John F. Kennedy, that served his term from 1961 until November 22, 1963, when he was assassinated. In his term he was successful at getting the US economy out of recession, he established the Peace Corps in 1961, and he promoted NASA for the first trip to the moon. Moreover, Democrat, Lyndon B. Johnson served from 1963 to 1969, filling in after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He made improvements that have changed and shaped the US such as Medicare, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Furthermore, Republican, Richard Nixon was a president that made big impacts to US history that are debateable to being wrong or right.
He expanded the Vietnam War to Cambodia and Laos and in June of 1969, President Nixon announced his plan for Vietnamization of the war. His plan was to train and transition South Vietnamese troops to take over the U.S.' former roles after they would leave. He was also the first president to resign from office because of the watergate scandal in which he was responsible for spying on the Democrats’ plans.
Way We Lived By: Sofia Restrepo During the 1960s, the way Americans lived changed significantly. Social movements such as the civil rights movement, the gay liberation movement, and the women's movement shaped and defined the decade. The movement that brought about the most change was the “ youth movement” because it was when the youth became aware of social issues, especially issues of war and starvation and they decided to speak out by protesting. Older people protested along the youths in an antiwar movement, to protest American involvement in the Vietnam War. Protests started in the early 1960s, and escalated in the mid 1960s as U.S. involvement increased. Protests took place on college campuses around the nation and the Students for Democratic Society (SDS) was created. On April 1965, the SDS organized a march on Washington D.C. to protest the Vietnam War and after it took place, more people got involved and they started taking more action on issues relating the war, especially the drafting of students.
Youth that rejected conventional American values and instead embraced values of freedom and lack of responsibility, became known as hippies. Hippies dropped out of school, used drugs, and shared property. In the beginning of the decade, the civil rights movement was the most significant movement of the decade. There were many sit-ins, boycotts, and nonviolent protests, and it was mostly in the South that they took place. An iconic moment of the movement and of civil rights history was the 1963 March on Washington D.C., where thousands of Americans expressed their approval for equal rights for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr., a key figure in the civil rights movement, also gave his “ I Have a Dream” speech which is one of the most important speeches in history and it made Congress move faster in passing the Civil Rights Act.
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS By: NATALIE GUILLAMON While John F. Kennedy was president, he proposed the “New Frontier,” a package of laws and reforms that sought to eliminate injustice and inequality in the United States. Though the these new laws brought a handful of problems. Then on November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Lyndon B. Johnson ws JFK vice president and he immediately became president afterwards. While John’s presidency he made many programs. These included Medicare and Medicaid, which helped elderly and low-income people pay for health care Head Start, which prepared young children for school, and a Job Corps that trained unskilled workers for jobs in the deindustrializing ( a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity) economy.
In 1964, Congress authorized the president to take “all necessary measures” to protect American soldiers and their allies from the communist Viet Cong. Within days, the draft began.The movement against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War began small among peace activists on college campuses gained national attention in 1965, after the United States began bombing North Vietnam.
In 1963, young women who read The Feminine Mystique, a book by jewish writer Betty Friedan. Was about the women's rights movement. Fredan was a housewife that argued that many women were secretly unhappy with their limited roles in society. The women celebrated the passage of the 1963 Equal Pay Act . This book changed the idea about the roles both women and men, It also inspired many women to seek careers outside of home. In 1966, Friedan helped found the National Organization for Women (NOW). NOW swayed congress for laws that would give women greater equality. It demanded that medical school and law practices train and hire more women. It also campaigned for day-care facilities for the children of mothers who worked outside of home. The women’s movement did make notable gains. In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which required the equal pay for men and women doing the same job.
Many Mexican Americans in the Southwest were migrant workers, traveling from farm to farm to pick crops. In 1966, Cesar chavez form a labor union, the United Farm Workers (UFW). Its goal was to win higher wages and decent working conditions for migrant laborers. King chavez favored nonviolent protest. When growers refused to recognize the UFW, he organized a national boycott of California grapes. In 1970 , many americans stopped buying grapes that growers agreed to sign a contract with the union. July 1969. It's a little over eight years since the flights of Gagarin and Shepard, followed quickly by President Kennedy's challenge to put a man on the moon before the decade is out. In 1969 apollo 11 made its first ever moon landing.
Foreign Affairs BY: SOPHIA SIMS All over the world events are taking place at all times, constantly making their way into history. As for foreign affairs, there are many that occurred in the 60s, such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Tet Offensive, and Peace Corps. On April 17th, 1961, 1,400 Cuban exiles went back to Cuba as a part of a plan to take back their country with the help of the US. The plan was to have a surprise attack at night with two air-strikes on Cuban air bases and place more attacks soon after. The next step would be for the US to set up an impermanent US government. At the time, President Eisenhower gave permission for the CIA to continue their plan. The Cuban exiles were trained by the CIA for guerilla warfare and tactics.
Even before the Cuban exiles touched base in Cuba, the plan was already going wrong, but then came the biggest flaw to their plan. Kennedy called off the 2nd air strike. On April 19th, the invasion was over, people were captured, and then held captive for many months to come. On January 31st, 1968, the Tet Offensive took place. The Tet Offensive was when the Vietcong forces shocked the U.S. with a series of wave attacks. These attacks were supported by North Vietnam, seeing as the Vietcong fought for North Vietnam. The attacks took place during the Vietnamese Tet Holiday, in which both sides had called a ceasefire to be able to enjoy their holiday. The Peace Corps was made permanent on September 22, 1961 when John F. Kennedy signed a congressional legislation. The Peace Corps has three goals that are still the part of the Peace Corps Mission today. The three goals are “to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women”, “to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served”,
and “to promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans”.
Marilyn and jfk? By: Sofia Restrepo Marilyn Monroe, a famous American actress and model, first met in President John F. Kennedy in 1962 at a dinner party hosted by his sister, Patricia, in his honor. They had met previously in two other occasions, but they had not talked in depth. When she arrived an hour later to the party, 'The President turned around and you could see that he was immediately attracted to her. "Finally! You're here," he said, with a big smile. Before she left the party, JFK asked for her phone number, and obviously she gave it to him.
The next day, he invited her to Palm Springs and informed her that his wife would not be there. Philip Watson, one of JFK's friends recalls seeing the two together and saying that they were enjoying each other's company. Marilyn Monroe became obsessed with the President, but after Palm Springs, he was pretty much done with her. JFK told Marilyn that she was not First Lady material and that they should end things, and this angered Marilyn very much. In 1962, Marilyn died after overdosing and the following year, JFK was assassinated. While some people believed that there was never an affair, many people believed that she had an affair with not only him, but with his brother as well.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Crossword Puzzle
Book Review By: Sophia Sims The story, Where the Wild Things Are, is a children’s book written by Maurice Sendak. It is a great creative story that has been popular through the years and even became a movie. In 1964 it won the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book of the year. The book is based on a troublesome little boy named, Max. He gets sent to his room for bad behavior, to later find himself in an imaginary world. His world is full of “wild things” that have chosen him as their leader. They have fun and act crazy, night through day. There comes a point when Max is sad because of how lonely he feels. Then he leaves his “wild things” to travel back to where he came from. The story ends with him having been in his room all along. There was hot food waiting for him as he “returned” to his room. It was great to see Maurice Sendak’s way of making these “wild things” into characters that are silly rather than the ferocious and scary monsters that they seem to look like. The little boy and the “wild things” were just looking for friends and even the “wild things” were upset at the end of the story. The story also shows how although the imaginary world was lots of fun, it couldn’t compare to the same feeling that max got from being in his home. The illustrations in this children’s book fit the storyline perfectly and it was very detailed in order to give readers the perfect interpretation of Max’s imaginary world of “wild things.”
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