A Look In The 60’s By James, Jack, Max, and Henry
Table Of Contents Page 4: A Philosophical Look At “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” Page 5: Music of the 1960’s Page 7: The Way We Lived Page 8: Culture Pages 9-10: Domestic Affairs Page 11: Fashion Page 12: Food Page 14: Sports Page 16: Film and Theater Page 17: Government and Politics Page 20: Law and Justice Pages 21-22: Foreign Affairs Page 23: Gossip
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A Philosophical Look At “The Very Hungry Caterpillar� Reviewed By Professor Jack Madsen, PHD The phenomenal tale of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," written by the philosophical genius Eric Carle, tells the emotional tale of self improvement as a newly born caterpillar eats in attempt to forget that his mother left him in the cruel world he inhabits, alone. Eventually, the caterpillar gets a stomach ache, symbolizing that that despite the fact that he has eaten so much, he still aches for, not food, but love. The caterpillar eventually finds his salvation in the form of leaves. Then he turns into a fabulous butterfly, symbolizing his salvation and freeing itself from its shackles which previously held him back.
In my opinion, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is one of the most educational books of it's time, teaching kids about healthy eating and such, but also gives an adult reader an intellectual tale to keep them reading.
The Music Of The 1960’s In the Sixties the genre of Rock and Roll came into its own, with bands such as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, and the king, Elvis Presley. The top charts were shared by American and British bands led by the Beatles and The Rolling Stones. A lot of songs in the Sixties started having political statements in the lyrics, and music became more of a message to the people of America. The top charts were dominated by The Beatles with 6 of the ten albums of the decade. Elvis Presley was there nearest competitor with 9 of the decade's top 100 hit singles and 4 of the decade’s top albums.
In the late sixties garage bands became overly popular and outdoor rock concerts became more and more normal. People were beginning to create their own music and many new bands came into existence, sadly, many never seeing popularity.
The Way We Lived
In the 1960's, the American dream was simply for peace, freedom, and equality. Doves were beginning to get their way in the Vietnam War and there were also protests for African American and women's rights. However, the Beetles and Lava Lamps made fine distractions for the public, as they ignored all the controversy going on in politics. In the 60's African Americans were still segregated, therefore they normally got worse jobs than white Americans, got paid less, had to live in worse living conditions, and had segregated parts of public space which were, like everything else, in worse condition than the white section. If you were white, however, you got to go to concerts, have lava lamps, and live in decent houses with decent jobs like being a lawyer, construction worker, or doctor. To add to their privileges, white Americans also normally had the, referred to as, “perfect family,� containing two kids (one boy and one girl) and the content husband and wife.
Culture
A big theme in the 1960's was Capitalism, which corrupting American society, thus the Materialist culture began and hit America hard. This approach to life claimed that people were so obsessed with success and materialistic values that they had lost the other joyous things in life. It also stated that people were being taught to never try anything risky, that schools had lost its goal of teaching and is just trying to create basic people, and that you had to be married even if you didn't feel any love towards them. The way people "escaped" this society was to, controversially, use hallucinogens. Among capitalism, people also protesting for African American rights and to end the war in Vietnam. Color TV's were also created in this decade, which practically killed the Drive-in Movie. Other popular trends included afros, Go-Go Boots, Barbies, and Lava lamps.
Domestic Affairs There were 3 presidents throughout the 1960’s, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. To begin, Dwight D. Eisenhower, began his presidency in 1953 and served two terms until 1961. Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a republican, made several decisions concerning the economy, protecting freedom and civil rights. Dealing with the effects of the Cold War at home, complicated decisions must have been made in a short amount of time. Thankfully, Eisenhower normally made the right decision as it was reflected in the polls, as he received high approval ratings exceeding 70%.
John F. Kennedy's presidency was cut short as he was assassinated in the middle of his first term as he only served 3 years (1961-1963). Kennedy, a democrat, planned a domestic policy which was later called “New Frontier.” Kennedy came into office when the United States was in the depths of the fourth major recession since World War II. The most important domestic dilemma at the time of Kennedy's presidency was civil rights. Kennedy's lack of participation to help African Americans is quite controversial.
Domestic Affairs
Lyndon B. Johnson was president for two terms, serving from 1963-1969, and was the 36th president. Johnson promoted the war on poverty as he strived to end it. Johnson was president during most of the Vietnam War and was not liked for what he did to combat it. This made Johnson a highly disliked president. Johnson was actually the originally the Vice President for John F. Kennedy, but after the assassination Johnson became president. We will never know if he truly followed the same Domestic Affairs planned by John F. Kennedy, but we do know that not all of his decisions were thought through.
Fashion The decade of the 1960’s broke a lot of fashion traditions, and had a lot of diverse trends, much like the social movements of the decade. Some of the many fashion idols were Jackie Kennedy (The Pillbox Hat) Mary Quant (The Miniskirt) and the Beatles (Male Hairstyles). The hippie style also entered the decade in the late 60’s and people started dressing up in the hippie-like clothing. Overall, it was a very revolutionary decade for fashion as a whole.
Popular fashion items for women in the 60’s were Go-Go Boots, fake eyelashes, miniskirts, and the pillbox hat. The miniskirt was a very popular style after Mary Quant showed it of and popularized it. The hippies movement influenced women's clothing with bell-bottoms and tie dye colored clothing. Men hairstyles were influenced by the Beatles and the British MODS. Men were also affected by the hippie movement, but not as much as the women. Popular men styles were longer collars, flared pant legs and the use of geometric designs.
Food
Jello Salad was a popular dish that was served often in the 1960s that consists of many popular foods often put in salads such as Mandarin Oranges, Ham. Olives, Lettuce, Cheese, Sour Cream, etc put in a gelatin mold and prepared like normal Jell-O. The dish was served cold and was often eaten during the sweltering summertime.
Another popular dish that was eaten across the nation was Meatballs with Grape Jelly and BBQ Sauce. The combination is considered genius by some and disgusting to others. Cereal was a new fad that was becoming more modernized. Cereal Brands were starting to leave the bland cornflakes behind and use more sweet and fun flavours and gimmicks such as Lucky Charmes with their marshmallows and the sugar coated charms.
Sports
In the 60s sports played a big role in American Culture much like they do today. The most popular sport in the 1960s was Alpine Skiing because it was considered the most fun and quite easy to learn. The second most popular sport was American Football because of how many people played it and how easy it is to play the game. Unlike skiing which requires many tools and equipment while football only needs a patch of grass and a football. The NFL was just created and starting to catch popularity and will soon become the nation's national pastime and the most played sport in America. Some famous ski champions were the Swiss team and the Canadian team with the leading champion being Ernst Hinterseer on the Swiss team.
Film and Theater A famous movie that was created during the 60’s which is The Sound Of Music. The Sound of Music is a film which depicts an Austrian family who have lost their mother and are looking for a nanny to fill the motherly role. There is also conflict with the Nazis trying to invade Austria and take over the family's home. One family’s maid took the children on adventures through the parks, teaching them life lessons.
A popular theatre play of the 1960’s was “Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf” which was about a couple and what twisted actions went on during their relationship. The play is considered to be one of the most famous and best written plays of all time but was not able to get an Oscar because of the inappropriate content inside the play.
Government and Politics
In the 60’s, the United States was involved in the Cold War. This war was something presidential candidates used to base their campaign off of. For example, John F. Kennedy did this and he won the election and became president. The Cold War was the main focus of both the public and the government at the time. President's promised they would do this and that, but often times nothing was done. There was also the Civil Rights Movement gaining popularity at the time. This was also normally a topic of conversation. The Civil Rights Movement changed a lot of things in both politics and government. It made politicians realize that if they wanted to get more votes, they would also have to appeal to the African American community. Two out of the three presidents of the 60’s were democrats so the 60’s was a decade of mostly democratic rule.
Law and Justice
In combination of segregation and an ending of the Vietnam War, was still going strong, law and justice was ramped in the 60's. Not much is to be said on Vietnam, except for people breaking the law to not get sent to Vietnam in protest. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act had been passed, which officially gave African Americans the right to be a part of the voting process. Unfortunately, it would be a long time until areas in the South would allow people to vote. Despite the fact that the people keeping African Americans out of voting booths was illegal, not many in the South were arrested for it. The Voting Rights Act, made a year later, put an end to it.
Foreign Affairs The presidents during the sixties, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson did much to further the US in foreign affairs. First, the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 because the communist east remand did not want refugees to enter west Germany. The construction of the wall created the iron curtain through Europe, and separated the democratic and communist countries. One of the first major foreign policies of the 1960’s was in April 1961, it was known as the Bay of Pigs. John F. Kennedy learned of an invasion plan from Eisenhower's presidency. The CIA organized an operation in which it trained and funded a force of exiled counter-revolutionary Cubans serving as the armed wing of the Democratic Revolutionary Front, known as Brigade 2506. Launched from Guatemala, the attack went wrong almost from the start. Components of Brigade 2506 landed at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961 and were defeated within 2 days by Cuban armed forces under the direct command of Castro.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. The United States found missiles in Cuba supplied by the Russians, and came close to firing on them, but the Soviet Union just sent the missiles back in time.
Foreign Affairs In late January, 1968, during the lunar new year holiday of Vietnam, North Vietnamese and communist Viet Cong forces launched a coordinated attack against a number of targets in South Vietnam. During the Vietnam War South Vietnam and its allies called a cease fire to celebrate the holiday and have one day of peace. The Vietcong agreed to this but then betrayed the cease fire and opened fire on the citizens of South Vietnam. This event showed how ruthless the Vietcong and the communists really were.
The United States competed in the 20th century competition between them and the USSR, to see who could revolt more astronomical technology. The competition seemed to be at a standstill until 1961 when the soviets launched the first man into space and brought him back alive. The United States worked hard in their space program and sent a man to the moon as well, but the needed a “first� to. The Apollo 11 landed on the moon and had the first men on the moon.
Gossip The famed actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe died of an accidental drug overdose. Apparently Monroe was on several Numbatals, when she went to she her doctor. The Doctor prescribed her with Chita-hydrate enema, the combination of the drugs killed her. We hope her legacy will live on. Neil Armstrong has become an overnight sensation becoming the first man to step on the moon! Armstrong uttered the quote “ one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind.� Armstrong began a new era of technology, and changed the world for the better. Buzz Aldrin, the second man to take step on the moon, not getting as much attention, must have felt pretty jealous don't you think?
Education in the 1960’s A revolution in education took place in the United States during the 1960s. The federal government became increasingly education-oriented. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson lobbied Congress for increased federal aid to education, leading to the creation of new programs. In the 60’s the school system was mainly focused on desegregating schools and eventually getting African Americans into the same schools as whites. John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson were the main contributors to the desegregation of schools. The way students learned changed in the 60’s as well. History was now beginning to include more and more facts about African American culture and way of life. Overall, the way of teaching in the 1960’s changed because more and more African American history was being taught.
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