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Tumultuous 1960s

Issues

Civil Rights

The separate but equal doctrine has failed in three important respects. First it is inconsistent with the fundamental equalitarianism of the American way of life in that it marks groups with the brand of inferior status. Secondly, where it has been followed, the results have been separate and unequal facilities for minority peoples. Finally, it has kept people apart despite incontrovertible evidence that an environment favorable to civil rights is fostered whenever groups are permitted to live and work together.

President's Committee on Civil Rights, 1947

The New Left

Loneliness, estrangement, isolation describe the vast distance between man and man today....We would replace power rooted in possession, privilege, or circumstance by power and uniqueness rooted in love, reflectiveness, reason and creativity. As a social system we seek the establishment of a democracy of individual participation, governed by two central aims: that the individual share in those social decisions determining the quality and direction of his life; that society be organized to encourage independence in men and provide the media for their common participation.

Port Huron Statement of Students for a Democratic Society, 1962

Women's Liberation

We reject the current assumption that a man must carry the sole burden of supporting himself, his wife, and family, and that a woman is automatically entitled to lifelong support by a man upon her marriage, or that marriage, home and family are primarily woman's world and responsibility--hers, to dominate--his to support. We believe that a true partnership between the sexes demands a different concept of marriage, an equitable sharing of the responsibilities of home and children and of the economic burdens of their support....

In the interests of the human dignity of women, we will protest and endeavor to change the false image of women now prevalent in the mass media, and in the texts, ceremonies, laws, and practices of the major social institutions. Such images perpetuate contempt for women by society and by women for themselves.

National Organization for Women's Statement of Purpose, 1966

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Equal Rights Amendment

1. Examine the origins of the struggles of blacks, students, and women for equal rights. What factors contributed to growing radicalization of these groups during the 1960s?

2. Which strategy--court battles, non-violent protest, or violent confrontation--was most effective in bringing about social change?

3. What do you think was the major goal of the struggles of blacks, students, and women for equal rights--a transformation of American society or equal participation within the existing order?

American Foreign Policy

Why are we in South Vietnam? We are there because we have a promise to keep. Since 1954 every American President has offered support to the people of South Vietnam....We have made a national pledge to help South Vietnam defend its independence. And I intend to keep our promise....

We are also there to strengthen world order. Around the globe, from Berlin to Thailand, are people whose well-being rests, in part, on the belief that they can count on us if they are attacked. To leave Vietnam to its fate would shake the confidence of all these people in the value of American commitment, the value of America's word. The result would be increased unrest and instability, and even wider war.

We are also there because there are great stakes in the balance. Let no one think for a moment that retreat from Vietnam would being an end to conflict. The battle would be renewed in one country and then another. The central lesson of our time is that the appetite of aggression is never
satisfied.

President Johnson defends the American role in Vietnam, 1965

Because we are free we can never be indifferent to the fate of freedom elsewhere. Our moral sense dictates a clearcut preference for those societies, which share with us an abiding respect for individual human rights....Our commitment to human rights must be absolute.

President Carter, 1977

Through the 1950s and on into the 1960s our national security was coupled with a sense of national unity and purpose. But that changed. The Soviet Union has now forged ahead in producing nuclear and conventional weapons....Let us not be satisfied with a foreign policy whose principal accomplishment seems to be our acquisition of the right to sell Pepsi-Cola in Siberia. It is time that we, the people of the United States, demand a policy that puts our own nation's interests as the first priority....Our foreign policy in recent years seems to be a matter of placating potential adversaries. Does our government fear that the American people lack willpower?

Ronald Reagan, 1976

1. Why did the United States intervene in Vietnam according to President Johnson?

2. Were vital American interests at stake in the Vietnam War?

3. On what grounds did anti-war critics protest American involvement in Vietnam?

4. Are American interests best served by a foreign policy emphasizing human rights or a policy emphasizing more concrete national interests?

5. Should the United States conduct its foreign policy unilaterally or through multilateral organizations?

Great Society Legislation
Year	Legislation	What it provided
1964	24th Amendment	Banned poll tax in federal elections
	Civil Rights Act	Banned discrimination in public accommodations and employment
	Urban Mass Transportation Act	Provided financial aid for urban mass transit systems
	Economic Opportunity Act	Authorized the Job Corps and VISTA
	Wilderness Preservation Act	Barred commercial use in 9.1 million acres of national forest
1965	Elementary and Secondary School Act	Provided $1.3 billion in aid to schools
	Medicare	Provided medical aid for the elderly
	Voting Rights Act	Forbade literacy tests and other voting restrictions
	Omnibus Housing Act Department of Housing and Urban Development	Provided rent supplements to low income families
	National Endowment for the Arts	Provided federal assistance to the arts
	Water Quality Act Immigration reform laws Air Quality Act	Required states to establish and enforce water quality standards
	Higher Education Act	Provided federal scholarships
1966	National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act Highway Safety Act Department of Transportation	Sets federal safety standards
	Model Cities	Rehabilitated slums

The Civil Rights Revolution

African American Voter Registration Before and After Voting Rights Act of 1965
	1960	1966	Percent Increase
Alabama	66,000	250,000	278.8
Arkansas	73,000	115,000	57.5
Florida	183,000	303,000	65.6
Georgia	180,000	300,000	66.7
Louisiana	159,000	243,000	52.8
Mississippi	22,000	175,000	695.4
North Carolina	210,000	282,000	34.3
South Carolina	58,000	191,000	229.3
Tennessee	185,000	225,000	21.6
Texas	227,000	400,000	76.2
Virginia	100,000	205,000	105.0

1. What difference did the Voting Rights Act make in black voter participation?

2. In which states was the impact greatest?

Median Income of Families by Race Ratio of Non-white to White Incomes
1939	37 percent
1950	54 percent
1955	55 percent
1960	55percent
1965	55 percent
1970	64 percent
1975	65 percent
1980	58 percent

African American Family Incomes, 1947 and 1974 (in 1974 dollars)
	1947	1974
Less than $3,000	42	14
$3,000 to $6,999	41	31
$7,000 to $9,999	9	16
$10,000 and more	8	38

Employment as Professional, Managerial, Technical, or Administrative Workers
	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980
Black males	3	4	5	8	20
White males	17	19	23	25	32
Black females	5	7	8	11	20
White females	19	18	17	19	25

Percentage of Families at Various Income Levels by Ethnicity, 1980
	Black	Hispanic	White
$25,000+	20	23	42
$15,000-25,000	23	26	28
$ 7,500-15,000	27	29	20
$ 0-7,500	30	22	10

Years of Schooling
	Blacks	Whites
1950	6.8	9.3
1981	12.1	12.6

Proportion of Americans 25-29 Completing High School
	All Americans	African Americans
1940	38.1	11.6
1950	52.8	22.2
1960	60.7	37.7
1970	73.8	55.4
1980	84.5	75.2

Percentage with four or more years of college
	Blacks	Whites
1950	2.1	6.2
1981	8.2	17.8

Proportion of Families Below the Poverty Level
	All Americans	African Americans
1959	18.5	48.1
1965	11.8	35.5
1971	10.0	28.8
1976	9.4	27.9
1981	11.2	30.8

1. Compare black and white income distributions and educational attainment over time.

2. Which changes offer evidence of improvement? Which statistics indicate little improvement?

U.S. Troop Levels in Vietnam
1960	900
1961	3,200
1962	11,300
1963	16,300
1964	23,300
1965	184,300
1966	385,300
1967	485,600
1968	536,100
1969	475,200
1970	334,600
1971	156,800
1972	24,200

1. When did the American troop commitment increase most rapidly?

2. When did the American troop commitment begin to decline?

Consumer Price Index
	Price Increase
1972	2 percent
1974	8 percent
1976	5 percent
1978	8 percent
1980	12 percent
1982	4 percent
1984	4 percent

Consumer Prices, 1967
3-bedroom house	$17,000
New Cadillac de Ville convertible	$6,700
New Volkswagen	$1,497
5-ounce tube of Crest toothpaste	39 cents
Sirloin steak	89 cents a pound
Hershey chocolate bar	5 cents
Regular gasoline	34 cents a gallon
Portable typewriter	$39
Transistor radio	$14
Man's gray flannel suit	$69
Black and white TV set	$79

1. How have prices changed since 1967? Are increases greatest, in your view, in luxuries or in necessities?

2. What factors have contributed to increased price levels?

Automobile Imports

Proportion of Auto Market Held by Foreign Manufacturers
1946-50	0.2
1961-65	6.1
1966-70	10.6
1971-75	15.2
1976-80	20.1

1. When did automobile imports increase most rapidly?

2. Why, in your view, did automobile imports increase?

Families

The Changing Family
	1960	1980
Married couples	75 %	55 %
with children	44 %	48 %
without children	33%	27%
Female heads	17%	29%
with children	3%	22%
without children	14%	7%
Lone male head	8%	16%
with children	1%	1%
without children	7%	15%

1. Describe the fundamental ways that the nature of work has changed over the course of the 20th century?

2. What kinds of work do people do if they do not make food or goods?

Income

Distribution of Wealth and Income 1980
	Top Fifth	Middle Fifth	Bottom Fifth
Wealth	76 %	6 %	0%
Income	42 %	18 %	5 %

Families at Various Income Levels, 1980
$50,000+	7 %
$25,000-50,000	33 %
$15,000-25,000	28 %
$10,000-15,000	14 %
$ 5,000-10,000	13 %
$ 0-5,000	6 %

Ethnic Composition of the U.S., 1980
German-Austrian	19 %
English-Scottish	17 %
African	12 %
Irish	11 %
Hispanic	7 %
Italian	6%
Scandinavian	6 %

U.S. Population Statistics
Year	Population	Median Age
1790	3,929,000	15.9
1800	5,297,000	16
1810	7,224,000	16
1820	9,618,000	16.7
1830	12,901,000	17.2
1840	17,120,000	17.8
1850	23,261,000	18.9
1860	31,513,000	19.4
1870	39,905,000	20.2
1880	50,262,000	20.9
1890	63,056,000	22.0
1900	76,094,000	22.9
1910	92,407,000	24.1
1920	106,466,000	25.3
1930	123,188,000	26.5
1940	132,122,000	29.0
1950	151,683,000	30.2
1960	180,671,000	29.5
1970	204,879,000	28.1

This site was updated on 06-Oct-08.