The 1960s Research Paper

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Dylan Rainbeau Mr. Higgins Honors English III 6 March, 2024 Title It was the night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and icons of the anti-war movement Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin were witnessing the horror and brutality of the police on innocent protestors. As Hoffman and Rubin had led protesters at a rally at the park, police arrived shortly after and chaos erupted. Both Hoffman and Rubin were left speechless and stone-cold, as the police relentlessly beat protesters and threw tear gas into the crowd. Surrounded by the commotion, Hoffman and Rubin began to question their cause. This is what the 1960s was about, change and reform. It was a wake-up call for American society to make changes now and not wait any longer. The 1960s …show more content…

The clash between the people and the government over social, political, and cultural issues is a common theme of the 1960s as it was a time of reform for America. Additionally, the movement also pushed for a reevaluation of internal issues and conflicts that many Americans wanted to be resolved such as more progressive reform for African Americans and other groups which was seen during the Civil Rights Movement earlier in the 1960s. The need for change was seen earlier in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. Before the Civil Rights and Voting Acts were passed, African Americans faced constant discrimination. Furthermore, many people and politicians were heavily against reform, especially in the South where tension between African Americans and whites remained high. However, by the 1960s there were several prominent advocates for reform including Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins, Malcolm X, and A. Philip Randolph. Additionally, as the 1960s began there was high public interest in reform as people were coming out of the more conservative 1950s. However, due to people being against reform, it led to change taking time. Yet, this didn’t stop people protesting and making change …show more content…

Susan De-Gala explains this in Civil Disobedience during the Civil Rights Movement when she says, “. As a tactic used to promote social reform, civil disobedience goes beyond legal protest; that is, it is defined in part by the use of illegal actions. Some of the illegal acts committed by civil rights activists in the 1960s, for example, include blockades, sit-ins, demonstrating without a permit, and “Black people drinking out of drinking fountains designated for white people only.” Though illegal, it was highly effective at bringing the Civil Rights Movement to the forefront of the news. This led to widespread public support for the movement, putting more pressure on politicians, leading to many openly supporting reform. Finally, after years of protesting, both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 would eventually be passed prohibiting discrimination by race and securing equal voting rights for African Americans. These acts also helped advance equality for many other groups also facing discrimination by further emboldening activists to continue fighting for their

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