United States History The 1960s | Study Guide

University:
Concordia University Wisconsin
Course:
HIST 1215 | American Civilization II
Academic year:

2021
Views:

281

Pages:

1
Author:

Dawson Thornton

The 1960s The 1960s (similar to the 1920s) were a time of great change in the US. (For example: The government became more active in citizen’s well-being, President Lyndon) ● Johnson’s Great Society program aimed to make a “War on Poverty”, with results like Head Start, Medicaid, Medicare, housing projects. ● Women’s rights movements became active again, and the idea of women’s liberation led to events such as the formation of the National Organization for Women (NOW), the movement to pass an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion, and other groups also began to demand equality, such as the Chicanos/Latinos led by Cesar Chavez. ● The Supreme Court of the 1960s made decisions on many cases where people’s civil liberties [rights] were expanded: Mapp v. Ohio; Engel v. Vitale; Gideon v. Wainwright; Miranda v. Arizona; Tinker v. Des Moines [see handout: “Landmark Supreme Court Cases”]. ● The Vietnam War was a major part of the 1960s. Here are the main facts: the US government said the war needed to be fought to stop the spread of communism (containment, the domino theory), and over 50,000 Americans died. ● Many people inside the US were against the war (the peace movement), however, protests against the war often became violent (usually by the authorities). This resulted in people having less trust in the government. th ● Other important results of the Vietnam War were: the 26 Amendment, the War Powers Act of 1973, and the New York Times v. United States Supreme Court case.