The 1960s

The 1960's were referred to as the decade of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll". The younger generations took over this decade, separating themselves from the past by the way of rebellion. This decade was a revolution leading into what we now know in the present.

Music - By Samantha

The Twist by Chubby Checker

“The Twist” by Chubby Checker started a dance craze that swept the nation. Many versions of this song were written and recorded, but Checker’s version was the one that caught on. People loved it because the dance move was so easy to do. Since this was the first popular song of its kind, it inspired the younger generations to begin a revolution. It was out with the old and in with the new.

Hey Jude by The Beatles

“Hey Jude” by The Beatles was one of their two songs that made it to the top 5. Millions of people loved the song and over 3 million copies of it were sold in the first 2 months of it’s release. Some people believe that the song is about change and rebellion in the form of drugs, heroine in particular. However, there are many people who don't believe this, but the true meaning of the song is debatable.

The Theme From 'A Summer Place' by Percy Faith And His Orchestra

“The Theme From ‘A Summer Place’” by Percy Faith And His Orchestra made history by being the first movie theme to win the Grammy for record of the year, even though his version was not used in the movie. The instrumental song was romantic, therefore it reached out to younger generations and became widely popular. Although it was not a “rebellious” song, it still fit in well with the decade.

Tossin' And Turnin' by Bobby Lewis

“Tossin’ And Turnin’” by Bobby Lewis has a beat similar to “The Twist” by Chubby Checker, which might be a reason it was in the top 5 as well. This was Bobby Lewis’s first big hit after being turned down at many auditions. The upbeat song had lyrics clearly directed at younger people, some claiming the song was about sex. The song is part of the revolution as it clearly shows new forms of song lyrics.

I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles

“I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles is their second song to make it into the top 5. This was the song that launched Beatlemania and started the “British Invasion”. Of course, the younger generations (mainly teenage girls) went crazy for the British band. So crazy, that this song started it’s own revolution, as many British bands started playing their songs in America to see if they would have the same reaction.

Advertising - Nicole

"Show Her, It's A Man's World"

Advertising in the 1960s were mostly about drugs, rebellion, and showing that men were superior to women.

This ad shows a man in bed, who is obviously comfortable, while there is a woman, presumably his wife, who is bringing him breakfast. The ad has words on it saying "show her it's a man's world". This is basically saying that men rule over women and that women should be their "servants".

"Rebellion In Black And White"

This ad suggests that there were rebellions to end segregation. The "colored" were sick of being mistreated as they were also human. This ad shows that there was a lot of segregation and that there were people who didn't approve of it.

In Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), the Supreme Court outlawed segregated public education facilities for blacks and whites at the state level. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended all state and local laws requiring segregation.

"Keep Her Where She Belongs..."

This ad also shows that women are less than men as it says to "keep her where she belongs". It was around the 1960s when advertisement companies started using women in ads to show that women were basically men's "toys". The advertisement companies used photos where the women had little to no clothes on.

"For The Anxiety That Comes From Not Fitting In"

This ad shows that there were many problems with being a different race, gender, sexuality, etc. The dominant culture/gender in the 1960s were white men. This ad is targeted at the people who are not the dominant culture, for example: women, blacks, the LGBT+ community, for their ads. The ads are using their anxiety to show that there is a solution to it, and that is drugs.

"You Mean A Woman Can Open It?"

This ad clearly shows that there were many gender stereotypes. Men in the 1960s believed that women were inferior and weaker than they were. They believed that men could do everything whilst women couldn't do anything. Clearly this is not true as there are many women who went down in history.

News And Politics - everybody

Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Become The First People To Land On The Moon - By Samantha

Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin being the first people to land on the moon was a huge deal. Now that it had been proved that people could be sent to the moon and be brought back safely, this definitely wouldn’t be the last time people were sent to the moon. As a matter of fact, the next manned mission to the moon took place just a few months later. This moment deeply impacted and changed this decade and the decades to come.

Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have A Dream" Speech - By Samantha

Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have A Dream” Speech had a large impact on the 60’s. He was the one who started to gain people’s attention and raise awareness of unfair segregation. His “I Have A Dream” speech started a revolution, causing a wave of people to support him and his cause. This speech impacted the people, which in turn, impacted the decade.

John F. Kennedy - By Felix

John F. Kennedy, elected in 1961 as the the 35th president of the United States. He became the youngest man and the first Roman Catholic president. He was born into a wealthy American family and had an elite education. As president, John F. Kennedy, confronted Cold War tensions in Russia, Vietnam and etc. Not only that but he established the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and the Alliance for Progress across the world. This influenced not only for the US but for the whole world, as now nuclear warfare was prohibited. Sadly, in 1963, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade.

The Vietnam War - By Nicole

The Vietnam War, also called the second Indochina War, was a war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1955 to 1975. It was officially fought between Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam, with North Vietnam being supported by the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies. Southern Vietnam was supported by the United States, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and other anti-communist allies. The war is thus considered a Cold War-era proxy war.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965- By Eric Mishiev

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965 to safeguard the right to vote of Black Americans and ban the use of literacy tests. It outlawed discrimination, ended racial segregation, and protected the voting rights of minorities and women. It was a very big part of history, and America wouldn’t be the same without it. The Voting Rights act was big in the media, with many newspapers writing about it, hoping to catch the whole story. The newspaper below states “Long Debate Ends - Civil Rights Bill Becomes Law.”

Television - Felix

The Flintstones

First, The Flintstones, was a popular television show that was first broadcasted in September 30, 1960 and ended in April 1, 1966. The Flintstones was widely known for the way the show uses the stone age in comparison to modern age. For example, in the show, there was a an adult wooly mammoth that portrayed as a shower with it’s trunk spraying water. They also included names of modern cities that were transferred to the stone age, which includes Mexirock and Hollyrock both being parodies of Mexico and Hollywood. The political system in Bedrock (city and home of the Flintstones) resembles somewhat like modern civilization, which includes the fire department, Camp Millstone Army Base, and Bedrock Hospital. There are no signs of racism, sexism, or any kinds of controversial topics but there have been signs of bullying.

Star Trek

Second is the original series Star Trek, which premiered September 8, 1966 and finally ended June 3, 1969. Star Trek is a series that was based upon interstellar travel and was rated 8.4/10 by IGN. It was widely known for it’s space exploration and science fiction. It also culturally influenced many people today so much that many people rank it as the biggest cultural phenomenon in science fiction and one of the biggest in television. One of the influences was that NASA had named their first orbital shuttle, Space Shuttle Enterprise, was named after the USS Enterprise of Star Trek fame. The overall show has no controversial topics but some of the episodes do show a peak of controversy. For example, In the episode “Rejoined Deep Space Nine” had shown two females kissing. It was removed from TV from the south and the producers received many negative calls about it. Another example would be, would be the episode “The High Ground The Next Generation” which showed a scene that could portray terrorism from Ireland in 2024. This made Ireland and the surrounding areas upset, making the episode cut from their TV line.

Doctor Who

Third, is Doctor Who, which was first broadcasted in 1963 and still runs today. Doctor Who is about the adventures of an alien that can time travel called, “The Doctor”. He explores the universe in a time traveling ship that depicts as a blue police box and encounters many foes and friends. The Doctor also had the goal to help people in need. Doctor Who became so popular that it even has a cult following and has a big part in British culture. Some reasons how Doctor Who became so liked was the central character, an endless variety, and its uniqueness. Not only that but it also influenced the making of Star Wars and Star Trek. There are many controversies that lie inside of Doctor Who. One of them was a black man who spoke barely anything and was treated as a slave and a primitive. This interrupts the idea of the American Value System that all men and women are created equal.

The Andy Griffith Show

Fourth, is The Andy Griffith Show, which aired on CBS from October 3, 1960 to April 1, 1968. The show is an American comedy about Andy Griffith, who portrays the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. Andy Griffith has the absolute power of the community but does not yield to the tempting abusion of it. Many enjoyed this show because of the mysterious that were provided and dangers that Andy Griffith has faced. The series shows a lot of controversial topics in order to provide a problem for Andy to solve. It includes feminization, suicide, racism, sexulization, use of drugs, and murder.

McHale's Navy

Fifth, is McHale’s Navy, which was a television sitcom that surrounded 18 marines’ survival after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The 18 out of 150 aviators were stranded on an island where they adapted to the natives ways. It was influenced by the one hit wonder, “Seven Against The Sea.” It was enjoyed because of its cast’s humor and events. The show, obviously, contained lots of war and other controversies.

FILM - eric Mishiev

Intro:

Films in the 1960s were some of the biggest turning points for the Civil Rights movement. Films were watched by many people for entertainment, so when people saw African Americans in such popular and public films, it was good exposure for the Black actor or actress and the Civil Rights cause. There were not always full African American casts, but they had at least some black cast, and that was good enough.

Lilies of the Field was a very crucial movie that contributed to the Civil rights cause. The main character was Homer Smith, a traveling carpenter played by Sidney Poitier. During his travels he came across three white nuns, who wanted to build a chapel in the desert and thought that Homer could help them. This was such a great and culturally different movie, because it showed that African Americans were helpful. While it got pulled into the stereotype that African Americans were helpers to white men and women, it still showed that they were more than just that. African American men weren't always allowed to be around white people, especially white women. However, movies like these changed a lot of people's minds. The movie quotes, “ He is not of our faith nor of our skin, but he is a men of greatness.” Later on, Sidney won an Oscar for the leading role in this movie and was the first African American to do so.

A Raisin in the Sun was a movie played by an all African-American cast except for one. This was such a pertinent movie because it was so realistic. It summed up the current struggle of what was going on in society at the time. It was about an African American family struggling with poverty, racism, and family issues as they work together trying to get a better life. It made the people who were watching, empathetic to African Americans feelings. They related to the people's struggles. Movies like these were very influential and made people rethink some of their actions and choices towards African Americans.

To Kill a Mockingbird was an American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan. It is based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The novel is known for its graciousness and humor, despite dealing with the serious problems of racial inequality.It stars Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and Mary Badham as Scout. The film was very highly praised and got brilliant reviews. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Peck, and was nominated for eight, including Best Picture. The film and novel exhibit what life was like for Scout in her home town in a time of racial inequality, racism and hatred. She eventually overcomes this, and accepts the the good and evil in her town, and the world.

Five Branded Women was an war drama directed by Martin Ritt. It is not very well known, but it was about 5 women who were accused of being involved with a Nazi soldier. It was one of the few films that showed what life was like for women during WW2, and it also actually showed women, as strong and independent models. The film had displayed what women had to do, what they went through, instead of just ignoring them, as the previous generations did. In fact, the women in the film even shoot Nazi soldiers as a sign of defiance. Even though some sexist stereotypes did exist throughout the movie, there were considerably less compared to the movies of the past, which displayed women as fragile and obedient.

Cleopatra was a romance/historical film, made in 1963. Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton & Rex Harrison. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Rouben Mamoulian, and Darryl F. Zanuck, it showed the accomplishments, romance, and tragedies of Cleopatra. Although the film romanticized some, or most of the events that transpired during that time, it stayed true to history. Unlike other films that have had female lead roles in the past, they did not portray Cleopatra as a weak woman in need of saving. She was shown as a strong female leader, just as she was seen in the past.

In summary, we think that films have really changed throughout the 1900s, to today's films. Women always played the "damsel in distress" role, and blacks were not even allowed to be in the films. Later on, women still played roles, although they were considerably less prominent then the roles of males. Blacks were still somewhat shown in a racist way, even if they were allowed to be in the films. Back then, in the 1960s, we really started to value Ethnical Equality, which means that all people, regardless of differences in race, sex, etc. should get equal opportunities. Civil rights was an example of the advocation of this value. The 1960s were the bridges to modern films and equal rights. It was a time of beautiful films that captured the struggle, romance, and drama of the time, and the past. It was the time of changing.

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