The 1960s - Sex, Drugs and Rock
An overview of this era and a generation in upheaval
Revisit the last great American Renaissance. Learn how a generation survived and revitalized a culture with LSD, rock and roll, campus revolt and Power to the People!
Over the course of time, history is always the best teacher, yet the mysterious ebb and flow of history often seems more random than destined–the historian’s brush paints a broad, occasionally fuzzy picture. Time nuances this event, and ignores that event. However, a studious approach to a specific American decade spotlights the temperament and consciousness of the people in a natural setting. Commonalities emerge and recede, political landscapes shift, and human nature responds.
While all historical records bear the mark of the revisionist, the essence of a era under the scholar’s scrutiny reveals nuggets of gold–nuggets infamous and instantly recognizable to even the casual observer. An obvious example is the decade of the 1770s, famous for the creation, signing and implementation of the Declaration of the Independence. The 1890s witnessed the birth of the unified American spirit, burgeoning industrialism, the rapid development of powered flight and the automobile.The Roaring 20s were synonymous with the Great Depression, Prohibition and flappers
One 20th century decade stands alone though, as tribute to perhaps the last great American Renaissance: This decade is affectionately know to all as “The Sixties.” The Sixties, more than any other single decade in the history of this country, symbolized a rebirth of culture. From art to music, fashion to philosophy, the youth culture of the “Baby Boomers” expected and demanded everything. Indeed one of the many aphorisms of the day declared this philosophy with succinct ambiguity: Everything is everything.
The acrid smell of gunpowder from the Second World War still lingered over a prosperous, if somewhat authoritarian society when outright rebellion took place on the campuses of major universities. The resurgence of intellectualism found renewed vigor in the mid to late 1950s, setting the stage for the rabid individualism of the Sixties. Vietnam polarized the nation and divided families. The warriors of the WWII, found the emphasis on personal expression unsettling. The emergence of hippiedom created gaping holes in the ship of state, that many thought had dramatically veered off course.
The destiny of the decade began in earnest with the premature death of Camelot signaled by the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November of 1963. This momentous event marked the end of the country’s idealistic self-appraisal. The murder of the handsome, charismatic king began a period of civil unrest and an explosion of creativity unequalled to date.
Fueled by the military’s increasing involvement in an illegal, expensive colonial war, stimulated by the widespread use of LSD, these Baby Boomer’s widened the doors of perception, formalized the act of resistance to war, legitimatized Rock and Roll, and enshrined generational jargon that was like…too groovy, man. Right on! Outa Sight!
Within the context of this era of upheaval, many other seminal events are worth noting. John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. The Berlin wall was built. Marilyn Monroe died. The Civil Rights Act became law, Mohammed Ali became World Champion, then lost the crown for refusing the draft. The premiere of Star Trek, the first heart transplant, the first Superbowl, the Manson Family’s murderous rampage, Woodstock, the Beatles, the Democratic Convention of 1968 and a Moon landing decorated a decade.
Ah yes, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. “Talkin’ ‘bout my generation.” The decade of the Sixties lives on.
