An Introduction

During the 1960 a new wave of hope rose when John F. Kennedy was elected 35th president of the United States. With his famous slogan “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Kennedy marked the beginning to great change.  During his presidency Kennedy was able to land the first man on the moon this accomplishment allowed the United States to take the lead in the space race with the USSR. At which time the 60‘s was experiencing a boom in great pop culture, many bands such as British pop group the Beatles attained their first hit, and folk singers such Bob Dylan became notorious for war reflecting music. By 1963 JFK was assassinated in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald leading to the appointment of Vice President Johnson to Presidency. Johnson’s major efforts to better America allowed the creation of major domestic policies such as “Great Society”. However in his attempt to control the nation Johnson escalated conflicts with Vietnam. Major effort for Civil Rights and an end to segregation were also seen during this time. Activists such Martin Luther King fought for the unjust treatment of black African Americans. Groups such as the NAACP fought for many cases a major one was Brown vs Board where racism became the main cause of the dispute, other major figures such as Rosa Parks, sit-ins, peaceful protests, and boycotts where seen during these years. In another conflict the war in Vietnam was seen differently by many creating a huge gap between society. The doves looked for peace in our country asking the government to end the war and bring our troops back, while the hawks sought the security of our land and encouraged troops to fight overseas. Nixon’s election to presidency allowed his plan of Vietnamization of war to proceed. Countless troops were moved from the war zone and brought back home. One of the most historic scandals would soon approach the presidency when a brake-in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters was announced, this scandal was known as Watergate. Ties to president Nixon were soon discovered making this a federal offense. This political scandal forced Nixon to resign before being impeached. The secrecy in the us government at the time created distrust. The weakened government resulted in economic complications however it maintained a bright outlook for the years to come.