Social Revolution In 1960s America: Icons, Ideals And Discontents

Abstract

The 1960s witnessed two of the most profound social movements of twentieth-century America: the civil rights movement and the protests against American participation in the war in Vietnam. Both directly involved hundreds and thousands of people, attracting widespread media attention. Both operated mostly, outside conventional realms of political channels, relying instead on marches, demonstrations, rallies, boycotts and other forms of nonviolent protest. Teeming with confidence and faith in a kind of social change these movements were dominated by young people. This paper seeks to delineate the turmoil of political manoeuvres that took place during the 1960s in America when diverse political ideologies tended to move towards a more revolutionary outlook from the previous ones. It also charts a trajectory of the future to signify the growth of a spirit of change that influenced America’s public discourses in the later decades.