The 60’s began with the election of John F. Kennedy as the president of the U.S. Declaring space the New Frontier, the Kennedy administration saw rise to incredible advances in space technology. Alan Shepard made the first American flight in space, and John Glenn successfully orbited the earth 3 times in 1962. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Johnson’s term was finished, Nixon was elected president.

The Miranda Rights first became mandatory during the 60’s, and medicare came into being. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 increased voter participation and equality. The civil rights movement continued during the 1960’s with groups such as the NAACP, SCLC, and CORE. NOW and other groups also pushed for womens?rights, while JACL, UFW, and others pushed for Asian American rights. The main battle, however, was still being fought for African American rights. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the unofficial head of the movement until his assassination in 1968. Sit-ins became a well known form of protest, and freedom rides took place in the streets. The March on Washington and student protests also attracted national attention. Eventually, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensured equal rights for everyone, although it would still take time for the act to be fully implemented.

The Cuban Missile Crisis proved what a capable president JFK was. However, the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion which would have overthrown Castro made the U.S. look weak. Kennedy, however, was still liked because of his views on civil rights.

Johnson increased U.S. involvement in Vietnam, which would later lead to a 25 year war.

Below is a short selection of songs from the 70's. Enjoy!