Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I disagree -- the early 60's was the beginning of manned space flight in the US, and that caught the imagination of the entire country. There was the fear of the Russians "getting ahead", and Kennedy's challenge to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade was embraced with fervor. Having the Kennedy's in the White House was a novel change after 8 years of Eisenhower, and it was the first time those that grew up during WWII had a chance to vote for a young, charismatic leader. And the Beatles formed in 1960, arriving in the US in early 1964 after more than two years of building up a fanatic fan base who enjoyed the precursor to hard and psychedelic rock (as opposed to Elvis' "rock and roll"). And while the civil rights struggles were being addressed (Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, as well as Brown vs. the Topeka Board of Education), the active sit-ins and protests starting with the lunch counters in North Carolina built rapidly, forming the SNCC and the SCLC, culminating with the March on Washington and King's "I Have A Dream" speech in August, 1963, and led to Kennedy's action to introduce civil rights legislation, which was embraced by LBJ after Kennedy's assassination.
I think they were, despite the space race and politics. The basic life style for people was all the same as well as the clothes and the hair styles. We waited for the Good Humor ice cream truck and had a milk box on the front porch. It was very much like Leave it to Beaver as far as all that goes.
No it was totally different, clothes had changed drastically, music had changed, hairstyles too, completely different, even the way young people acted , danced, thought changed in the 60s, we had freedom.
No it was totally different, clothes had changed drastically, music had changed, hairstyles too, completely different, even the way young people acted , danced, thought changed in the 60s, we had freedom.
The first few years of every decade usually resembles the last from the previous, maybe not always in politics but other areas: culture, fashion, music, etc..
It usually takes time for a decade to acquire an identity of its own.
I think the presidency was the marker here. Ike gave the country what it wanted after the stress of the Great Depression and WWII -- a relative sense of calmness. But that can last only so long, and in 1960 along came the comparative youthfulness of JFK, the quest to land on the moon, etc....the need to get things moving.
I think the seeds of change were there from 1960-63 but clothing, music and hairstyles were very different from the end of the decade.
I remember as girls all wore John Meyer, Ladybug or Villager outfits with co-ordinating skirt, sweater, blouse and knee socks in high school and in college up until a huge change in 1967-1969. I had a friend who wore maxi dresses and colored granny glasses around 1965 but she was not the norm at the time.
1968 or 1969 were the big change years where I lived (Northeast). Music and style had changed drastically, for example, and it seemed like society had a big upheaval in most areas.
OF course things dont just change overnight or at New Year on the dot of 1959 - 60, that would just be silly, but the sixties brought everything to life after the poverty after WW2, there was more money about here in the UK, and clothes became young for teenagers, before that it went from little girl to woman and nothing in between.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
