Lessons Essay

      During the sixties the United States was involved in major conflicts in the world such as the Cold War and the Vietnam War. African American people in the sixties struggled to get equal rights. And People gained a new way of thinking towards the environment. America should learn a lesson from everything that happened during the 1960s; from war, to the Civil Rights Movement, to environmentalism; the sixties was full of very important events that changed the history of the United Sates for good or bad.

      The Vietnam War took a huge toll in the wellbeing of the American people. The country had divided opinions towards it. There was the "Doves", who were against the war, and the "Hawks", who were all for war. The "Doves" strongly believed the Vietnam War was pointless and the United States had no business in participating because it was a civil war. The "Hawks" thought this war was justified because it was America's duty as an international police power to keep communism from spreading. The administration believed that if they let Vietnam fall to communism it would have a domino effect and this form of government would spread to surrounding countries. The Vietnam War was unsuccessful, it is easy to say now that the United States should have never been involved because the outcome is already known, but back then this decision was not so easy.

      Another big issue during the 1960s was that there were no equal rights between white and "colored" people. African Americans had striven for equal rights for a very long time but during this time the Civil Rights Movement came to a peak. Leaders like and organizations such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the NAACP organized events such as boycotts, sit-ins, and marches. One of the most admired marches of this movement was the March on Washington, where MLK gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. Segregationists’ supporting argument was that they were “separate but equal”, which was not true because African American facilities were usually in a negatively different condition. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to discriminate in public and employment places. The Voting Rights Act made it illegal for discrimination to be present in voting. The Civil Rights Movement had a huge impact in eliminating racial discrimination in the United States.

      A big topic during this time was also the environment. After WWII America experienced a boost in the economy, which meant new technology and all this new technology damaged the environment. In 19632 the book Silent Spring was published, this book revealed how the pollution being excreted by all the industries affects people’s health. Americans became more aware of the effects industries have on the environment and the government made more regulations to make sure there was not any big damage being done to the environment. 

      The sixties was all about pushing the limit and standing up for one's beliefs. American leaders should look at the sixties for inspiration because this was a time for reform in areas such as civil rights and environmental issues. they should also look at the era to not repeat past mistakes, such as the Vietnam War. One should always want to strive for to eliminate unfairness.