1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement

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The 1960s was one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. The era was marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, countercultural movements, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap."

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Woodstock

Woodstock Ventures The Woodstock Music Festival was the brainchild of four men, all age 27 or younger, looking for an investment opportunity: John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld and Michael Lang. Lang had organized the successful Miami Music Festival in 1968 and Kornfeld was the youngest vice president at Capitol Records. Roberts and Rosenman were […]

1968 Democratic Convention

Goal of Protestors at the 1968 Democratic Convention Though the 1968 protest at the Democratic National Convention were largely against the Vietnam War, the country was undergoing unrest on many fronts. The months leading up to the infamous 1968 Democratic Convention were turbulent: The brutal assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April had left […]

Civil Rights Movement

Jim Crow Laws During Reconstruction, Black people took on leadership roles like never before. They held public office and sought legislative changes for equality and the right to vote. In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution gave Black people equal protection under the law. In 1870, the 15th Amendment granted Black American men the […]

Vietnam War Protests

Antiwar Movement Begins In August 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, and President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the retaliatory bombing of military targets in North Vietnam. By the time U.S. planes began regular bombings of North Vietnam in February 1965, some critics had begun to question the […]

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1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement | HISTORY (7)

2:43 minTV-G

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Baby Boomers

Find out more about the huge – and hugely influential – generation of Americans born during the post-World War II period between 1946 and 1964.

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1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement | HISTORY (8)

3:43 minTV-PG

The Great Society

What did President Lyndon B. Johnson envision with his suite of domestic programs known as the Great Society? What did the programs entail, and what became of them after the 1960s?

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1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement | HISTORY (9)

3:50 minTV-PG

The Detroit Riots of 1967

Explore the history of the 1967 Detroit riots, from the political context that sparked them to the broader consequences of the conflict.

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1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement | HISTORY (10)

2:11 minTV-PG

Flashback: RFK Speaks at Columbia University

In the middle of his 1964 New York Senatorial bid, Robert Kennedy visits Columbia University to participate in a student-led Q&A session. From this excerpt, one can easily see why Kennedy was a rising star of the Democratic Party and a future presidential hopeful.

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1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement | HISTORY (15)

1964

1960s: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movement | HISTORY (2024)

Topics

Woodstock

1968 Democratic Convention

Civil Rights Movement

Vietnam War Protests

Videos

Baby Boomers

The Great Society

The Detroit Riots of 1967

Flashback: RFK Speaks at Columbia University

Stories

How 1968 East L.A. Student Walkouts Ignited the Chicano Movement

Why the Watershed 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival Was Overshadowed for 50 Years

How Barry Goldwater Brought the Far Right to Center Stage in the 1964 Presidential Race

How the First Earth Day Was Born From 1960s Counterculture

This Day in History

Pop-Tarts debut

Henry Lewis named first Black conductor of a major U.S. orchestra

Julia Child’s “The French Chef” debuts

The Human Be-In takes place in San Francisco, launching the “Summer of Love”

Freak explosion at Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum kills nearly 100

Black soldiers stage sit-in at Fort Hood