By Sam Goforth

 Elvis Presley returned to music after joining the US Army and was one of the top white male vocalist. He was joined at the top by the Beach Boys and the Beatles.  Among the female singers were the Supremes, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight  The black male musicians consisted of Smokey Robinson, Jemi Hendrix, and JAMES BROWN.

 Bob Dylan brought about folk music that was a strong contribution to the counterculture.  The two types of rock music that were prominent in the sixties were Acid Rock and Psychedelic Rock.  The Beatles were classified as acid rock, and began to appeal to teenagers with their amped music and improvisational skills.  Psychedelic rock was more mellowed music and appealed to a great number of hippies.

 The greatest musicals of the sixties were Camelot, Oliver, and Funny Girl.  Theater expanded in 1966 and more actors were employed outside New York City.  Some Broadway musicals were so successful that they were made into movies, this included My Fair Lady and the Sound of Music.  Popular movies that are still being watched include 101 Dalmatians and Pinocchio.

 The three James Bond movies that came out in the sixties were Dr. No, From Russia With Love, and Goldfinger.  James Bond movies were the reason for a new film code by the MPAA because of the sex, language, and violence.

Radio was the primary source of music.  Chubby Checker introduced the Twist in 1961, which was the most popular dance at the time.  The Swim, the monkey, and the Mashed Potato came after the Twist and started individual dancing.  There was less advertisement in the sixties and the major development was the change from AM to FM.

 The first prime time cartoon in the sixties was the Flintstones in This show appealed to all audiences.  Later came the Jetsons, Alvin & the Chipmunks, and Mr. Magoo.  The Andy Griffith Show was the primetime family television show of the decade.  Science fiction was important to television by introducing The Addams Family, Star Trek, and the Twilight Zone.

 Art in the sixties was influenced by modernism.  Alexander Calder and Helen Frankenthaler were well known for their interpretation sculptures and nonrepresentational art.  Three popular art forms of the sixties were pop art, assemblage art, and optical art.

 Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird explains some of the issues and race relations that affected Americans.  African American women writing about gender and race in the sixties included Maya Angelou, Margaret Walker Alexander, and Gwendolyn Brooks.  Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique set an example for many women.

 College campuses became the scene of protest during the sixties.  Many people were being drafted for the selective service but were not old enough to vote. The voting age did not change to 18 until  James S. Coleman published Equality of Education Opportunity. This set the stage for forced integration.

 Due to the 70 million teenagers of the sixties; the youth set the trends.  Surfers from California used skateboarding as a way of exercising. This trend spread across the country by  Mattel introduced Barbie dolls and they became so popular in the sixties that his rival, Hasbro came out with the first action figure – The G.I. Joe.

MENWOMEN  Crew cuts  Plaid button down shirts  Bright colors, polyester pants  Turtlenecks  Wide ties  Bouffant hairstyles  Knee length dresses were required.  Later, miniskirts and go-go boots were excepted.  Bell bottomed jeans

 The Civil Rights movement started peacefully with Martin Luther Kings peaceful protests.  It soon became violent when Malcolm X preached on Black Nationalism.  The Black Panthers were formed after Malcolm X’s assassination to fulfill his mission.  Hispanics tripled and became the oppressed minority. Cesar Chavez organized the United Farm Workers Association.

 American Indians also struggled for rights due to their 50% unemployment rate and their low life expectancy. *(Violent Protests)  The Presidential Commission of the Status of Women and the National Organization of Women fought for women’s rights in society.  Birth control pills became easily available and abortion was legalized in some states in 1967.

 The hippie movement encouraged drugs, rock music, and religious and sexual freedom.  There were 400,000 people who attended Woodstock  These hippies were influenced by Timothy Leary, who encouraged the use of LSD because of its mind-opening abilities.  Marijuana was a popular drug used in the sixties.