The 1960’s

Andrew Hauffen

September 11, 2015

 

Freedom, heartache, peace, destruction, bloodshed, hate and hope were some key characteristics in the 1960’s in America. In the beginning of the Vietnam War Lyndon B. Johnson was the President at the time and I feel some of the actions were absurd. He had all the power in sending troops against their will to risk their lives in South East Asia. In the beginning of the war the American people were all for it. After it being publicized greatly, society showed many strong opinions to pursue actions in peace and violence. Witnessing all the bloodshed and killing, people in America created movements against the war. This fascinated me because people during that time period did not care about the consequences of starting riots and creating revolutions.

I would have loved to live in the sixties to create a non-violence movement. Having a care free life revolving around music and experimenting things I have never done would have been amazing. Also sending a message to the government about all the troops who are being sent against their will would have made me feel like a leader. Being that person that everyone looks up to will be pretty awesome.

One of the most tragic times in the sixties is when Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered. After all of the civil rights movements he had done and all the people he inspired were gone in an instant. It still haunts me to think that there are people in this world that are capable of killing a person in cold blood because of different views on certain topics. After the assassination of Martin Luther King, most people felt that anything could happen. Anyone could start a civil rights movement, a riot, or a revolution. Society was free-willed and can create anything if they set their mind to it with the right motivation.

In the video, what shocked me the most was seeing people kill others like it was nothing. Watching a person getting shot in the head because there was suspicion of that individual being a communist really disgusted me. I had no clue a person was capable of shooting a human being in the head at close range and not even considering maybe he was innocent. I feel that sending Americans overseas at the time knowing they most likely will die is not right what so ever. Taking them away from seeing their families against their will would make me really frustrated at the government in that time period.