The 1960s were a colorful, tumultuous age that transformed American society. Ever since the decade ended, Americans have debated the changes that it unleashed. While most liberals argue that the era’s eff ects were mainly positi ve and long overdue, conservati ves perceive the 1960s as a disastrous ti me that has left ruinous legacies for us. Stuck in the Sixti es analyzes conservati ves’ views about the 1960s era and its legacies by examining their discourse about such sixti es fi gures and movements as John F. Kennedy, Marti n Luther King, Jr., the civil-rights movement, the Warren Court, the Great Society, the Vietnam War, the anti war movement, the New Left , and the counterculture. The book reveals that, for a generati on, a focus on att acking and reversing the legacies of the 1960s has been essenti al to the conservati ve Republican agenda.

The 1960s, including the black social movements of the period, are an obstacle to understanding the current conditions of African Americans, argues Clarence Lang. While Americans celebrate the current anniversaries of various black freedom milestones and the election of the first black president, the effects of neoliberalism since the 1970s have been particularly devastating to African Americans. Neoliberalism, which rejects social welfare protections in favor of individual liberty, unfettered markets, and a laissez-faire national state, has produced an environment in which people of color struggle with unstable employment, declining family income, rising household debt, increased class stratification, and heightened racial terrorism and imprisonment. The book argues that a reassessment of the Sixties and its legacies is necessary to make better sense of black community, leadership, politics, and the prospects for social change today. Combining interdisciplinary scholarship, political reportage, and personal reflection, this work sheds powerful light on the forces underlying the stark social and economic circumstances facing African Americans today, as well as the need for cautious optimism alongside sober analysis.

First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The San Francisco Bay Area was a meeting point for radical politics and counterculture in the 1960s. Until now there has been little understanding of what made political culture here unique. This work explores the development of a regional culture of radicalism in the Bay Area, one that underpinned both political protest and the counterculture.

Based on empirical evidence derived from university and national archives across the country and interviews with participants, British Student Activism in the Long Sixtiesreconstructs the world of university students in the 1960s and 1970s. Student accounts are placed within the context of a wide variety of primary and secondary sources from across Britain and the world, making this project the first book-length history of the British student movement to employ literary and theoretical frameworks which differentiate it from most other histories of student activism to date. Globalization, especially of mass communications, made British students aware of global problems such as the threat of nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War, racism, sexism and injustice. British students applied these global ideas to their own unique circumstances, using their intellectual traditions and political theories which resulted in unique outcomes. British student activists effectively gained support from students, staff, and workers for their struggle for student’s rights to unionize, freely assemble and speak, and participate in university decision-making. Their campaigns effectively raised public awareness of these issues and contributed to significant national decisions in many considerable areas.

This history of America in the 1960s covers the civil rights movement, Kennedy and the Cold War, the counter-culture and Beat Generation, the student rebellion, and the Vietnam War. It argues that liberalism self-destructed by emphasizing race and ethnicity instead of class and wealth.

The 1960s continue to be the subject of passionate debate and political controversy, a touchstone in struggles over the meaning of the American past and the direction of the American future. Amid the polemics and the myths, making sense of the Sixties and its legacies presents a challenge. This book is for all those who want to take it on. Because there are so many facets to this unique and transformative era, this volume offers multiple approaches and perspectives. The first section gives a lively narrative overview of the decade's major policies, events, and cultural changes. The second presents ten original interpretative essays from prominent historians about significant and controversial issues from the Vietnam War to the sexual revolution, followed by a concise encyclopedia articles organized alphabetically. This section could stand as a reference work in itself and serves to supplement the narrative. Subsequent sections include short topical essays, special subjects, a brief chronology, and finally an extensive annotated bibliography with ample information on books, films, and electronic resources for further exploration. With interesting facts, statistics, and comparisons presented in almanac style as well as the expertise of prominent scholars, The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s is the most complete guide to an enduringly fascinating era.