1. POLITICAL ISSUES in the sixties

2. The Civil Rights MovementWhen the 60's began, two main groups, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) had already been hard at work on a variety of desegregation efforts in public facilities, transportation, and schools. Attacks on segregation continued to spread through the efforts of new groups. The struggle for black civil rights is, however, seen as one of the most significant social and political issue ever faced. 3. A political event that occurred in 1963 was Martin Luther Kings famous I have a dream speech. More than 200,000 peaceful demonstrators came to Washington, D.C. to demand equal rights for blacks and whites. The fight for racial equality moved closer to victory. I have a dream that my four little children will me day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream... 4. Nelson Mandela, the leader of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment and then to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison. During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a great symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gained strenght. Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. In 1991, at the first national conference of the African National Congress held inside South Africa after the organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the ANC. 5. Race discrimination laws were tightened in 1968, making it illegal to refuse housing, employment or public services to people because of their ethnic background. Discrimination was and is still a problem, but nowadays we have more laws against racism and there's more acceptance thanks to these movements. 6. John Fitzgerald KennedyThe '60s began with a race for President, and John F. Kennedy won in 1961 by promising to keep the U.S. ahead of the Soviet Union in the Space Race and Cold War. JFK was the first "television President": with his charm and good looks he took full advantage of that medium to capture the hearts of Americans (the relationship he shared with America has often been referred to as a love affair). JFK inspired in many a powerful optimism and idealism. His life and presidency were cut short, however, by an assassin's bullet on November 22, 1963. 7. Voting ageAll through the '60s, political awareness was seen as a civic duty. In theory, all American men over 21 had the right to vote after 1870. Actually, it took multiple laws in the '50s and '60s, plus a constitutional amendment in '64, to remove barriers for black voters. In 1964, the first male Baby-Boomers turned 18, old enough to be sent to Vietnam but three years too young to vote against the war. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. 8. The Cold War The Cold War is the relationship that developed primarily between the USA and the USSR after World War Two. The Cold War was to dominate international affairs for decades and many major crises occurred. For many, the growth in weapons of mass destruction was the most worrying issue.Thousands of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest against the hydrogen bomb in April 1960. It was the largest demonstration London had seen that century. 9. In 1961 the first American soldier was killed in the Vietnam War. This conflict lasted until American troops were finally withdrawn by President Nixon in 1973. This catastrophic war took a total of three million Vietnamese lives (military and civilian) and 58,000 US lives. The anti-war movement was widely embraced by hippies. 10. In 1961, an armed force of about 1,500 Cuban exiles, supported by the U.S. government, landed in the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba. The rebels intended to foment an insurrection in Cuba and overthrow the Communist regime of Fidel Castro. The Cuban army easily defeated the rebels and most were either killed or captured. Poorly planned and executed, the invasion caused President Kennedy severe criticism.In 1962, the Soviet Union began shipping nuclear missiles to Cuba, where they could be aimed at the United States. When JFK found out about these missiles, he imposed a naval quarantine on Cuba and pondered an invasion. For two weeks, the world was on the edge of nuclear war, until Khrushchev (Soviet Union's leader) finally agreed to remove the missiles, ending the crisis. 11. The Berlin WallTroops in East Germany sealed the border between East and West Berlin in Germany in 1961 creating the Berlin Wall. It wasn't pulled down until 1989. 12. Second wave feminismThe women's liberation movement was the collective struggle for equality that aimed to free women from oppression and male supremacy. In local communities, in the media and in womens personal situations, 1960s feminists inspired political action and changed many womens lives. Sex discrimination got prohibited. The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. approved the first oral contraceptive, commonly known as "the Pill," for birth control. Women demanded legal abortion, education, but above all they wanted equality and freedom.