The Movie Analysis for “The Sixties: The Years that Shaped a Generation”
The movie, “The Years that Shaped a Generation”, introduces the Social Movements
during the 1960s that are the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, and
Counterculture bringing a huge shake for the American society in policy, culture, and economy.
This decade shaped a generation and also changed American values.
After the Second World War, the world was separated into two camps that were the
capitalism camp and communism camp. The Vietnam War broke out under the Cold War. The
anti-war movement was the student anti-Vietnam war. During the Vietnam War, the American
government required all men joining the army as soon as they reached eighteen. This policy
incurred public resentment because they must joined the army even they did not reach the age
that they could drink. Sit-in, students’ strike, and marches extended all over the country. Liberty
is the basic right that stipulated in the “Declaration of Independence”. However, the conscription
law deprived their option. Until the end of the 1960s, the anti-Vietnam war movement made the
government passing many resolutions to protect people’s freedom. Furthermore, Vietnam War
broke the arrangement of world. The Vietnam War terminated the American prosperous
economy since the end of the World War II. This war changed the American attitude to the
communism. The America began to cooperate with the Chinese government actively. In other
words, the Vietnam War accelerated to establish diplomatic relations between the United States
and China, thus changing the world until now.
The second important movement is the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights
Movement was the political activities that the black people fought for racial discrimination.
Although after the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln signed the “Emancipation Proclamation”
recognizing that the black people have the equal civil rights with the white people, the real
situation was not the same as imagination. “Separate but equal” was the treating to the black
people, which violated the “Declaration of Independence” and the “Emancipation Proclamation”.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the one of the most famous activists and leaders for the Civil Rights
Movement. Especially he led the March in 1963 and mage the most famous speech “I Have a
Dream” in Washington D.C. At the beginning of speech, King reviewed the “Emancipation
Proclamation” and the “Declaration of Independence”, described the situation of the black
people’ life that discrimination and segregation, and declared the target of this march that
realizing the rights which endure them in the “Declaration of Independence”. King also
emphasized that nonviolence and peaceful were the way they striving for victory. They would
never give up until they got the equality, liberty, and opportunity. Without “I Have a Dream”,
Lyndon B. Jahnson did not sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into Law, and Congress did not
pass the Equal Opportunity Act. After the Civil Rights Movement, the America abolished
segregation. All the people enjoyed the equal rights and opportunity to go to school acquiring
knowledge taking jobs and improving their life. If there were not the Civil Rights Movement,
Barack Hussein Obama will not become the president, and hip pop will not be the member of
arts.
Hippies is the another name for the 1960s. Freedom was their pursuing. This pursuing
pushed the Social Movement and brought revolutionary change in arts especially in dance and
music. However, pursuing for freedom also brought negative effect for the society. Drugs and
LSD were public in the society, which is still the biggest social problem in America.
The social movement in 1960s shapes a generation. At the same time, it also changes
innumerable people’s destinies.