Final answer:
The civil rights movement united college students, civil rights activists, and labor union members in the 1960s. They fought together for racial equality, educational reform, and against the Vietnam War. This movement encompassed various ethnic groups and was instrumental in pressuring the government to enact civil rights legislation and equal opportunities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cause that united many college students, civil rights activists, and labor union members during the 1960s was the fight for civil rights and social reform. This period was ripe with grassroots activism that spearheaded campaigns and movements pushing forward racial equality, culminating in legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The era also saw a surge in student activism as young individuals, motivated by the desire to enact change, joined forces on hot-button issues like the war in Vietnam, racial injustice, and educational reform. The movement for civil rights was not only confined to African Americans but spanned across various ethnic groups who sought to secure their own piece of the American dream through similar tactics,
During this decade, the federal government stepped up their efforts to protect civil rights and ensure equal economic and educational opportunities, influenced by both a genuine concern for those less fortunate and the strategic demands of the Cold War. The activism on campuses and within communities played a critical role in pressing the government into action toward equality for all.
By the end of the 1960s, the enthusiasm for social change began to wane as the realities of economic pressures led many former activists to integrate into the very systems they had once opposed. The idealism of the 1960s gradually faded, marking the transition into a period where the New Left political forces began to diminish and give way to a budding New Right by the 1980s.