The 1960s saw the most serious and widespread series of race riots in the history of the United States. Major riots occurred in Birmingham, Alabama , in 1963; New York City in 1964; Watts in Los Angeles, California , in 1965; and Chicago, Illinois , in 1966.
Therefore, according to major sources, in 1960-1966 a major spike in racial tension was caused by the Race Riots of 1960