Question

Some historians have defined the historical period of the 1960s and 1970s as a watershed moment in US history because it represents critical change. The emergence of movements for equality, a well-organized political activist youth culture, and a counterculture that rebelled against established norms in society are all factors that highlight this change. Is there a single person or event you think exemplifies the changing US society of the 1960s and 1970s? Explain your choice and why you chose it. Or, explain why you think no single person or event exemplifies this period. Then, name an event that you think illustrates the changing perceptions of authority within the United States in the 1960s and 1970s and explain your reasoning. No Response(s) Be the first to respond to the Discussion topic!

Answer 1

There are many people who could exemplify the period, but a particularly important figure is Martin Luther King.

Martin Luther King is the central figurehead of the Civil Rights Movement, which was perhaps the most important social movement in American during this time. Martin Luther King was a great leader who gave a voice to the needs of African Americans, who had been subjected to all kinds of abuses from centuries before.

He gave a message of change, but always in peaceful manners. He was not a provocator, and openly called for tolerance between all people, regardless of the color of skin, or other attributes.

This is why he became such a central figure of this period.