1960-present :: essays research papers

Contemporary Lit epochture and the Events That Influenced ItIn the last forty years there have been some key people and events that have shaped history and in turn have influenced the works of some of literatures most prolific writers. During this time period some of the most efficacious speeches, poems, and literary protests were written. These works of literature were sometimes written out of necessity for the times and spoke out to all that read them. It all started in 1960 when bath F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon, become hotshot of the youngest men ever to hold the office of president in the eyes of many this event began a new era in history. When John F. Kennedy was elected he inherited the t request of taking over a nation that was in the middle of many tragic events. Kennedys ideas and dreamings were summed up in this famous line from his election speech when he stated And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your c ountry. In 1963, when John F. Kennedy was only in his third year as president, the young, well liked president was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson was cuss in as president in the wake of the assassination (Davidson 672-675). That same year Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous I have a dream speech. In this speech he spoke out against racism and pushed towards the future, saying I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. two years later in 1965 President Johnson made the decision that affected the United States and all U.S. citizens more than any other event during that time. He officially sent U.S. troops into Vietnam, beginning the massacre known as the Vietnam War. (Karnow) During the Vietnam War in the United States young men and women started to protest mainly against the war, but besides against the Establishmentthe values, t radition, and views of their parents. Those who rejected the Establishment became hippies, dropping out of society to live together in communes. Make love, not war, they demanded and never trust anyone over thirty. For the basic time in society, drug use became widespread and young people experimented with new freedoms.