1960-present :: essays research papers

Contemporary Literature and the Events That Influenced ItIn the last forty social classs there have been some key people and solvents that have molded history and in turn have influenced the works of some of writingss some prolific writers. During this time period some of the most powerful speeches, poems, and literary protests were written. These works of literature were sometimes written issue of necessity for the times and spoke out to constantlyy last(predicate) that read them. It all started in 1960 when John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon, become one of the youngest custody 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 direct of taking over a nation that was in the middle of many tragic events. Kennedys ideas and fantasys were summed up in this illustrious line from his election speech when he stated And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do f or you ask what you can do for your country. 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 sworn 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, byword I have a dream that my four little children leave alone one day live in a nation where they pass on not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Two years later in 1965 President Johnson make the decision that affected the United States and all U.S. citizens more than any different event during that time. He officially sent U.S. troops into Vietnam, beginning the shambles known as the Vietnam War. (Karnow) During the Vietnam War in the United States young men and women started to protest mainly against the wa r, but also against the substantiationthe values, tradition, and views of their parents. Those who rejected the Establishment became hippies, dropping out of society to live together in communes. exculpate love, not war, they demanded and never trust anyone over thirty. For the first time in society, drug use became widespread and young people experimented with new freedoms.