Major Political And Social Events In The 1960's

Major Events in the 1960s The major political and social events that occurred in the 1960s are still significant when discussing the history of the United States. At a time when social movements were stepping up strongly, various events would act to shape the future of the country. While some of the activities mainly affected the national policies, the U.S. foreign policy was also realigned following the socio-political incidences during the decade. Apparently, the decade is mostly remembered for the victory of Democrat John F. Kennedy in the Presidential Election in 1960. Most of the significant events stemmed from the regime of President Kennedy.

Space Race In May 1961, President Kennedy challenged the nation to take up a leading role in space exploration. The activities of the United States in exploring space and landing in the moon were heightened afterwards. Prior to the achievements of the United States in space, the Soviet Union, a key rival during the Cold War, had succeeded in exploring space and landing in the moon. Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union became the first person in space (Schlesinger, 2002). For the Soviet Union leaders, the accomplishment symbolized the communist perspective that was embraced by the members.

The involvement of the United States in addressing the situation was necessitated by the foreign policy and the world police role that had been assumed by the country. Until this time, it was apparent that there was a silent war between the United States and the Soviet Union, as it was during the Cold War. President Kennedy demanded that the missiles installed by the Soviet Union be taken out, as part of the influence that the United States had in other