World Events:
"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…" The famous “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. is just one of the many important world events that took place between 1960 and 1965. While Cascade High School was just beginning, things were changing world wide in politics, the space race, civil rights, women’s rights, Vietnam, and in the tension between the US and Soviet Union.
The early sixties are remembered greatly by the presidents during this time. In 1960 Senator John F. Kennedy beat Richard M. Nixon to become the 35th president. Kennedy’s win was impart due to the first television debates and his cool composer on TV appealed to American audiences. In 1961 John F. Kennedy moved into the White House. He was loved by many, and is known for his famous speech - "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Then on November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated. Kennedy's assumed assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was never sent to trial because he was shot, by Jack Ruby, when police were moving him to a different jail. Due to this, it remains a mystery who killed President Kennedy, however many conspiracies exist. After this, Lyndon B. Johnson was inaugurated into the Presidency. In 1964 Johnson began the War On Poverty and got the Medicare plan approved. Johnson also crushed Goldwater in the 1964 election. With this, in 1965 Johnson orders bombing raids on North Vietnam, and the American people begin to protest the war.
These five years were also essential in the space race. The US and Soviets were racing to get into space. The Soviets began the 60s ahead of the US. They were able to put a satellite into orbit and send space probes to the moon. After the Russians launched their Sputnik space-satellite, the “Space Race” was truly on. President Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the moon” speech captured the imaginations of Americans everywhere, and made a moon landing within the decade a near necessity in the hearts and minds of the American people. People everywhere watched the Sputnik as it orbited around sort of like a star. Then Americans became involved in the space program and began to outpace the Russians and develop one of the finest Space programs in the world. It was an earth-shaking event for the people that were able to experience it because it started the space race. Yet the most distinguishing blow was when the Soviet astronaut Gagarin became the first man to orbit space in April 1961. In 1960 NASA sent up ECHO, the first communications satellite to be seen with the naked eye. On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard was sent to space in the "Freedom 7". On May 25, Kennedy declared that he wanted to have a man on the moon and back before the decade was over. In 1962 John Glenn orbited the earth three times in a five hour flight. These were great accomplishments for mankind, and the US spent much time, effort, and money to keep up with the Soviets.
In addition, the early 60's brought huge advances to civil rights movements. In 1961, black college students demonstrated a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, beginning the trend of this non-violence protest. Schools also began to become desegregated. For example, in 1963 Gov. George Wallace was forced to step aside and the University of Alabama was integrated. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a Dream" speech to more than 200,000 peaceful demonstrators at Washington DC. Finally in 1964, the first Civil Rights bill was passed to stop racial discrimination. However, in this time period not everything that happened was progressive. In 1965, the infamous black leader, Malcolm X, was murdered. It was a huge blow to the black communities and it was clear the civil rights movement still had much work.
Throughout these five years, tension between US and the Soviet Union continued to grow. In 1960 tension increased when an American plane was shot down in Soviet territory. The U-2 spy plane clearly intruded the Soviet area, and there was no way to deny that we were spying. Furthermore in 1962, the missile buildup in Cuba put the U.S. and Soviet Union on the brink of nuclear war. However, this was stopped by the nuclear test- ban treaty of 1963.
In 1960 the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills. In 1961 the movement progressed further when President Kennedy established the Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman. By 1963 this Commission issued a report that had specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care. By 1965, the Supreme Court declared that in all states married couples are allowed to use contraceptives. Another landmark for women’s rights took place in 1963 when Betty Friedan published the book The Feminine Mystique, which described the dissatisfaction felt by middle-class American housewives with the narrow role in society. This book became a best seller and served to be very influential in the minds of Americans. During this time period women took grand strides to equalize themselves in the work force. On June 10 Congress passed the Equal Pay Act that made it illegal for employers to pay women less for equal work. Then, in 1964, Title VII was added to the Civil Rights Act which barred race and sex discrimination in employment. Simultaneously, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was created to investigate complaints and impose penalties.
Vietnam was also influential. In 1961 VP Johnson toured Saigon and assured Diem (South Vietnam’s president) that only he can bring peace to Vietnam and Asia, showing the support of the US to South Vietnam. In 1962 the Diem palace was bombed. Then in 1963 Diem was overthrown and murdered. Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel and was very unstable. Of course the US got involved and decided to support the South because the fear of communism in the North. In 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred. In this, the North allegedly attacked a US ship, this was the turning point Johnson was waiting for and then established the Gulf of Tonkin resolution: “[US can] take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” In 1965 operation Rolling Thunder deployed, and the bombing raids of North Vietnam began. At this time US troop levels topped 200,000. This was a difficult time for Americans. The support for the troops was split. Half the people were in favor of the war, and half were against it. There were a lot of demonstrations, mostly by college students, and it was a sad period in American history. It will never be forgotten and it changed the face of our country forever. The attitudes of people weren't really together, and maybe without this division it would have been possible for us to win this war. The Vietnam War represented major changes in American culture. Leading up to it were other big changes, and big events in not only the history of Cascade, or of the United States, but of the world as a whole. The draft was going on during this time and High School students had to take a physical test. Men were put in a lower division if they were married or in school. An ROTC service provided college schooling to men that went into the service. There was a lot of resentment to the war which made it hard on everyone. Many people were against Vietnam and anybody that was connected with Vietnam, even though the men that went to war didn't have a choice to go or not since most were drafted into it. There was still a strong anti-war movement and the men that returned from war were still resented by many. Some guys tried to avoid the draft by going to college or Canada. It changed the careers of many people because they didn't have a choice, if they were picked to go, they had to.
Cascade was built during a time when the world was enduring many hardships. It was the middle of the Cold War, one of the longest, toughest wars ever. The 60's was also a time of violence. Many leaders were assassinated and greatly affected Americans. These leaders will never be forgotten: Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. Yet at this time women were gaining rights, slowly but surely. The space race also was pushing the country, they had to beat the Soviets. All the events impacted the new Cascade students.
The Tragedy of the JFK Assassination
It was a sad day for the United States when our 35th president was shot. On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas. Grief struck the United States and within a few an hours the first and only suspect was taken into custody. The president was shot twice while in a moving vehicle. A third bullet hit a Senator. An event that took place in under 6 seconds will become one of the greatest mysteries ever. The only suspect taken in was Lee Harvey Oswald. Apparently Oswald shot the president from the 6th floor of a depository. The depository was surrounded and it was found that Oswald had fled the scene. This seemed incredibly fishy to the investigators, so they followed up. Oswald went to a bar. After he left he ran into an officer. He then shot Officer Tibet at 1:15ish. Then he fled to a nearby theater, where he was captured. Oswald was caught 2 hours after he left the depository, and remained the only suspect. However he denied that he shot the president. He even claimed to not know anything until the reporters told him. Two days after the assassination, Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby. Ruby was a club Oswald. He claimed he just wanted to be a hero, but the real motive is still not known. Oswald died two days after President Kennedy, along did the truth. Oswald was never able to testify and the Warren Report determined he must have been the assassin. Oswald was known as a happy kid. However he dropped out of school and joined the marines. He served in the Far East. Oswald even taught himself Russian. Three months before the end of his duty, Oswald asked for leave to take care of his mother. Soon after he returned home he applied (and was issued) a passport. The directly left for Russia. He applied for citizenship and was denied, he then slit his wrists. Soon he fell in love with Marina Prusakova, and they married. Then he and his wife returned to the US. He was able to mail-order guns extremely easy and he even had attempted to assassinate a Governor. Oswald was definitely an interesting character that should have raised suspicion. Speculators have many ideas on what actually happened that day. There are three main controversy conspiracy theories. One is the CIA was involved. In which they were angry with the President for ending the war in Vietnam. Also he was planning on destroying the CIA. The next theory claims Fidel Castro was behind it. This is backed because Kennedy was trying to get Castro. In this scenario, Castro got JFK before JFK could get him. The last conspiracy is that Marcelo had him killed. Marcelo is the boss of the New Orleans Mob. This was connected because it turns out Ruby was a part of the mafia. While the Warren Report puts full blame on Oswald, many believe it was a part of something bigger. Oswald was never able to go through testimony, in which the truth may have been revealed. This allows speculations to continue. The question will always remain: who killed President Kennedy and why?
The early sixties are remembered greatly by the presidents during this time. In 1960 Senator John F. Kennedy beat Richard M. Nixon to become the 35th president. Kennedy’s win was impart due to the first television debates and his cool composer on TV appealed to American audiences. In 1961 John F. Kennedy moved into the White House. He was loved by many, and is known for his famous speech - "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Then on November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated. Kennedy's assumed assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was never sent to trial because he was shot, by Jack Ruby, when police were moving him to a different jail. Due to this, it remains a mystery who killed President Kennedy, however many conspiracies exist. After this, Lyndon B. Johnson was inaugurated into the Presidency. In 1964 Johnson began the War On Poverty and got the Medicare plan approved. Johnson also crushed Goldwater in the 1964 election. With this, in 1965 Johnson orders bombing raids on North Vietnam, and the American people begin to protest the war.
These five years were also essential in the space race. The US and Soviets were racing to get into space. The Soviets began the 60s ahead of the US. They were able to put a satellite into orbit and send space probes to the moon. After the Russians launched their Sputnik space-satellite, the “Space Race” was truly on. President Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the moon” speech captured the imaginations of Americans everywhere, and made a moon landing within the decade a near necessity in the hearts and minds of the American people. People everywhere watched the Sputnik as it orbited around sort of like a star. Then Americans became involved in the space program and began to outpace the Russians and develop one of the finest Space programs in the world. It was an earth-shaking event for the people that were able to experience it because it started the space race. Yet the most distinguishing blow was when the Soviet astronaut Gagarin became the first man to orbit space in April 1961. In 1960 NASA sent up ECHO, the first communications satellite to be seen with the naked eye. On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard was sent to space in the "Freedom 7". On May 25, Kennedy declared that he wanted to have a man on the moon and back before the decade was over. In 1962 John Glenn orbited the earth three times in a five hour flight. These were great accomplishments for mankind, and the US spent much time, effort, and money to keep up with the Soviets.
In addition, the early 60's brought huge advances to civil rights movements. In 1961, black college students demonstrated a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, beginning the trend of this non-violence protest. Schools also began to become desegregated. For example, in 1963 Gov. George Wallace was forced to step aside and the University of Alabama was integrated. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a Dream" speech to more than 200,000 peaceful demonstrators at Washington DC. Finally in 1964, the first Civil Rights bill was passed to stop racial discrimination. However, in this time period not everything that happened was progressive. In 1965, the infamous black leader, Malcolm X, was murdered. It was a huge blow to the black communities and it was clear the civil rights movement still had much work.
Throughout these five years, tension between US and the Soviet Union continued to grow. In 1960 tension increased when an American plane was shot down in Soviet territory. The U-2 spy plane clearly intruded the Soviet area, and there was no way to deny that we were spying. Furthermore in 1962, the missile buildup in Cuba put the U.S. and Soviet Union on the brink of nuclear war. However, this was stopped by the nuclear test- ban treaty of 1963.
In 1960 the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills. In 1961 the movement progressed further when President Kennedy established the Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman. By 1963 this Commission issued a report that had specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care. By 1965, the Supreme Court declared that in all states married couples are allowed to use contraceptives. Another landmark for women’s rights took place in 1963 when Betty Friedan published the book The Feminine Mystique, which described the dissatisfaction felt by middle-class American housewives with the narrow role in society. This book became a best seller and served to be very influential in the minds of Americans. During this time period women took grand strides to equalize themselves in the work force. On June 10 Congress passed the Equal Pay Act that made it illegal for employers to pay women less for equal work. Then, in 1964, Title VII was added to the Civil Rights Act which barred race and sex discrimination in employment. Simultaneously, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was created to investigate complaints and impose penalties.
Vietnam was also influential. In 1961 VP Johnson toured Saigon and assured Diem (South Vietnam’s president) that only he can bring peace to Vietnam and Asia, showing the support of the US to South Vietnam. In 1962 the Diem palace was bombed. Then in 1963 Diem was overthrown and murdered. Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel and was very unstable. Of course the US got involved and decided to support the South because the fear of communism in the North. In 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred. In this, the North allegedly attacked a US ship, this was the turning point Johnson was waiting for and then established the Gulf of Tonkin resolution: “[US can] take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” In 1965 operation Rolling Thunder deployed, and the bombing raids of North Vietnam began. At this time US troop levels topped 200,000. This was a difficult time for Americans. The support for the troops was split. Half the people were in favor of the war, and half were against it. There were a lot of demonstrations, mostly by college students, and it was a sad period in American history. It will never be forgotten and it changed the face of our country forever. The attitudes of people weren't really together, and maybe without this division it would have been possible for us to win this war. The Vietnam War represented major changes in American culture. Leading up to it were other big changes, and big events in not only the history of Cascade, or of the United States, but of the world as a whole. The draft was going on during this time and High School students had to take a physical test. Men were put in a lower division if they were married or in school. An ROTC service provided college schooling to men that went into the service. There was a lot of resentment to the war which made it hard on everyone. Many people were against Vietnam and anybody that was connected with Vietnam, even though the men that went to war didn't have a choice to go or not since most were drafted into it. There was still a strong anti-war movement and the men that returned from war were still resented by many. Some guys tried to avoid the draft by going to college or Canada. It changed the careers of many people because they didn't have a choice, if they were picked to go, they had to.
Cascade was built during a time when the world was enduring many hardships. It was the middle of the Cold War, one of the longest, toughest wars ever. The 60's was also a time of violence. Many leaders were assassinated and greatly affected Americans. These leaders will never be forgotten: Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. Yet at this time women were gaining rights, slowly but surely. The space race also was pushing the country, they had to beat the Soviets. All the events impacted the new Cascade students.
The Tragedy of the JFK Assassination
It was a sad day for the United States when our 35th president was shot. On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas. Grief struck the United States and within a few an hours the first and only suspect was taken into custody. The president was shot twice while in a moving vehicle. A third bullet hit a Senator. An event that took place in under 6 seconds will become one of the greatest mysteries ever. The only suspect taken in was Lee Harvey Oswald. Apparently Oswald shot the president from the 6th floor of a depository. The depository was surrounded and it was found that Oswald had fled the scene. This seemed incredibly fishy to the investigators, so they followed up. Oswald went to a bar. After he left he ran into an officer. He then shot Officer Tibet at 1:15ish. Then he fled to a nearby theater, where he was captured. Oswald was caught 2 hours after he left the depository, and remained the only suspect. However he denied that he shot the president. He even claimed to not know anything until the reporters told him. Two days after the assassination, Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby. Ruby was a club Oswald. He claimed he just wanted to be a hero, but the real motive is still not known. Oswald died two days after President Kennedy, along did the truth. Oswald was never able to testify and the Warren Report determined he must have been the assassin. Oswald was known as a happy kid. However he dropped out of school and joined the marines. He served in the Far East. Oswald even taught himself Russian. Three months before the end of his duty, Oswald asked for leave to take care of his mother. Soon after he returned home he applied (and was issued) a passport. The directly left for Russia. He applied for citizenship and was denied, he then slit his wrists. Soon he fell in love with Marina Prusakova, and they married. Then he and his wife returned to the US. He was able to mail-order guns extremely easy and he even had attempted to assassinate a Governor. Oswald was definitely an interesting character that should have raised suspicion. Speculators have many ideas on what actually happened that day. There are three main controversy conspiracy theories. One is the CIA was involved. In which they were angry with the President for ending the war in Vietnam. Also he was planning on destroying the CIA. The next theory claims Fidel Castro was behind it. This is backed because Kennedy was trying to get Castro. In this scenario, Castro got JFK before JFK could get him. The last conspiracy is that Marcelo had him killed. Marcelo is the boss of the New Orleans Mob. This was connected because it turns out Ruby was a part of the mafia. While the Warren Report puts full blame on Oswald, many believe it was a part of something bigger. Oswald was never able to go through testimony, in which the truth may have been revealed. This allows speculations to continue. The question will always remain: who killed President Kennedy and why?