The 1960s: A Decade of Change

Within your group, each member will be in charge of researching one of the following categories:

1. The Presidents: Who were the presidents during this time period?  What happened while they were in office?  What was the focus of their foreign & domestic policies?  What major decisions did they have to make while in office?
2. Social Change: What is going on with the different ethnic and racial groups (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans)?  What is going on between the genders, are they equal?  What are each of these different groups' roles in society?  What are their struggles, accomplishments, and contributions to the changing face of America?  What about the social classes?
3. Famous Americans:  (NOT celebrities or the President) What did they do to make the nation/world better? You will be looking for people like Nobel Peace Prize winners, philanthropists, and inspirational leaders.  You may want to look at people who pushed for gender, ethnic, or racial equality.
4. Economics: How is the American economy during the 1960s?  Where is the money coming from and where is the money going to?  What does our workforce and unemployment figures look like?  What is the president’s economic policy and how is it affecting our nation?  How are businesses doing?  How are the cost of products and homes changing?  What does our healthcare system look like?
5. Arts & Pop Culture: Who were the most popular musicians and what was the music like during this time?  Were there any new technological advancements that were impacting mainstream America?  How were people dancing?  What was popular on television and in the movie theaters?  What were people reading?  Who were the famous celebrities and what were some of the popular scandals during this time?
   

After you have each chosen a topic you will visit the resources listed below that pertain to your category.  Remember that you are looking for ten events that you believe are the most important from your topic during the 1960s.  Make sure that you thoroughly research your topic before choosing your events (do not choose the first ten things that you find) because you will have to intelligently explain and argue why they are more important than any others.  You may use additional websites that you find on your own, but be sure that you cite them correctly and that you trust the accuracy of the source.  As you are putting this information together, use the form entitled "1960s Events & Explanations" (see link below) to record your chosen events and give an explanation as to its importance.  This will become your guide as you create your PowerPoint and video.