1960s

1968 Events

PRAGUE SPRING January 5: In Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubcek was elected as the first secretary of the country’s Communist Party over the Stalinist Antonin Novotny, a victory that marked a brief period of liberalization and reform known as the Prague Spring. But the so‑called Prague Spring would be brief, as Soviet armed forces invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia […]

1968 Democratic Convention

Goal of Protestors at the 1968 Democratic Convention Though the 1968 protest at the Democratic National Convention were largely against the Vietnam War, the country was undergoing unrest on many fronts. The months leading up to the infamous 1968 Democratic Convention were turbulent: The brutal assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April had left […]

Great Society

Riding A Wave of Empathy On November 22, 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President of the United States after the killing of John F. Kennedy. The assassination of Kennedy left American citizens reeling. They felt empathy, even sympathy for Johnson as he became president under such difficult circumstances. Johnson took advantage of […]

This Day in History: 12/22/1956 – Gorilla Born in Captivity

The 1960s

Historian Yohuru Williams sums up the tumultuous political and cultural movements of the 1960s.

The Detroit Riots of 1967

Explore the history of the 1967 Detroit riots, from the political context that sparked them to the broader consequences of the conflict.

Inside RFK’s Funeral Train: How His Final Journey Helped a Nation Grieve

The New York‑to‑Washington train had 21 cars, 700 passengers—and millions of trackside mourners.

MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign Demanded Economic Justice

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign took protest to a whole new level in 1968 with a tent city that operated as a town.

Why Black American Athletes Raised Their Fists at the 1968 Olympics

After sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a defiant gesture from the awards podium at the Games, they faced repercussions—but also gained respect.