Each decade is made up of a series of events. Those who lived through it, and learned about by others through history lessons remember events from each decade. The string of events that comprise each decade is usually signified by a single event that leaves a lasting impression for decades to come. Events such as the Cold War, the Kennedy Assassination, the New Age of Reporting, the Reagan Administration, and the L.A. Riots are recorded in the minds of those who lived through them, and on the pages of history books throughout America. Although some events may have technically taken place in a previous decade, the effects are sometimes carried over into the next decade.
1950’s: Cold War America
The Cold War is a perfect example of one decade’s events carrying over into the next. The Cold War is the name used to describe the association between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II (Trueman, 2001). The rise of the Cold War began after the end of the Second World War when American’s suspicions of the Soviet Union’s agenda and communism peaked. The Cold War containment policy was the result of a cable sent by George Kennan, the Charge d’affaires in Moscow (Davidson, 2006). In an effort to take away power from communist Russia, Kennan sent his “long telegram” that described the Russian leaders’ extreme paranoia and inability to negotiate, and offered a “doctrine of containment” that was accepted by President Harry S. Truman (Davidson, 2006).
The decision to send economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey became known as the Truman Doctrine. This doctrine gave the executive branch more power to “step forward to help ‘free people’ threatened by ‘totalitarian regimes’” (Davidson, 2006). In an effort to aid the still-suffering Western Europe, Secretary of State George C. Marshall introduced a plan to welcome European countries to request economic help. The Marshall Plan was successful in helping Western Europeans recover their broken economy. At the same time the Marshall Plan inadvertently put the blame for the division of Europe on the heads of the soviets. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created, which strengthened the barrier against communism and the Soviet take over of Germany. These policies were implemented in the 40’s but paved the way of the American attitude in the 1950’s. The Cold War and Anti-communism was the theme of post-war America and the basis for political propaganda through the 1960’s. While the Cold War originated in the 1940’s and grew most of its strength in the 1950’s, it lasted through the end of the 1980’s and that is why it is the most significant event of the 50’s.
1960’s: JFK Assassination
Ask anyone who was alive at the time where they were on November 22, 1963 and they will be able to tell you. The assassination of John F. Kennedy left a lasting impression on the people of the United States, so much so that they are able to remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard JFK had been shot. He was the youngest President ever elected, and had many great ideas for his New Frontier
Since President Kennedy already had the support of the Liberal and Democrat Parties, he had scheduled an event in the South to gain Republican support. A motorcade in honor of the President was in procession in Dallas on that fateful day. The President’s wife was sitting next to him in the back seat of the convertible 1961 Lincoln Continental (Wiki, 2009). The President was shot twice and pronounced dead 30 minutes later (Kauffman, 2008). Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and then he was assassinated by Jacob Rubenstein, AKA Jack Ruby, who owned a local nightclub (Kauffman, 2008). At that point conspiracy theories took over and there is still not a total agreement on the actual circumstances of the assassination.
The controversy surrounding the assassination prompted the government to assign the case to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. The Warren Commission found that Oswald had acted alone, firing three shots at the President from the Book Depository building (Kauffman, 2008). Conspiracy theorists accused the Commission of “covering up or ignoring evidence” that there was a second gunman situated on the grassy knoll on the other side of the street (Kauffman, 2008). In 1978 the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was assigned to the case and they believed there was a second gunman, but did not know who the other conspirator was. Many theories were introduced as to who helped Oswald assassinate the President including the Mafia, Fidel Castro, and the Soviet Union (Kauffman, 2008). The Justice Department in 1980 opened a “limited investigation”, and the JFK Act was passed in 1993 commanding the government to publish all documents and files relating to the incident. The assassination of President Kennedy was the most significant event of the 60’s because people are still talking about and investigating it, and conspiracy still surrounds the event to this day.
1970’s: New Age of Reporting
The 1970’s was a decade of new journalism and reporting, and a decade of public outrage. People were angry about what was going on in the country and with television coverage coming home of the Vietnam War, they were developing an increasing interest in politics. Americans saw what was happening and it did not matter what positive spin the government and the media tried to put on it the footage spoke for itself. Protestors rose up against the war and the government reaction led to more protests after news quickly spread about the shootings at Kent and Jackson State Universities. The release of the publication of the Pentagon Papers in the New York Times allowed people to see through the lies that dug the U.S. deeper into an un-winnable war (Apple, 1996). The people were furious and becoming more outspoken against the government.
Sometimes the things we fear the most are brought into reality and that is just what happened with President Richard Nixon. Nixon felt he was unfairly represented by Liberals, and by the media and he felt like a “person surrounded by enemies who conspired against him” (Davidson, 2006). His fear became a reality as news broke of his scandalous involvement in the Watergate incident. He resigned after the release of taped conversations showing that “Nixon knew the burglars were tied to the White House” and he was charged with obstructing justice, abusing constitutional authority, and hindering the investigation of the Watergate Scandal (Davidson, 2006). Reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward from the Washington Post investigated the incident from the beginning and reported all the details through Nixon’s resignation. Their investigative reporting changed journalism and American politics forever. Nixon himself even tried to use the media to claim his innocence by doing a television interview with T.V. personality David Frost.
The new age of reporting in the 1970’s opened many avenues for people to become involved in current affairs, and to get their opinions and causes heard. With Gonzo journalism, eye witness televised news broadcasts, and investigative reporting all making debuts in the media, the new age of reporting was the most significant event of the 70’s and paved the way for all future journalists, reporters, and avenues of media.
1980’s: Reagan Administration
The 1980’s can be mostly be remembered by the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. Reagan was a Hollywood actor that brought his big-screen skills and charm with him to Washington D.C. Conservatives adopted the Republican Party and together they became the unthinking majority that got Reagan elected in a landslide election. Even though Ronald Reagan did not attend church services, he proclaimed his faith in God, which was enough for most people. His policies included tax cuts for the rich, a higher tax bracket for the working middle class, and heavy deregulation that almost destroyed John F. Kennedy’s and Lyndon B. Johnson’s New Frontier and Great Society policies that aided the poor. He was “the great communicator” and the media received and portrayed him well. Amidst promises to “reawaken the industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden”, Reagan accomplished a lot while actually having very little involvement in the implementation of his policies (Davidson, 2006).
According to right-wing conservatives like John Hawkins, the Reagan Administration (1.) Slashed taxes, created 20 million jobs, and increased revenue; (2.) Rebuilt and strengthened America’s military, which allowed for “success” in the Gulf War; (3.) “Convince[d] the Soviets that they couldn’t [sic] compete with America” with the Star Wars program; (4.) Defeated the Soviet Union; and (5.) Rebuilt the Republican Party (2001), which was then totally destroyed by the G.W. Bush Administration. Love him or hate him, Ronald Reagan was the voice of the 80’s.
1990’s: Rodney King & the L.A. Riots
It was the 90’s and a black suspect had accused the Los Angeles Police Department of beating him. Yawn. Accept this accusation was different from every other accusation of the same thing, why? Because this time “a man in a nearby apartment videotaped the beating, which the news media repeatedly broadcast to the entire nation” (Davidson, 2006). It was not unusual for a black person to be the victim of police brutality, but now there was independent video evidence and the country was paying attention. Four officers were put on trial for using excessive force but were acquitted by an all-white jury that had concluded “that King had been threatening and that the officers had acted within their authority” (Davidson, 2006). This caused a rage among the African American population in L.A. and six days of “looting, assault, arson and murder” ensued (Wiki, 2009). Thousands were injured during the riots and 53 people died.
The reason the Rodney King Riots in L.A. was the most significant event in the 90’s is because it shown a light on racism and corruption in the police department. The Christopher Commission (the commission assigned to review the case) found that there was quite a problem with repeat offenders in the police department.
Of approximately 1,800 officers against whom an allegation of excessive force or
improper tactics was made from 1986 to 1990, more than 1,400 had only on or
two allegations. But 183 officers had four or more allegations, forty-four had six
or more, sixteen had eight or more, and one had sixteen such allegations.
(Wiki, 2009).
The officers that had six or more allegations were reprimanded, and changes began to take place inside the department. One has to wonder, however, after the Riots in 1992, the Mark Fuhrman incident in the O.J. Simpson trial in 1994, and the Rampart Scandal in 1996, were those changes enough to quell the controversy of the LAPD?
The significance of the corruption in Los Angeles has been signified in many different television shows and movies including Crash, Heat, Training Day, L.A. Confidential, and more recently Lakeview Terrace and Changeling. The most significant events are the ones that people remember the most. Time goes by and the future becomes history, sometimes remembered and sometimes forgotten. People are aware of past events based on the attention paid to them and people pay the most attention to high profile events. Through elder family members, history books, literature, newspaper archives, T.V. shows and movies future generations learn of the most significant events of past decades.
References
Apple Jr., R. (1996). Pentagon papers. New York Times. Topics Pentagon Papers.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/p/pentagon_papers/index.html
Davidson, J. (Ed.). (2006). Nation of nations: A concise narrative of the American
Republic (4th ed., Vol. 2). New York: McGraw-Hill
Hawkins, J. (2001). Reagan 101. Right Wing News Web site
http://rightwingnews.com/john/reagan.php
Kauffman, J. (2008). Kennedy Assassination. Issues & Controversies in American
History. Facts on File News Services Retrieved from University Library
http://swtuopproxy.museglobal.com/MuseSessionID=2ff265b17d38ace4c24f06453195041/MuseHost=www.2facts.com/MusePath/ICAH/temp/81360temphaa00002170.asp?DBType=ICAH
Trueman, C. (2001). What was the cold war. History Learning Site Web site
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/whatwasthecoldwar.htm
Wikipedia (2009).
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_car_was_President_John_F._Kennedy_driving_in_when_shot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department
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