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1960s Short Essays
1. Describe one particular event in Civil Rights history that you consider sad or tragic.
Describe one particular event that you consider particularly triumphant.
Throughout the history of Civil Rights, and the African American struggle for equality

that exists even today, there have been countless losses that devastated the African American

society, but an equal number of victories, that inspire hope in even the most hopeless. From

the time weve shipped slaves across the seas, having taken them from their homeland, they

have fought a predominantly uphill battle. One such battle, that ended in the death of four

little girls, was the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham, 1963. To me, this was

one of the most tragic events that occurred in our history; not because of the location, or even

the victims (although it does strike a chord), but because of the motive. The reasons behind

the bombing were particularly tragic because of the simple fact that there were no reasons. It

was pure and simple racism that drove, not just the convicted, but an entire country to turn on

a group of people who were so similar it was hard to sport the differences. Its because of the

lack of differences that the two predominant races in America have between one another that

allows us to come together and achieve some amazing things. Although the death of rebound

champion of civil rights Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 showed that even the most idealistic

arent immune to racism, it led to various types of social reform, as people on the other

side began to see that African Americans were equal, and not some alien species. It was the

work that MLK did that led to where the African American community stands today; one of

their own having been elected to be the leader of the free world in 2008 (although after the

fact, the old saying, two steps forward, one step backward held true in the most recent

election). It was through the sacrifice that MLK gave to the American people that allowed us

to make the strides to get us to where we are today. These two events, both occurring in the
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1960s, during the climax of the civil rights movement in America, both defined what is was

like to live during the time; tragedy and victory defined every day. Everything that has

happened in the United States, regarding Civil Rights and social equality has been derived

from the 1960s, with these two events having the biggest impact on people when they

happened.

4. In a paragraph, explain how the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban missile crisis, and the
Berlin Crisis brought the US into conflict with the Soviet Union
Cuban Missile Crisis
Who: US and USSR (JFK and Nikita Khrushchev)
What: JFK sends a blockade to Cuba, to deter Russians from launching nukes at us,
and calls for Khrushchev to open up negotiations
When: Oct 16-28, 1962
Where: Cuba, off the Coast of Cuba, USA, USSR
Why: USSR began building nuclear launch sites on Cuba, placing US in the range of
Russian nukes.
Legacy: International Hotline between Khrushchev and JFK, Above-Ground nuclear
test ban, Nukes out of Cuba for US nukes out of Turkey and Italy
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Who: JFK, Fidel Castro
What: CIA trains Cuban Exiles to take over Cuban gov; Cuban Exiles attack Cuba
and fail, 1,100 die; US doesnt provide aid and claims they werent involved
When: April 17, 1961
Where: Cuba
Why: We wanted Castro out of power, and communism out of our shores, but didnt
want to be implicated when the attack failed
Legacy: Cuban dissent toward US Castro lets USSR build nuclear launch sites on
his country, leads to Cuban Missile Crisis
Berlin Crisis
Who: USA, USSR, Germany
What: Increased Cold War tensions - JFK increased military spending, 1500 troops to
W Berlin, Khrushchev builds Berlin Wall
When: Jun 4 Nov 9, 1961, between Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis (Wall
started Aug 13)
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Where: Berlin, Germany
Why: USSR and USA are still disagreeing on what should happen to Germany US
wants it unified, and USSR wants it separated, and the US out of W Berlin (which
existed in East Germany)
Legacy: Increased Cold War Tensions, separated Berlin for the next 28 years (torn
down in 1989)

The 1960s in America was plagued with confrontations between them and the USSR,

fueled by both Russian dissent and fear. There were three major crises between the USA and the

USSR that increased tensions in the time that would come to be known as the Cold War: The

Cuban Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Berlin Crisis. Due to our strong

opposition to communism, the United States Central Intelligence Agency was deeply troubled

by the Communist takeover of Cuba, a country just miles off our shore, by the dictator Fidel

Castro (who would come to haunt 11 US presidents). To prevent Communism from spreading

any more in the Americas, the US instructed the CIA to train Cuban exiles for combat to take

over their former government. The operation, executed on April 17, 1961, was a tremendous

failure and considered our biggest blunder in foreign affairs ever; when the exiles needed

support, we denied any connection or involvement that only led to the death of 1,100 of the men

we trained. Cuban dissent of the US followed, and it was this dissent the Cubans harbored that

led them to allowing Russia to build nuclear launch sites on their island, mere miles away from

the US motherland. Once the CIA informed the president that Nikita Khrushchev and the USSR

were building these launch sites off American shores, panic ensued between October 16th and 18th

of 1962 The acting president, John F. Kennedy decided the best course of action was to send a

blockade to Cuba to deter the Russians from launching any nukes, and called for Khrushchev to

open negotiations between our two countries. The Cuban Missile Crisis ended in the

establishment of an international hotline between JFK and Khrushchev, a ban on above-ground

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nuclear testing, and the removal of nuclear devices from Turkey, Italy, and Cuba. It went down as

the climax of the Cold War, with nuclear warfare mere moments away; one wrong step and

everyone would go up in a nuclear explosion. Between the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile

Crisis, Europe was still a center of Russian and American interest. In Berlin, the US occupied the

west half, and the USSR occupied the east half. We both still disagreed on what should happen to

Germany, even though the World War had ended 16 years earlier. JFK wanted simply to have

Germany united, whilst Khrushchev wanted it separated and to have us leave our enclave of West

Berlin that existed in their East Germany. It was these conflicting ideologies that brought JFK to

increase military spending in Germany, sending 1,500 American troops into West Berlin, and

brought Nikita Khrushchev to build the Berlin Wall, a structure that would separate Germany

both politically and socially for the next 28 years. Although the conflict between the United

States and the USSR wasnt fought with guns and bombs, it fueled the increasing tensions during

the time period. Within the Cold War existed many scenarios, like the Bay of Pigs invasion and

the Berlin Crisis, that brought us into conflict with the Soviet Union, and almost lead to all-out

nuclear warfare at its climax, the Cuban Missile Crisis.