‘The Sixties’ is an acclaimed book by Terry H. Anderson, a history professor of Texas A&M University. The book provides an extensive account of some of the most difficult years that America witnessed. This paper intends to discuss the book and other related aspects of the area under discussion.
The book is written by the history professor and presents an authentic account of America when the nation was passing trough very tumultuous phase. Anderson presents the facts with a historian’s perspective and portrays how Americans successfully faced the cold war era and witnessed the transitional phase (Anderson). The book starts with the era of the cold war and takes readers on a journey that passes through various phases and ends with the beginning of the social activism and revolutionary counterculture in the United States of America.
Anderson, in his book, describes how the generation of baby boomers witnessed a completely new phase in the history of the America. This was a new era when the mood of America used to shift frequently from the Kennedys’ idealism to Johnson’s liberal advances and the idea of a ‘Great society’. This was a time when America was at the verge of splitting up due to the growing dissension in the America on the issue of Vietnam War.
The book also gives readers a glimpse of social change, anti war movements, the civil rights movements, and several other movements that contributed in the making of a better America. Anderson also describes the rise of the African American movement under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. the author also gives a glimpse how the blacks suffered in their movement while demanding for their rights. This was an era of change in every aspects of the American society (Anderson, The Movement and the Sixties).
A number of other social movements including gay rights movement, women liberty movements, feminist movements, Native American movements, student rights movements, labor movements and the Chicano movements are widely described in the book (Anderson & Dunn). Anderson also suggests that how some of these movements were radicalized and participants of these movements did backlash when the government wanted to oppress them. These movements affected the American society and changed the America forever.
The book is very widespread and elaborative but appears short and snappy at several places. Anderson has tried to discuss various aspects of the society but there are several things that are left uncovered. Cultural revolutions and religious aspect have failed in getting ample space in the book. The author gives only a glimpse of the contemporary American society and describes how the society was in a transition phase.
Having observed the short and snappy analysis of the abovementioned book, it can be concluded that ‘The Sixties’, authored by Terry H. Anderson, presents a detailed account of contemporary American society of the sixties. Anderson has tried to cover several important issues that affected the American national interests. The book is well written and well researched and the author has provided several interesting facts and incidents that keep the interest of the readers intact in the book. The book is very valuable for history students and for those who wants to know about the history of the America.
Works Cited
Anderson, T., & Dunn, J.P. "The Movement and the Sixties: Protest in America from Greensboro to Wounded Knee." History: Reviews of New Books, 24(1) (1995): 15.
Anderson, Terry H. Sixties. USA: Prentice Hall PTR, 2012.
Anderson, Terry H. The Movement and the Sixties. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1995.
