Influential Speakers Of The 1960s: Spectacular Sixties

Spectacular Sixties
“One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” - Neil Armstrong
The sixties was probably one of the most influential time periods that America ever experienced. From the inauguration of president Kennedy to the lunar landing in 1969 was ham packed with events that shaped American history. Although America was engaged in the Vietnam War, there was plenty of development at home to run the idea that a new era has arrived. With influential speakers such as MLK and JFK, it was obvious that change was coming to the then segregated America and would leave America not only less racist but willing to help other minorities. The lunar landing in the late 60s showed Americans what the human potential was and that we were no
While some were advancing the technological aspect of America, others were working closer to home. They changed the way American societies worked and created the society that we live today. One of the most spectacular speakers of the time was Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential speakers of the 60s in that he brought so much change to the US without the use of violence and educated the American population about racial equality.Martin Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” shook audiences around the nation with only a few sentences which
was able to convey his message to hearts of all the Americans without any violence. While some radicals continued to follow Malcom X and the ideology of “Black Power”, Martin Jr. was adamant on his faith and even stated that “Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery” (Beyond Civil Rights), as a counter-statement to many radicals. Martin Jr. ended up visiting India to learn more about a more Ghandian way of solving these civil issues. He had learned about the effectiveness of Ghandi’s civil unrest and wanted to follow up on more effective ways to enforcing it in the US. He said, “King stated, “I left India more convinced than ever before that nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom” (Groundwork for Nonviolent Change). This is one of the spectacular things about Martin Jr. in that he spent so much time in his life learning about philosophy and religion so that he could develop his own way of bringing his opinion to the public. He was very dedicated to his goal and had every intent on bringing safe future to America’s youth. Eventually, he started to move onto more pressing matters that were occurring at the time in US History. A big event was the Vietnam