Turning Points - Actual and Alternate Histories: America in Revolt during the 1960s and 1970s PDF
Preview Turning Points - Actual and Alternate Histories: America in Revolt during the 1960s and 1970s
Cover Page i TURNING POINTS—ACTUAL AND ALTERNATE HISTORIES America in Revolt during the 1960s and 1970s Page ii Other titles in ABCCLIO’s TURNING POINTS—ACTUAL AND ALTERNATE HISTORIES series Native America from Prehistory to First Contact Colonial America from Settlement to the Revolution Manifest Destiny and the Expansion of America A House Divided during the Civil War Era The Reagan Era from the Iran Crisis to Kosovo Page iii Books in the Turning Points—Actual and Alternate Histories series ask the question, What would have happened if . . . ? In a unique editorial format, each book examines a specific period in American history, presents the real, or actual, history, and then offers an alternate history—speculations from historical experts on what might have happened had the course of history turned. If a particular event had turned out differently, history from that turning point forward could be affected. Important outcomes frequently hinge on an individual decision, an accidental encounter, a turn in the weather, the spread of a disease, or a missed piece of information. Such events stimulate our imagination, accentuating the role of luck, chance, and individual decision or character at particular moments in time. The examination of such key turning points is one of the reasons the study of history is so fascinating. For the student, examining alternate histories springing from turning points and exploring, What would have happened if . . . ? gives insight into many of the questions at the heart of our civilization today. Page iv This page intentionally left blank Page v TURNING POINTS—ACTUAL AND ALTERNATE HISTORIES America in Revolt during the 1960s and 1970s Rodney P. Carlisle and J. Geoffrey Golson, Editors Santa Barbara, California Denver, Colorado Oxford, England Page vi Copyright 2008 by ABCCLIO, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data America in revolt during the 1960s and 1970s / Rodney P. Carlisle and J. Geoffrey Golson, editors. p.cm. — (Turning points—actual and alternate histories) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 9781851098835 (hard copy : alk. paper) — ISBN 9781851098842 (ebook) 1. United States—History—1961–1969. 2. United States—History—1969–.3. United States—Politics and government—1945–1989. 4. Social problems—United States—History—20th century. 5. Social movements—United States—History—20th century. 6. United States—Social conditions—1960–1980. 7. Nineteen sixties. 8. Nineteen seventies. 9. Imaginary histories. I. Carlisle, Rodney P. II. Golson, J. Geoffrey. E839.A48 2008 973.922—dc22 2007016502 12 11 10 09 08 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Production Editor: Kristine Swift Editorial Assistant: Sara Springer Production Manager: Don Schmidt Media Production Coordinator: Ellen Brenna Dougherty Media Resources Manager: Caroline Price File Manager: Paula Gerard Text design: Devenish Design This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an ebook. Visit http://www.abcclio.com for details. ABCCLIO, Inc. 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 931161911 This book is printed on acidfree paper Manufactured in the United States of America Page vii Contents Contributors xi Introduction xiii 1 Civil Rights 1 TURNING POINT The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a milestone in the quest for equality in the United States. What if the act had not passed? Introduction 1 Turning Point 7 Actual History 8 Alternate History 15 Discussion Questions 19 Bibliography and Further Reading 19 2 John F. Kennedy 21 TURNING POINT What if Lee Harvey Oswald had missed on November 22, 1963, and President Kennedy had survived? Introduction 21 Turning Point 27 Actual History 29 Alternate History 34 Discussion Questions 40 Bibliography and Further Reading 40 3 War on Poverty 43 TURNING POINT President Johnson’s War on Poverty was largely sidelined by politics and the Vietnam War. What if the War on Poverty had been won? Introduction 43 Turning Point 47 Page viii Actual History 52 Alternate History 59 Discussion Questions 63 Bibliography and Further Reading 63 4 The Vietnam War 65 TURNING POINT What if President Johnson had not engaged in escalation and South Vietnam had fallen to communists in 1966? Introduction 65 Turning Point 70 Actual History 72 Alternate History 79 Discussion Questions 84 Bibliography and Further Reading 85 5 Martin Luther King, Jr. 87 TURNING POINT What if civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. had escaped assassination and had become a force in the Democratic Party? Introduction 87 Turning Point 93 Actual History 94 Alternate History 95 Discussion Questions 98 Bibliography and Further Reading 99 6 The Tet Offensive 101 TURNING POINT The North Vietnamese Tet Offensive was a climax of the Vietnam War. What if the United States had invaded North Vietnam in retaliation? Introduction 101 Turning Point 108 Actual History 108 Alternate History 114 Discussion Questions 118 Bibliography and Further Reading 119 7 Kent State 121 TURNING POINT The killing of students at Kent State University in 1970 was a national tragedy. What if the incident had happened in the turbulent year of 1968? Introduction 121 Turning Point 124 Actual History 128 Alternate History 131 Page ix Discussion Questions 133 Bibliography and Further Reading 134 8 March on Washington 135 TURNING POINT The 1963 civil rights march on the nation’s capital was mostly peaceful. What if the march had been suppressed with violence? Introduction 135 Turning Point 143 Actual History 145 Alternate History 149 Discussion Questions 152 Bibliography and Further Reading 152 9 Women’s Rights 155 TURNING POINT The Pill, a contraceptive drug, helped launch the “second wave” of the women’s movement. What if the Pill had not been introduced? Introduction 155 Turning Point 161 Actual History 162 Alternate History 168 Discussion Questions 171 Bibliography and Further Reading 172 10 Counterculture 173 TURNING POINT What if an AIDSlike sexually transmitted disease had spread in the 1960s, bringing a halt to the counterculture movement? Introduction 173 Turning Point 180 Actual History 181 Alternate History 185 Discussion Questions 188 Bibliography and Further Reading 188 11 Free Speech Movement 189 TURNING POINT Mario Savio was a freespeech student leader who protested in 1964. What if Savio had been shot during the violent demonstrations? Introduction 189 Turning Point 193 Actual History 196 Alternate History 201 Discussion Questions 204 Bibliography and Further Reading 205
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