Discovery of a Time Capsule - Research Paper Example

? Discovery of a Time Capsule Discovery of a Time Capsule Maga (2009) argues that the United s is the way it is currently owingto the events of the 1960s. This is because this is the period in which America faced both the good and the ugly in the form of many political assassinations, riots, anti war movements, psychedic music, the Vietnam War, and women’s movements among other events. These events have helped define the destiny of the United States, as well as the way it is being governed. During the archeological study of the events of the 1960s, we discovered a capsule that highlights the following events: assassinations, feminist movement, Vietnam War, Los Angeles Riots, and March on Washington. Assassination To begin with, some of the events that took place during this era were the assassination of many leaders in the U.S. For example, it was during this period that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by two gunmen who short him several times (Anson, 1975). Findings upon investigation revealed that Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 due to political rivalry. Investigations regarding his murder revealed that senior people in government including the Vice president at the time and the former Cuban president conspired with the CIA, KBG, and the FBI to kill Kennedy (Maga, 2009). We discovered that the murder was a conspiracy when after digging several meters underground, we came across a report book by the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassination (HSCA) detailing the identities of those who conspired to assassinate Kennedy in a cold blood shooting. At the same time, we discovered an item detailing how Malcolm X, a religious leader, and American nationalist was assassinated on stage by a rival Black Muslims group. The item reveals that, on 21 February 1965 while Malcolm X was addressing his Afro-American Unity organization at Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York, three men drawn from the Nation of Islam entered the room and immediately shot him while he was just about to start addressing the gathering (Breitman, Porter & Smith, 1991). He was pronounced dead on arrival to the nearby Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. In addition, the capsule reveals that the assassinations of Malcolm soon triggered revenge attacks from his followers against the Black Muslims that saw several Mosques belonging to the Black Muslims torched in San Francisco and Harlem (Maga, 2009). In fact, one of the items discovered and resembled are the remains of a Dome of a Mosque thought to have been buried underground after the incident. Another item found in relation to assassinations during the 1960s relates to how Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in the evening of April 4, 1968. King was a vocal civil rights activist and leader. He was very vocal in fighting for equality for the black Americans and other races that were being discriminated against in the U.S. (Maga, 2009). Because of his stand, he was assassinated by a stray bullet. Archeologists’ findings of his skull reveal that the bullet hit him on the right cheek before traveling through his neck and finally rested on this shoulder. Analysis of the bullet casket found buried underground reveals that it was a 0.30-caliber rifle bullet. Significance of Assassinations in Defining the 1960s The assassinations witnessed during this era are of great significance because it reminds many of the struggles that leaders such as Martin Luther King Junior, John F. Kennedy and Malcolm went through in an attempt to ensure that America becomes a good country to live in - one without discrimination based on color, race, nationality, religion or language. As a result, the assassinations of these leaders signify how insecure America was during the 1960. People risked their lives by voicing out their concerns. It also shows the extent to which impunity and racism was the order of the day during this period (Maga, 2009). Feminist Movement History tells us that American women in the 1960s were limited in almost everything. As such, they were only expected to give birth and look after their children as well as devoting themselves to homemaking. Nevertheless, after getting inspiration from the civil rights activists, they began to fight for their rights and equality in society (Maga, 2009). For instance, in 1966 professional women at the time, Betty Friedan for example, formed a women’s movement known as the National Organization for Women (NOW). The aim of the movement was to bring the oppressed American women into full involvement in the day-to-day operations of the American society (Friedan, 1998). We managed to discover a leaflet of the organization’s memorandum containing their agenda. One of the main focuses, according the leaflet, of the feminist movement headed by Friedan pertained to the illumination of inequalities at the workplace so as to guarantee women equal opportunity to access jobs and equity in remuneration, by ensuring that the government passes the anti-discrimination laws (Maga, 2009). At the same time, we managed to get a protest placard that was being used by the women. The placard condemned the discrimination of women at the workplace. Another placard had a message regarding reproduction laws. Significance of the Feminist Movement in Defining the 1960s The Feminist movements define the 1960s as the period in which American women began to demand full participation in American society. All along, American women were being discriminated against in society and were expected to stay at home looking after children and performing domestic chores. The 1960s will be remembered as the period when American women gained a lot as far as gender equality is concerned. This is because it is during the 1960s that women began to work in professional fields. Many women became teachers, doctors, engineers, and accountants. It is argued that it is through the efforts of the feminist movements of the 1960s that women got more recognition in America. Today there are as more female professionals in America than men professionals. At the same time, they also get fair remuneration as their male counterparts, a situation that never was before the movements protested against discrimination (Maga, 2009). The Vietnam War The Vietnam War is arguably the toughest and longest war that the U.S. has ever fought. The Vietnam War was fought between the U.S. and Vietnam from 1965 to 1973. The war began when the United States invaded Vietnam by carrying out numerous bombardments on Vietnamese military bases (Maga, 2009). The U.S. government was subject to a lot of criticism from its citizens for the invasion. This is based on the finding of a protest letter written by one citizen. The letter stated that American citizens did not approve of the war and recognize it as a violation of the sovereignty of Vietnam (Maga, 2009). We also managed to discover some of the Vietnamese tanks that were destroyed by U.S. forces signifying how deadly the war was. Significance of Vietnam War in Defining 1960s The Vietnam War signifies a time when the U.S. fought an unconstitutional war. This is because the entry of the U.S. forced in Vietnam took many by surprise. Many Americans saw it as a violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty. The other significance of the 1960s Vietnam War is that it is the only war that has given rise to the most successful antiwar movements in U.S. history. In addition, it contributed to the growth of the Free Speech Movement that has helped keep on check the actions of government (Maga, 2009). March on Washington The “Great Match on Washington” was a protest match by the civil rights movements on the streets of Washington (Marable & Mullings, 2002). It took place on 28 August, 1963 and saw over 250,000 people take to the street over jobs and freedom in Washington D.C. (Maga, 2009). It was the largest protest ever experienced in the capital. During our study, we discovered one of the protest letters that were left behind during the demonstration that clearly indicated that the protestors wanted more freedom and jobs to be created in the country. Further, we discovered an old tape record containing a speech delivered by Martin Luther King “I have a dream.” Significance of March on Washington in Defining the 1960s The March on Washington in 1963 did play a big role as far as freedom and job rights for Black Americans are concerned (Marable & Mullings, 2002). This is because it helped pressurize President John F. Kennedy to initiate a civil rights bill in Congress. The passage of the bill enabled the black Americans to get job rights as well as freedom in Washington DC (Maga, 2009). Los Angeles Riots The 1965 Los Angeles Riots is one of the deadliest riots ever witnessed in Los Angeles until the 1992 riots. The riots began during a routine traffic check on 11 August 1965 in Watts when a white police officer named Lee W. Minikus stopped Marquette Frye, an African America for a routine traffic check (Maga, 2009). Rumors went around that the white police officer had assaulted Frey, his mother, as well as his pregnant girlfriend. This resulted in a war between the African Americans in Los Angeles and the white Americans. The civil war resulted in the death of 34 people, 1,032 injuries, and 3,438 arrests. In addition, property worth over $40 million was destroyed according to Maga (2009). This protest was very significant in the sense that despite that fact that many people lost their lives, it helped restore respect between African Americans and the whites. Conclusion Certainly, the events of 1960s will remain the most memorable in the history of America. This is because the events that took place during this period have contributed to its current state. For instance, despite the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated for his fight for equality for all American citizens, his legacy and values still remain. References Anson, R.S. (1975). They've Killed the President!: The Search for the Murderers of John F. Kennedy. New York: Bantam Books. Breitman, G., Porter, H. & Smith, B. (1991). The Assassination of Malcolm X. New York: Pathfinder Press. Friedan, B. (1998). It Changed My Life: Writings on the Women's Movement. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Maga, T.P. (2009). The 1960s. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing. Marable M. & Mullings, L. (2002). Freedom: A Photographic History of the African American Struggle. London: Phaidon. Read More