Author Description

Greenhaven Press's The Turbulent 60s series explores a remarkably influential decade in American history. Each anthology in this ten-volume set covers one year from the 1960s and offers an array of primary and secondary sources that illuminate that year's major events and developments. The civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy assassination, the Woodstock music festival, and other social, cultural, and political events are brought to life through primary documents and retrospective analysis. A short summary introduces each article and provides context and biographical information. A comprehensive introduction examines the prevailing trends and mood of the year. Additional features of the series include a chronology of events for easy reference, an annotated table of contents, and a bibliography and index to facilitate further research. The Turbulent 60s series captures both the turmoil and optimism that marked a decade of dramatic change in America. Agitation characterized much of national life in the United States in the year 1960 as the Cold War continued to spark belligerent confrontations between the country and its rival--the Soviet Union. The anthology presents the contentious events that emerged during the year: the shooting down of a U.S. spy plane by the Soviets, the cancellation of disarmament talks in its aftermath, and the unprecedented production of deadly nuclear missiles to deter Soviet attack. The volume also details the student protests against racial segregation by black students in the South.