| In My Parent's Day... |
| By Diane Oryall |
| In my parents' day many changes were occurring.� Laws were being passed to treat African-Americans as equals.� Reverend Dr. Marten Luther King had become a well-known fighter for equal rights.� Russia launched the first satellite into space, filling America with dread.� America launched the NASA program. NASA sent the first man into space.� John F. Kennedy Jr., a Navy hero and the youngest man to run for president, was elected our 35th president.� President Kennedy was the youngest president to be assassinated.� America became involved in the longest war in history. |
| In my parents' day desegregation was the biggest fight.� African Americans were fighting to be treated just like the whites.� They wanted to go to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, shop at the same stores, and hold the same jobs as whites. |
| School Desegregation |
| Linda Brown was a fifth grader just trying to go to school.� She lived in Topeka, Kansas.� The public schools would not allow her entrance due to the fact she was an African-American.� The public schools were for whites only.� Thurgood Marshall a lawyer for the NAACP took her case along with four others to court.� The case was argued for two years.� On May 17, 1954 the courts ruling was to desegregate the schools.� "This event was the turning point in the desegregation of public schools and the beginning to an equality among all races" (Harten). |
| Linda Browns case of desegregation of public schools was just the beginning of the desegregation fight.� Following her case many African Americans began fighting for desegregation in all areas. |
| Rosa Parks |
| In December 1955 an African-American named Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man.� This single event started a one-year long boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama public bus company (Parks, Rosa). |
| Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the Montgomery Alabama bus boycott.� King was arrested and found guilty for illegally arranging a boycott (U.S. News). |
| The bus boycott officially ended Dec. 20, 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama with a ruling prohibiting bus segregation.� On Dec. 21, 1956 African-Americans and whites rode the bus together with out special seating.� "On the advice of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., 27, Montgomery Negro Minister, boycott leader and advocate of non-violence, Negroes remained silent or replied with out rancor to occasional sneers or insults of a few white passengers" (Civil Rights: Montgomery). |
| At the end of a 7-month long boycott of the Tallahassee bus company, Reverend C.K. Steele who headed the Tallahassee Inter-civic council and the local NAACP urged non-Violence and warned, "Should an unpleasant incident take place involving one of our group, do not go to his aid.� That is how riots start " (Civil Rights: Montgomery). |
| In 1956, 208 school districts in several states had desegregated.� Tuskegee Institution annual race relations report stated, "Despite some incidents of violence, desegregation activities during the year were generally orderly"(Civil Rights: Bus). |
| In the midst of the racial issues being fought for, another world changing event was happening.� The great space race was about to begin. |
| The Space Race |
| Russia launched the first satellite into space, Sputnik.� The launch was in October 1957 in a secrete launch (Portree). |
| According to David S.F. Portree, Dr. Lloyd Baker, a geophysicist was one of the first American to learn about the launch.� After hearing the news he announced, "I have just been informed by the New York Times that a Russian Satellite is in orbit at an elevation of 900 kilometers.� I wish to congratulate our Soviet colleagues on their achievement." |
| The next several weeks after the launch of Sputnik people began to fear that with the ability to send satellites into space Russia would be able to launch nuclear weapons from space.� An unnamed European delegate pointedly concluded that, "Americans talk about space flight and the Russians do it" (Portree). |
| Portree says, that the one-year period following Sputnik's launch ended with the start of the U.S. Civilian agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). |
| NASA organized the first man in space program on Oct. 7, 1958.� NASA named it Project Mercury (Portree). |
| The beginning of the year in 1961 NASA announced that the Mercury was ready for the first manned flight.� The three astronauts picked to start the training were John Glenn, Gus Grissom, and Alan Shepard.� NASA would not announce who was chosen for the first flight ("Last-Minute Qualms"). |
| According to an article "Last-Minute Qualms" by NASA, nobody knew of NASA's decision for the first astronaut until after the first countdown on May 2, 1961 was cancelled due to bad weather.� Alan B. Shepard finally got his chance to orbit Earth on May 5, 1961.� As the final two min. approached and the final panel checks were being made Shepard felt everything was moving too slow.� He figured this was due to his excitement of his flight.� Shepard said he did not hear much of the final countdown only the fire command.� "Shepard was not alone in his excitement he was joined by the operations team, the press, and the millions of people viewing the lift off on television"("Last-Minute Qualms"). |
| Between the time Eisenhower approved NASA to the first manned flight a new president was elected. |
| A New President |
| John F. Kennedy Jr. was the youngest man elected President of the United States.� He was sworn in on January 20, 1961.� In his inaugural speech he asked that Americans become active citizens "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."�� He also asked the world to join the fight of common wars he called "common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war its self"(Menendez). |
| According to Lisa Menendez and Ellen Shea, President Kennedy had an optimistic outlook on the future of America.� He wanted new science discoveries, improvements in education, employment, and freedom for the whole world. |
| One of the first things Kennedy did was develop the Peace Corps where Americans could volunteer to help where they may be needed for education, health, farming and construction (Menendez). |
| Menendez and Shea state that Kennedy was eager for the U.S. to lead the way in space exploration.� Kennedy said, "No nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space." |
| Kennedy proposed a Civil Rights bill to congress asking Americans to end racism.� "Kennedy made it clear that all Americans regardless of their skin color should enjoy a good and happy life in the United States" (Menendez). |
| November 22, 1963 was a day that America stood still.� During a trip to Texas President Kennedy was to attend a $100 a plate luncheon in Dallas.� The motorcade carrying President Kennedy started at the airport.� The motorcade traveled through the streets of downtown Dallas.� Crowds were everywhere cheering him on.� One man said he seen a man in the sixth floor window of the book depository with a gun but assumed he was a secrete agent. |
| �When three shots were fired two hitting President Kennedy the crowds went running.� President Kennedy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. �Lee Harvey Oswald, a warehouse worker at the book depository, was arrested later that day as a suspect in the assassination of President Kennedy.� Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on Air Force One before leaving Dallas as the 36th President (Woolly). |
| One major event in my parent's lives that affected them the most was Vietnam.� With my father being career Army this headline is the one they followed the most. |
| Vietnam War |
| Does anyone really know why the Vietnam War actually happened?� One speculation is that America got involved to try to save South Korea from being taken over by the Communists.� This war was the longest fought. This war was the only one lost by Americans.� Even with our involvement, South Korea was taken over by the Vietnamese at a cost of 58,000 American troops� (Parks). |
| According to Michael Parks of the Los Angeles Times "no other conflict in the 20th century so tore this nation apart, so scarred it's social psyche, so embedded itself in its collective memory and so altered the public view of institutions, government, the military and the media." |
| In September 1966 America introduced Chemical warfare to clear out the jungles.� This chemical was Agent Orange (Parks). |
| To this day Michael Parks states that many who fought in the war or were involved through Washington are reluctant to speak of the war. |
| Conclusion |
| From my parents' day to my day all the events that had started then have improved now.� Racism is no longer on issue as far as equality. �Every one is treated equally in the law's eyes.� NASA is still improving their space flights.� They have gone from sending one man to space to sending seven.� They have gone from being in space for one day to several months or years doing scientific research.� President Kennedy is still talked about as being a favored president.� Most people from that era can remember exactly what they were doing when they heard President Kennedy had been shot.� To this day hardly anybody can actually explain why we were fighting in Vietnam.� That question will probably never by answered. |
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