My Birthday

Who would have thought one day could have so much going on? My birthday, March 14, 1964, went from one extreme to the other. American soldiers were fighting abroad in the Vietnam War while citizens at home were fighting for their civil rights. The Beatles reached the top of the pop charts, and Jack Ruby received the death sentence for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. These chaotic extremes were typical for the whole decade of the sixties. So many things were in transition from the fifties to the sixties. “In the lives of men and women who rise high in the world, there is a moment, while they are passing from obscurity to consequence, that is perhaps the most satisfying they will ever know. The difficulties of the old life are being abandoned; the difficulties of the new are still unknown” (Zolotow).

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War resulted in the loss of many soldier’s lives. Unfortunately, March 14, 1964 did not sway from the norm. Two U.S. airmen were killed when Viet Cong shot down their spotter plane while flying over Saigon (South). The reason for the war was unclear, and lead to protests from students across the United States. The method of protesting students chose back then could probably best be described with this quote, “Don’t just do something, stand there” (Berrigan). The students chose sit-ins as acts of civil disobedience to show their disapproval for many issues such as; the government’s involvement in the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the ever present racism.

Civil Rights

The President in 1964 was Lyndon Johnson, and he shared his thoughts on racism, “Until justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men’s skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but not a fact” (Johnson). On, March 14, 1964, students held a civil rights demonstration in Yellow Springs, Ohio because a local barber refused to cut a black mans hair. The police came equipped with tear gas and fire hoses in an attempt to break up the demonstration. The police arrested 109 of the college students for violation of a county law, which prohibited more than three persons picket at a time (Civil).

Approximately 1500 college students held a silent protest near the jail in protest of their fellow students arrest (Civil). Today civil rights are often taken for granted, but forty years ago many citizens fought for these rights, and some died for them. Civil rights demonstrations and the Vietnam War weren’t the only situations, which experienced loss of life.

John F. Kennedy

The headlines of March 14, 1964 front page posted, “JFK Assassination Aftermath: Ruby Sentenced to Death” (JFK). Lee Harvey Oswald was the suspected murderer of President John F. Kennedy, whose death shocked America. President Kennedy’s assassin will probably never be known. Nobody denied that Jack Ruby shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald because of the amount of eyewitnesses. The prosecutors focused on the murder, but the defense wanted the insanity plea. Many defense experts testified that Ruby was insane, while consequently the prosecutor’s experts claimed he was sane. Ruby’s attorney also claimed they couldn’t receive a fair trial in Dallas, Texas. He claimed that the jurors were biased because most of them had read headlines pertaining to the murder prior to the trial. He sarcastically gave thanks to the jury for a victory of bigotry (JFK). America needed a break from all of this craziness or did it need a different kind of crazy?

The Beatles

The long hair boys from Britain came, and shook the music world. “We were all on this ship in the sixties, our generation, a ship going to discover the New World. and, the Beatles were in the crow’s nest of that ship” (Lennon). Lennon was one of the fabulous four that rocked America in the sixties. On March 14, 1964 the Beatles held 4 of the 10 spots on the Top Ten Pop Chart (Haber). Their melodies along with their long locks drove girls crazy. Their voices became dear to the hearts of teenagers all over the country. Their wacky songs contained numerous lyrics making references to drugs, which was another sign of the times. Many of America’s young adults grew deep into the “flower child” period of free sex as they partook of various drugs.

March 14, 1964 was in the heart of a perplexing decade of war, civil injustices, murder, and last but not least; sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll. Our nation experienced growing pains as were accepting equal rights for all citizens. The Vietnam War, which will not be understood for many years, left scars on its many veterans. The Beatles led our youth in their search for something other than their parents’ ideals. Did they go too far? That is a matter of personal opinion, and although I don’t fully agree with the following statement it seemed appropriate; “The sixties, of course, was the worst time in the world to try and bring up a child. They were exposed to all these crazy things going on” (Reagan).

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