1968: The War of Liberation

Group Website Albert Lee Marina Rakhilin Josh Sander Daniel Ehrlich

As an incredibly unique conglomeration of historians, we had no real common ground. Each of us specializes in a broad spectrum within history, but we realized early on that however valuable our skill sets are, their point of intersection can only lie in brand new, unexplored territory. We were in the perfect position to approach the American sixties position with minimal bias, since each of us comes from a different experiences with world politics, justice, and culture - our own backgrounds range from Russian to Korean. The change within Johnsons presidency is tangible today in the very taste of politics, so it literally reaches into our lives, begging us to look beyond history books, to truly investigate and form a fluid understanding for ourselves. There was no topic we could approach with the same animosity but the cultural and societal revolution exemplified in the unbelievable year 1968. At the outset, we did not expect the volume of information available. Our advisor, Mr. Rinaldi, pointed us in the right direction with the book 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, by Mark Kurlansky. The book gave us an outline of world events in 1968, and from there we split up work based on interest. However, as work progressed, it became apparent that we would have to narrow our focus to just the US. We decided to focus on three aspects of the United States in 1968: the war in Vietnam, counterculture and racial and social tensions. Information was available from a wide variation of sources, from documentaries and books to websites and public records, and every source seemed to support a single conclusion. Since the events of 1968 had occurred relatively recently,

many of the participants are still alive, and we were able to get firsthand interviews. Though the amount of research was overwhelming, we were able to successfully get our information. We chose a website because we felt that a website was the best showcase for our various skills. Albert had the skill set for the aesthetic design, Daniel had the eye for perfection, Marina could organize the subject, and Josh rationalized our endeavor, allowing ideas to survive the creative process. Weebly proved easy to use, but the process itself was arduous. Words cannot do justice to the frustration of the word count, or the minute html malfunctions that would draw a white line through the background, or just the joy of seeing the header disappear, then reappear, at its own whim. Ultimately, we had to make our own layout to accurately reflect the atmosphere of 1968. 1968 represented a real change in the American psyche. The American rebel was no longer fully reliant upon peaceful methods; violence was realized as the choice utensil of the liberation movement. The innocence and trust of the American public was lost, possibly forever. Middle America shied away from this violence and instead chose a road towards conservatism that promised a return to order and stability over the opportunity of freedom and equality that the New Left offered.

Word Count: 497