How Has America Changed Since 1968?

As 2018 begins, tensions and tumult in America are high. But before the end of 1968, Conor Friedersdorf reminded us in The Atlantic, "Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy would be assassinated; U.S. troops would suffer their deadliest year yet in Vietnam—and massacre scores of civilians at My Lai; Richard Nixon would be elected president; the Khmer Rouge would form in Cambodia; humans would orbit the moon; Olympic medal winners in Mexico City would raise their fists in a black power salute; President Johnson would sign the Civil Rights Act of 1968; Yale University would announce that it intended to admit women; 2001: A Space Odyssey would premier; and Led Zeppelin would give their first live performance."

What does that turbulent year have to tell us in this tumultuous moment? What forgotten history is worth revisiting? And in the past half-century, where has the nation made progress, and where has it struggled? Conor Friedersdorf joins us to discuss these questions with our hosts.

Links

– ”1968 and the Making of Modern America” (Conor Friedersdorf, January 1, 2018)
–  ”Put Your Husband in the Kitchen” (Helen Keller, 1932 Issue)
– “Report: Washington” (Elizabeth Drew, April 1968 Issue)
– “Americans' Respect for Police Surges” (Gallup, October 24, 2016)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices