History Brief: 1960s Daily Life and Pop Culture

The following video provides a brief glimpse into daily life in 1960s America, including many of the broad trends in popular culture.

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

[reb]

Born in 49, graduated H.S. in 67. I have to honestly say, the 60's and 70's were the best years of my life...except for 70-76 in the Marines.

[sarco]

You can't really understand daily life and pop culture in the 1960s without considering the tremendous influence of the Vietnam War.

[TannerHowdeshell]

Had to watch this for an assignment about the 1960's.

[mortisha]

That was an OK brief history of American families in the 60s. I was 9 yrs old in 1960 and graduated High School in 1969 so my pre-teen and teen years were in the 60s. It was a lot of fun after the British Invasion of music started in 1964. Music really colored our world. It seemed like a new group or a wicked new song happened every day. When I started High School girls skirts couldn’t be any shorter than 2 finger widths above the knee. Girls couldn’t wear pants to school and boys had to wear collared shirts. By ‘69 things had loosened up a bit. So much happened during the ‘60s, but what I remember clearest was the Vietnam war. Reporters were embedded with the troops and we got nightly body count numbers and horrible visions of fighting and medical emergencies on TV. When the draft came into being, we worried about our boyfriends, brothers and classmates being called up to that horrible war. There is so much more that I remember about that vivid time in my life. I am 70 now and still think about it, especially if I hear music from that time.

[debishaw]

I loved the 60’s… this my most remembered decade. My childhood was in the 50’s. It was all a wonderful time to grow up….

[ulearn]

I'd love to live every single day of my life over and over in those 60s days.

[hzzurbo]

My grandfather bought his house for 40k in 1962. He got payed 27k a year according to him and he “didn’t pay the suckers up top a cent of tax” he said he’s never payed income tax in his life. His house is now worth 3.5 million dollars mostly because of the land but he doesn’t want to sell it because everything on the land other than the house was built by him he told me that one time over the Christmas break he and his friends spent a few weeks drinking beer and adding 3 bedrooms to his house. Why was I born in the wrong time 🤣

[jchow]

This was so interesting. My parents bought a house in the midwest for 12k. It was a 1930s tutor that had been well maintained/refurbished.

[leehawkins]

I was a pre-teen & teenager in the a special time to be music was my first concert at age 13 in 1967 - The 3 years I lived on an AFB in Japan.and moved back to the states in 69

[nuggetsaurusrex]

So what I’m hearing is in 1960 you could buy a house with three years worth of pay. Imagine being able to buy a house for three years of pay today.

[cirnotheartist]

Hey, my English teachers are using this to help us learn the 1960’s and for once there aren’t comments like “wow teachers are still using this to teach?!?!”

[djbigpean]

The 1960's had the best R and B music ever!!

[joshuatraffanstedt]

This was probably the greatest generations. A lot of firsts came out of this decade. Wish I had grew up in this decade.

[wotawanancy]

I graduated in 1964, got a job and married within two weeks. Made 1.25 an hour. My late husband refused to buy a brick house for 8000.00. The 60s for us was a lot like the 50s. Vietnam War was heartbreaking, the hippies were disgusting. We lost friends. Many were injured. But our group of friends supported our guys. Hated the war. Married six years when our only child was born. Stayed home for 7 years and loved being a housewife but feminists basically said we were unfulfilled as women. Yay right. Hold down a paying job and still do everything you did as a housewife. I'm sorry I ever believed that. But I would live those years over if I could. Just make some different decisions. Today's world is a mess.

[leighauza]

Thank you! Doing research on American culture. This was super helpful!

[marybarnes]

I WAS BORN IN 1952 THE 6O AND 70 WAS THE BEST

[jackjohnsen]

I started the sixties as a tenth grade high school student, and after a 2 year tour in the US Army, was making great money and indulging my love of cars, by the end..For me the seventies were was the decade where I bought three houses, and Had the good life.

[jerrymeadows]

The Sixties were a lot like the Fifties, except for an intense belief by many that there would be a nuclear war with Russia, those pesky riots in the major cities, assassinations of iconic leaders and, oh yeah, that Viet Nam War thing.

[BryanClark-gkie]

TV stations signed off at 1:am in the 60's and 70's so I would sit up all mornings on the weekends and learned to play guitar.

[skeletorrobo]

Nice video. Might've mentioned presidents, conflicts, the space race etc.