28 Uncivil Wars: Liberal Crisis and Conservative Rebirth

1961–1972

Triumph and tragedy define the Sixties, two bold and conflicting themes marking a period that witnessed both man’s landing on the moon and man’s inhumanity to man. Americans entered this era inspired by President John Kennedy’s call to serve and lifted by the dreams of a better society described by Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson. This liberal current, sustained by a New Deal coalition, moved men and women to levels of political and social engagement focused on redeeming the founders’ promise of liberty and equality for all. Their agenda envisioned new federal programs to right wrongs, feed and house the poor, school the children, and protect the land. The Vietnam War dashed these hopes and radicalized political and generational opposition that tore the liberal movement apart. Into this vortex moved a resurgent conservative movement that questioned the fundamentals of the liberal state. Harkening to traditional values, conservatives offered Middle America an alternative to the chaos they claimed was undermining America’s strength at home and abroad. Pointing to the demonstrations, riots, and rebellions in America’s streets among those demanding recognition of their rights, conservatives appealed to law and order. These liberal and conservative tensions defined the era’s political mood, establishing patterns of political conflict persisting into the twenty-first century.