DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina, young African-American students demonstrated against segregation by sitting at luncheon counters that only served white patrons. Why were some white Americans, especially in the South, so opposed to integration?
2. How could young African-Americans be “freed” by being arrested and put in jail?
3. The early 1960s were unique in that it was truly a youth culture. Discuss some ways
in which this is evident.
4. What is a “cold warrior?” How were both John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon cold
warriors?
5. John F. Kennedy was one of America’s most popular presidents. Why was JKF so
popular? What was his special appeal?
6. Discuss the role of television in the 1960 presidential election. How does television
influence the political scene today?
7. Psycho was one of the most popular movies of the early 1960s and remains a cult
classic to this day. Why was this movie so popular?
8. Why did the Soviet Union erect the Berlin Wall?
9. Who were the Freedom Riders? What were their objectives? How are they true
American heroes?
10. What is the “domino theory?” How did this theory influence American foreign
policy in the 1960s?
11. Discuss the power of song in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
12. How did JFK’s death affect America? What was the impact of this national loss?
13. Why was JFK’s assassination the day America “lost its innocence?”