1960's Time Capsule Research Paper

1960’s Time Capsule
SS-310
September 9, 2013

I have been summoned to Central Park in New York City. Some of my colleagues were informed about some sort of artifact that was located on the west end of the park. Upon checking out the capsule, there is a date inscribed on it for the year of 1969. My colleagues believe that this is a pretty important find and have requested that I come to New York City and be there when the capsule is opened. While I am on my flight to New York, I have thought about how excited I am about this capsule. The 1960’s were a very important time in American history. I have thought about the types of things that could be in this capsule. The history that the capsule holds could be mind-blowing.
So many events happened during the 1960’s, the civil rights movement; the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the list goes on. For over half a century, people have claimed that Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t shoot John F. Kennedy, or that he didn’t act alone, could there possibly be proof of who was involved? The possibilities are endless. Once my flight lands and I arrive at my hotel, I take a quick shower and head to the museum. My colleagues have been waiting impatiently for me to arrive, so it is now time to reveal the contents of the time capsule. We slowly open the time capsule and reveal the contents. The first item one of my colleagues retrieves from the time capsule is a package of birth control pills.
As I think back to the 1960’s, this is a revolutionary item when it comes to the sexual revolution and women’s rights. Before the invention of the birth control pill and the legalization of abortion, women could have been considered baby factories. With the invention of the birth control pill, women were given a choice. It was up to women how they chose to live their lives and what they wanted to do with their body and this lead to women being able to control their future. When the Federal Drug Administration approved the pill for use as a contraceptive in the 1960’s, it was extremely popular despite concerns about possible side effects, and in 1962 an estimated 1.1 million women were using the pill. The pill also gave women the opportunity to obtain higher education and reach a level of educational equality with men. It was often said that with the invention of the pill, the women who took it had immediately been given a new freedom; the freedom to use their bodies as they saw fit, without having to worry about the burden of unwanted pregnancy. Women 's rights movements also proclaimed the pill as a method of granting women sexual liberation, and saw the popularity of the drug as just one signifier of the increasing desire for equality (sexual or otherwise) among American
women. The next item removed from the time capsule was a ticket to Woodstock. This is amazing. Woodstock was a music festival that shaped a generation. The Woodstock Music & Art Fair, was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur 's six hundred acre dairy farm located in the Catskill Mountains in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969. During the rainy weekend, thirty-two acts performed outdoors in front of five hundred thousand concert-goers. It is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history. Tickets for the three-day event cost $18 in advance and $24 at the gate. Around 186,000 tickets were sold beforehand and organizers anticipated approximately 200,000 festival-goers would turn up. Woodstock was the pop culture music event of the decade and arguably to this day the single most profound event in the history of music. Acts from all around the world met at Max Yasgur 's Farm, for a celebration of peace and music. What began as a paid event drew so many viewers from across the world that the fences were torn down and it became a free concert opens to the public. Five hundred thousand youthful individuals gathered peacefully at Woodstock in 1969 creating the largest gathering of human beings in one place in history. Woodstock 1969 defined an entire generation and its effects on music and American culture can still be felt today. The next item that was retrieved from the time capsule was a rock, with a note. This note states that this is a rock sample from the moon. The moon, seriously! Apollo 11 was the space flight that landed the first humans on the Moon. American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, at 20:18 UTC. Armstrong became the first to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21 at 02:56 UTC. Neil Armstrong spent about two and a half hours outside the spacecraft, while Buzz Aldrin spent slightly less time on the lunar surface; and together they collected forty-seven and a half pounds of lunar material for their return to Earth. A third member of the mission, Michael Collins, piloted the command spacecraft alone in lunar orbit until Armstrong and Aldrin returned to it just under a day later for the trip back to Earth. The mission was broadcast on live television to a world-wide audience; Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and described the event as "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Apollo 11 effectively ended the Space Race and fulfilled a national goal proposed in 1961 by the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy in a speech before the United States Congress, "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. The first steps by humans on another planetary body were taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969. The astronauts also returned to Earth the first samples from another planetary body. Apollo 11 achieved its primary mission, to perform a manned lunar landing and return from their mission safely to Earth. This paved the way for the Apollo lunar landing missions to follow. The next item was a bullet and an envelope. Immediately, without opening the envelope, my colleagues and I start to speculate. Is this the bullet that was used in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy? Could this possibly be the bullet that killed Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr.? The possibilities were endless. This could be an amazing piece of American history. The anticipation was excruciating so I opened the envelope. This bullet was used in the assassination President John F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy was elected as the 35th President of the United States in 1960. He was the second youngest president elected at the time. He defeated Vice President Republican candidate Richard Nixon. He was the only Pulitzer Prize winning President and during his term, major events took place in history; the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall. He was also president during the beginning of the civil rights movement. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested that evening and accused of the crime but was shot and killed by Jack Ruby two days later, before a trial could take place. The United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that investigations were flawed and that Kennedy was probably assassinated as the result of a conspiracy. For decades, there have been numerous conspiracy theories in regards to President Kennedy’s assassination. The last item that was removed from the time capsule is an old film reel. Amazingly, the museum that is sponsoring the dig had an old movie player. Once the player is set up, we all take a seat. As we are sitting there waiting, we are wondering what could possibly be on this film. The possibilities are endless. All of the sudden, the picture shows up on the screen, there before us is Martin Luther King Jr. This is the “I have a dream” speech that we all have only read about. Myself and my colleagues are completely captivated in the moment. This speech is a momentous part of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. led black Americans peacefully into a world without segregation. His goal was for all people to be treated equally regardless of the color of their skin. On October 16, 1964, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through non-violence. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray was convicted of killing Martin Luther King Jr. but it is long believed that he acted in part with the government to remove what they believed to be a threat. Each of the items in this time capsule are incredible pieces of history.
The 1960’s were a time of peace, love, music, freedom, oppression, challenges and major changes throughout our country and the world. It is amazing the things that we have learned and the places that are minds were able to go. I have learned that when great minds work together, amazing things can happen. The birth control pill led to freedom for women who wanted to live their lives; Woodstock taught me that people can come together peacefully and celebrate their love of music; the first walk on the Moon showed the world that amazing things can happen if there is a drive to make it happen; President Kennedy showed the world that great people who strive for great things can make a difference in a short period of time; and Martin Luther King Jr. taught the world that people can get their point across peacefully and can see great lasting
results.

References:
Farber, David. (1994). The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960’s. Hill and Lang.
John F Kennedy, Biography. http://www.biography.com/people/john-f-kennedy-9362930
Martin Luther King, Jr. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.
Wilford, John Noble. (1969). Men Walk on Moon: Astronauts Land on Plain, Collect Rocks, Plant Flag: A Powdery Surface Is Closely Explored”. The New York Times
Women’s Rights Movement in the US: TimeLine of Events http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html#ixzz2d2AOTUHX

Woodstock 1969. http://thewoodstockexperience.webs.com/acounterculture.htm