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1968 was a year that changed the American political and technology scene. There were changes in how the American troops stopped meddling in other people’s business, and political positions. Nonetheless, the African Americans were devastated by the death of their civil rights activist, Martin Luther King, who led them in fighting for equal rights. It was a turning point for the black community where they stood for their place in Olympics. Typically, when African Americans win for their country, they are considered Americans, but they are seen as less American when they are at fault. Therefore, 1968 was a year of the end of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, the end of spying, Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination, racial protest in the Olympics, and the start of space exploration.
Early that year, on January 23, 1968, the North Korean troops captured an American ship and killed some American crew members making America withdraw from spying in North Korean territory. The seizure of the USS Pueblo by North Korea ignited an 11-month dilemma that threatened to exacerbate already high Cold War tensions in the area (Brown, 2019). The Pueblo was the source of the problem. The Korean War between US-led troops and the North had lasted nearly 15 years. From the Tsushima Strait, a maritime corridor separating Korea and Japan, the Navy Seal ship kept an eye on North Korea. Both parties have different versions of what transpired. An exchange of gunfire occurred eventually. Duane Hodges, a US crew member, was killed. The remaining crew members of the Pueblo alleged that they were mistreated and malnourished while in detention. Following months of discussions, North Korea decided to release the crew members after the US admitted to eavesdropping on the Pueblo and committed not to spy again. The crew was permitted to return to South Korean territory on December 23 safely.
Additionally, in January of that year, North Vietnam sent the Tat Offensive to the United States of America and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The Tet Offensive marked the start of the end of the United States’ engagement in the Vietnam War. More than 80,000 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers launched a planned assault on 36 major cities and villages in South Vietnam (Brown, 2019). It took the US-led forces off guard. The villages lost during Tet were built again by US and South Vietnamese forces. Nonetheless, it served as a reminder for Americans in the United States to cease their involvement as it began to lose support for the war. Therefore, this year marked the end of the United States of America’s involvement in other people’s political unrests.
Nonetheless, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He was a pioneering civil rights activist during the Civil Rights Era. He preached on resorting to peaceful tactics while demanding equal rights for the black community. At 6:01 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. was shot at Lorraine Motel. Martin Luther King Jr. was rushed to neighbouring St. Joseph’s Hospital but did not survive (Brown, 2019). At 7:05 p.m., he was confirmed dead. His fellow civil rights leaders publicly called for a peaceful protest to honor King’s memory. However, riots erupted in over 100 places throughout the country. James Earl Ray was apprehended at London’s Heathrow Airport two months later. Ray was tied to the crime by fingerprints tracked back to him. He admitted it but later tried to retract it. The black community lost an essential part of their movement for racial equality in 1968.
A few months after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, another great political leader was shot dead. Bobby Kennedy was shot inside the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, on June 5, 1968, shortly after declaring victory in the California primary. At the time of his killing, Robert “Bobby” F. Kennedy, the brother of John F. Kennedy, was a serving part of the United States Senate and a presidential contender. He died within 26 hours of attempting treatment and could not survive due to the severe impact of the gun wounds. Sirhan, a Palestinian Jordanian citizen, was apprehended and accused of assassinating Kennedy. One of Kennedy’s most important legacies was his recognition of the rights of the black population and the necessity to treat them as equals in the country. He took after his brother’s lifelong dream of having a liberating future.
Nevertheless, on October 16, 1968, two black athletes participated in a quiet protest against racial injustice in the United States during the 1968 World Olympics in Mexico City. The International Olympic Committee condemned the American medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos for their rebellious conduct of lifting their fists during the National Anthem (Brown, 2019). Many people were shocked by their protest, which they believed harmed the Olympic spirit and inappropriately incorporated politics into the competition. Smith and Carlos bent their heads in which they were wearing black gloves to receive gold and bronze medals for their efforts in the 200-meter event. Their fists were not the end of the demonstration. They wore badges to honor the Olympic Project for Human Rights, an organization devoted to ending racial segregation and prejudice in sports. An Australian medalist, Peter Norman, wore the patch in solidarity with Smith and Carlos. Carlos, who had raised his left hand, explained that the gesture represented black solidarity and that their fists had formed an arch of unity and strength. The two medalists wanted to emphasize the need for racial equality and identification in the Olympics.
Moreover, in the same year, three astronauts circled the moon ten times on December 24, making groundbreaking discoveries for space exploration. The first humans to visit the moon were Jim Lovell, Bill Anders, and Frank Borman. Apollo 8 was a mission to be the first in various junctures and launched from the Kennedy Space Center (Brown, 2019). The Apollo 8 sought to have the first human-taken images of Earth from deep space. Apollo 8 made it possible for the first live telecast of the lunar surface. They were also the first to journey to the moon’s far side. A Space Race competition with the Soviet Union spurred the weeklong mission and had the nation’s ambition to fulfill President John F. Kennedy’s aspirations to land on the moon before the decade ended. Space exploration made it possible for Americans to support science and develop technologies for further exploration.
Many parents dream of having their children study in the best schools and the best environment. The book, Gilded Cage, Gilded Cage by Leslie Chang highlights how Bella’s parents recognized the United States of America as the best place for their daughter to pursue further studies. Bella’s parents incorporated the American lifestyle into Bella, such as making her eat in fast food places familiar in the United States like KFC and Pizza Hut. They would sew her hair into piggy-tails as seen on American girls. The parents ensured she went to the best schools in Shanghai so that she would have a reputable transcript that would give Bella a high chance to go to the USA. However, older people and newspapers reported how appalling it is for parents to lose their Chinese lifestyle and make their children act like Americans. Bella, too did not like America. This case portrays how the Cold War took place in 1947 when the United States feared its people adapting to the Communist’s life, and there was tension between the two powers.
One of the causes of the Cold War between the Soviets and the United States of America was the fear of communism. Relating to Bella’s case, the older people saw how the generation of Bella’s parents was adapting to the American lifestyle, and they were against it. The older people acknowledged how the parents let their children disrespect them and go without punishment, only a warning or light punishment. Nonetheless, media outlets such as “Xinmin Evening News” showed how children did not eat well because they wanted to maintain a lean figure, an American body standard (Chang, 2010). They believed that the American lifestyle would ruin the Chinese culture in children. Similarly, during the Civil War, the American media primarily focused on showing how the Soviets mistreated its people and how the Communists would ruthlessly rule America if people accommodated them. The speculations caused tension which caused most Americans to be wary of the Communist Party’s involvement with their country.
Additionally, America’s meddling in other countries’ affairs was part of the cause of the Cold War. In Chang’s story, Bella hates America because she learns through her textbooks how America unnecessarily involves itself in other countries’ affairs (Chang, 2012). True to her sentiments, the Soviet Union started supporting North Korea during the Cold War in 1949. The United States of America felt threatened by this move and sought territory in South Korea, which started the Korean War that happened until 1953. The war would not have started if America had let the Soviets have an influence on North Korea and not been a competitor with the Soviets. Furthermore, the American involvement in South Korea stirred more tension between North Korea and South Korea which made the Korean War. Bella’s thoughts on America are well portrayed in the Cold War competition of territory between the Soviets and America and involvement with other countries.
The Cold War reflects some sentiments in Leslie Chang’s book, Gilded Cage, Gilded Cage where there is fear of losing one’s culture and abhorring another country due to their unnecessary interference. In the primary source, the Chinese feared the effects of the American culture on their children due to the media’s and the elderly’s influence. The same propaganda happened to the Soviets, where the American media hyper-focused on stories that made the Soviets look like a villain causing Americans to fear the Soviet’s influence on them. Additionally, America meddled in the Korean War because it competed for Korean territory with the Soviets, which aggravated the Korean War and Cold War. Leslie Chang’s book on the assimilation of the American culture in a young Chinese girl’s life relates to the power struggle between the Soviets and the United States of America in the Cold War of 1947.
References
Brown, R. (2019). Policing in American History.Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 16(1), 189-195.
Chang, L. (2012). Chapter 14. Gilded Age, Gilded Cage. In A. Shah & J. Wasserstrom (Ed.), Chinese Characters: Profiles of Fast-Changing Lives in a Fast-Changing Land (pp. 192-201). Berkeley: University of California Press.
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