Lessons Learned


     The 1960’s was an extremely changing time for the United States. This era shaped the United States and made it how it is today. Americans and their leaders learned from many experiences of the 1960’s including the Watergate Scandal, The Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement.  

 It has been 41 years since the Watergate Scandal surfaced in June 1972, making June an important moment to reflect on the lessons learned by the U.S. political system. The first lesson we learned from the scandal was that the money in any and all election campaigns must be regulated. When Deep Throat, the Watergate informant, told the two investigative reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward of the Washington Post to “follow the money,” he revealed how much money was used in silence to commit crimes. The second lesson we learned from the scandal was the importance of old fashioned journalism. This includes checking information, finding corroborating sources, and searching for new leads. This persistence was the major reason why the scandal was discovered, and the justice system prevailed. The third lesson we learned was to not fully trust all our politicians; many Americans became more cynical towards their leaders after the Watergate Scandal. 

          The Vietnam experience was a war that lasted for almost twenty years. The American military and leadership appeared to have learned some lessons from our involvement in the Vietnam War. The first lesson Americans learned was the need to communicate with our enemy. Our military leader and president at the time, Lyndon Johnson, used bombing as “verbal” negotiations with Vietnam. Neither the Americans nor the Vietnamese were willing to compromise and enter into discussions, and this led to millions of deaths that could have been prevented.  Another lesson that can be learned from our presidential leaderships is that there is a need to admit mistakes. Although no one ever wants to admit when they are wrong, the public can be more forgiving when they are told the truth. America was losing the Vietnam War, but no president ever wanted to admit defeat.

          Martin Luther King, Jr. did many things to bring greater equality to America and to ensure civil right for all people regardless of race. Two of the major things that Martin Luther King did to progress the Civil Rights Movement were to bring publicity to major civil rights activities and efforts and to emphasize the importance of non-violent protest and resistance. These both came to shape the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King taught Americans to always be civil. Even in times of darkness, violence, and ugliness, he believed in and practiced civil disobedience. He rose above the ugliness he was confronted with, and was able to speak articulately yet strongly.  Second, he taught Americans that peace and non-violence are extremely effective. This was the basic foundation of King’s philosophy. He additionally taught us that one can always do the right thing. There is a multitude of personal quotations where he discusses this, whether it is helping other who are less fortunate, or taking a stand against something that is just plain wrong. 

          Ultimately the 1960’s to early 1970’s held an era that can be reflected on and learned from by Americans today. The events that occurred during this age, from the gruesome warfare in Vietnam to the inspirational teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, have given Americans the ability to take events from the past to shape and grow the future.