The late 1960’s was a pivotal era of social activism. In 1966, Time Magazine named the “Generation Under 25” as its Person of the Year. By 1968, college-aged American youth were acting as “fledgling revolutionaries,” opting for action over talk. In universities and on the streets of major cities like New York, the marches, riots, and protests were widespread – and justified. Most of the activists were seniors in high school when John Kennedy was shot to death. When those same young adults reached their senior year of college, James Earl Ray murdered Martin Luther King. The Vietnam War took their friends and lingered in their minds as a very possible part of their own future.
