Golden Anniversary Series
The Golden Anniversary Series commemorates the landmark political events of the 1960s with programs, symposia, television documentaries, public lectures, travel opportunities and teaching resources offered by the Center for Politics to a nationwide audience. In addition to public events and lectures, the Center for Politics will create new lesson plans and other teaching resources for distribution through its national network of teachers who participate in the Center for Politics’ Youth Leadership Initiative.
Upcoming Events
The Great Debates: A New Era in Political Communication
This fall the Center for Politics will examine the "Great Debates of 1960" and how these seminal television debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon continue to resonate. Former presidential aides, journalists and historians will discuss how the debates forever changed elections and political discourse, as well as how technological advancements continue to shape politics today.
Remembering the Freedom Rides
In conjunction with the Virginia Film Festival, the Center for Politics will host a screening of "Freedom Riders," a new documentary by Stanley Nelson which was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. The screening will take place in Charlottesville, Virginia this November with more details announced in the coming months. More information on the documentary is available at www.freedomridersfilm.com
Background
The series began with a program on music and politics of the 1960s held in April 2010, featuring a performance by legendary musician Peter Yarrow of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Following this kick-off event, the Golden Anniversary Series will reflect sequentially on 50th anniversaries of key political and social events, examining the legacies of these events for each year of the 1960s.
Topics will include landmark civil rights marches and speeches, the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign in 1964, the Vietnam War, the start of Ronald Reagan’s political career and the election of Richard Nixon, with many more covered along the way.
"The political events of the 1960s forever altered American society in both positive and negative ways. Beginning with the first televised presidential debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 all the way through Woodstock and the Moon Landing of 1969, the 1960s were among the most politically transformative years in American history."
– Larry J. Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics
Partners
- Richard Nixon Foundation
- John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
- Harvard University’s Institute of Politics
- PBS Community Ideas Stations
- University of Virginia Art Museum
- Virginia Film Festival