American Decades

Important Events in Government and Politics, 1960–1969

On January 2, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts announces that he will challenge Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota for the Democratic Party nomination for president. Kennedy is the first major Catholic contender since Alfred E. Smith in 1928.
On January 18, President Eisenhower submits a balanced budget for the fourth consecutive year. Federal revenue estimates project a $4.1 billion surplus.
On February 1, African American college students begin a sit-in at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., introducing a form of civil rights protest that spreads to other southern cities.
On March 3, Michigan Governor G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams announces that he will not run for reelection. He is the only six-term governor in United States history.
On May 7, the United States State Department confirms Soviet allegations that an American U-2 spy plane has been shot down over...

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