The 60’s: Decade of Challenge and Change The sixties was a decade of dissent. The Civil rights and anti- war movements drew people into the streets, where public protests raged. It was a decade of dynamic change for the nation’s youth, the new generation to whom JFK said,” the torch has been passed.” Long hair, mod dresses, drugs, sexual freedom, and anti- established ideas were everywhere. It was a decade of tragic death for people such as John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy. It was an unforgettable , exciting era. Many things typify the sixties. It was a time of great changes that would influence the next decades. A good example would be the hairstyle