America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s

by Maurice Isserman, Michael Kazin

'America Divided' is an interpretive survey of the political, social, and cultural history of 1960s America. It is an essential text for anyone studying or interested in the 1960s, or the last 50 years of American history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American History, Historical, American, The Americas

402 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 1999

About the author

Maurice Isserman received a B.A. in history from Reed College in 1973 and his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Rochester in 1979. He is Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

America Divided is a very thorough review of the political, social, and cultural history of the 1960s. This decade is known for being a tumultuous time of change in our nation's history. The 60s begin with a new era of democratic politics, moving away from the conservative leadership of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The young Catholic John F. Kennedy wins the presidency taking on a new age of liberalism. Civil Rights come to the forefront spearheaded by Martin Luther King, the SCLC, and SNCC. Cuba and Vietnam are at the top of the list of JFK's foreign relations concerns. After JFK's assassination, Vice President Lyndon Johnson becomes the nation's leader and the "New Left" rises in the wake of student protests and rising tensions with Vietnam taking us into an unwinnable war. A conservative revival and the war brings another change leading to the election of Richard Nixon in the latter part of the decade. This was the decade that marginalized groups yearned to be heard and to gain equal rights for women, Blacks, Chicanos, and LGBT. This book covers it all and covers it well.

Although this book is intended as a scholarly read, for use as a text for history students, it is very readable and a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about this era. The book actually starts in the mid-50s, laying the ground with the mindset of the nation in the post-war era. It continues chronologically through the mid-70s and the resignation of Nixon after the Watergate debacle, but the meatiest part of the text centers on the 60s. It is a somewhat short book yet very thorough. The perfect resource for the 60s.

[Minglu Jiang · Rating 3 out of 5]

officially done with the semester!

[Ken Dowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of things happened in the 60’s that were and still are written about extensively. Kennedy’s assassination, civil rights, and youth counterculture to name a few. But if the shelves of my local library are any indication there is a paucity of comprehensive histories of the decade. America Divided is just that. The two authors, university history professors, were part of a politicized generation of college students in the 60’s, as was I. In their book they look back at that decade from a more professional perspective. I read it from a less emotional perspective than any of us had at the time.

Does it change my opinion of some of the central cast of characters? The authors present Jack Kennedy as substantially less effective than he was popular and LBJ is not portrayed as quite as bad as was generally thought. Nixon, on the other hand, was Nixon. And there is no getting around the conclusion that the Vietnam War needlessly dragged my generation into a place where they slaughtered and were slaughtered.

America in the 60’s is divided and above all else that is for two reasons: racial inequality and the Vietnam War. So those are central themes running through the book. But there are some other interesting things that aren’t as widely discussed like what happened to religion during the decade and how the environmental movement got its start. Culture and politics were inextricably linked in the 60’s and that is clearly recognized in America Divided.

The authors don’t strictly follow a chronology. Some chapters are organized topically taking us through the whole decade. Some others focus on particularly eventful years like 1963 and 1968. This is both a smart and thorough account of what seemed at the time like a transformative decade in American history and is also a pretty good read.

[Olivia Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this in a day for class! it was fine, not super revealing, but fairly informative. it was a good source on the long ‘60s, but as usual, class discussion on the culture wars of the time period was far more interesting.

read for postwar u.s history

[Renée Terrebonne Finch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a class. I really enjoyed it, and learned a ton about the Sixties from it. I took the class with one of the authors, Michael Kazin (which was a fantastic class!).

[Charisma S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for school but it’s a great read for anyone interested in contemporary history. We are still dealing with the issues of this era to this day and it gives a digestible overview of them. I would consider this accessible to people uninterested in history as well.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a grad class.

I almost gave this a low score, but then I realized it wasn't fair. This is a very good survey of the Long 60s. I was bored with it because I already have a really solid background, and this book is perfect for those without. It covers all the major points in good detail (domestic, anyway. don't look for foreign policy here)and I would recommend this for someone looking to get a good overview, or perhaps as a undergrad survey book.

[Jared Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty solid book. Looks at a lot of the huge issues in the sixties. Especially was shocked to read about the Vietnam war (to put it lightly: it was a fucking moral catastrophe)

It's weird to read about the sixties. Because in many ways it feels like I am reading a mirror that is reflecting backwards at us now. I am inclined to think our stakes are higher now than they were back then: I mean we have climate change, we have an absolutely horrible issue with immigration, we have unarmed black people being killed by police officers who consistently face no charges. We have what I see as, our current president flirting with fascism.

But nevertheless, you read about Watts, civil rights, and activist movement. It all feels so damn familiar. Hell, even reading about George Wallace, whose campaign reminds me of a certain politician who shall remain nameless, but name rhymes with Ronald Frump. I think we've just traded an immoral war for a pandemic.

We also see an origin story of modern conservatism as we know it. Pretty safe to say 1968 we see a rightward turn in this country that has been trending right of center for a long time. I think the book shows us a weird reflection of our current selves.

[Lucas Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very textbook-ish, but still enjoyable and pretty quick moving. I really like Michael Kazin, but was unfamiliar with the other author, Maurice Isserman. There was not a ton new in this, but did serve as a helpful crash course to get back into the 60s from my more survey approach during the school year. I particularly liked the chapter near the end on religion in the 1960s a "60s reformation." Third Great Awakening might have been better, but I'm not here to judge. a helpful introduction to the history/historiography of the 1960s.

[C.R. Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the 1960s with this book, I found it very informative and it even caused me to shed a few tears! However, the images that are used in the book don't always line up with what's being talked about. Often, the image would be reference 3-5 pages later and I would be left utterly confused about what was going on. That isn't a big deal, but it makes it a four star instead of five.

If you attend University of Michigan, I highly recommend Dr. Berrey's 1960s course!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Isserman and Kazin do a great job compressing such a turbulent decade into a book easily utilized for a class. There's a little bit of everything, from cultural changes in music to the disastrous Bay of Pigs. I wish I had enough time in the school year to read this with my students!

[Matilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

V. comprehensive and easy to digest

[Ellie]

for class

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but too polemic in parts for my taste

[Hollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really couldn't get over the number of typos and punctuation mistakes. Who edited this??

[Alexandra Smithie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic summary of the era

[Olivia]

U.s. in the 1960s

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving myself credit for all the articles I read for my 1960s class with this textbook. The chapters that I read of it had a lot of interesting summaries, but it is by no means an engaging text.

[Billy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin make a similar argument to Klatch’s, albeit with a different methodological approach. While Klatch focused on personal interviews to try an ascertain why SDSers and YAFers affiliated the ways they did, Isserman and Kazin take a less personal approach. They focus on the issues of division, not participants’ upbringings or socio-economic status. They argue that in hindsight, liberalism was actually inflated during the 1960s. Their proof, beyond the end of liberalism and the rise of Nixon, the 1966 congressional elections in which republicans made major gains. Regardless of countercultural foci—environmentalism, women’s rights, civil rights, New Left, etc…--these disparate groups shared a desire for authenticity.

[Will Corvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best textbooks I have ever had. Provides a great synopsis of the 60s while adequately showing both sides. Somewhat biased towards liberals, but the 60s were too and it's hard not to focus on the leftist movements of the time period.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

We were required to read this book for a college history class. The book was definitely better reading than traditional textbooks, resulting in more intriguing dialogue in the classroom. I would like to read this again, soon.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a history person at all. I learned a lot from reading this book and it made me want to read more history-related books.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good summary of the 1960s

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed this book for a college course I am taking. This book is full of information and not too difficult of a read. I love history so it is not surprising that I found interest in this book.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read. If you're a history buff or interested in the 1960's/Vietnam era, definitely give this a whirl.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent synthesis of the tensions and divisions that plagued America during the 1960s, from the Vietnam War to religion to counterculture.

[AskHistorians]

Another good overview of the sixties, which frames the upheaval of the 60s as a "civil war."

[Kate Ly Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst history required reading I’ve had

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information over some still very divisive topics that still plague the country. It also talks about topics and events that are not always brought up when the topic of civil rights are mentioned.