Publication date:
28 August 2019Length of book:
368 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781538125915
Some events that transform a nation are frozen in time. Others pass with little public awareness, and we only appreciate their momentous nature long after they occur. Regardless, these events are few and—almost always—far between. But in 1969, four such events took place within the span of only 100 days. In this book, cultural historian Harlan Lebo looks back at the first moon landing, the Manson family murders, Woodstock, and the birth of the Internet to tell the story of how each event shaped the nation and how we perceive ourselves. Loaded with captivating anecdotes and insights based on extensive interviews with eyewitnesses and participants, to provide historical insight and contemporary context, 100 Days will fascinate readers who seek a deeper appreciation of how four seemingly unrelated events shaped America’s emergence as the nation we have become.
Correlating a series of vignettes under four topical headings—"Moon," "Manson," "Woodstock," "Internet"—Lebo (cultural historian, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) attempts to reveal how four events “transformed the American experience.” Looking at each event from a cultural historian's perspective, Lebo exposes the technological progress of a nation challenged, the greatest and worst of humanity, and the frightening yet exhilarating change new modes of socialization and e-commerce have wrought. What makes this narrative unique and worthy of study is the temporal setting in which all four events took place—a mere 100 days. More important than the exposure of four events is the exposure of cultural bases of the events. The connectivity is exemplified by bringing together various programs in response to a presidential challenge, an accomplishment that has become, as Lebo writes in chapter 11, "so commonplace that it is no longer noticed.” Both the worst of individuals (Manson) and the best of gatherings (Woodstock) have become integral to the US vernacular and individualized iconic symbols. Such seemingly disconnected events reveal the necessity of returning to Crevecoeur’s 18th-century question: What is an American?”