This blog, the last in the 1968 series, addresses the Vietnam War and the complexity of opinions that swirled around US involvement then - controversy that continues to effect some people today. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, in partnership with Warrior Writers, currently is implementing a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) that consists of a series of discussion programs to help veterans and their families speak opening about their experiences. Look for a public program in April 2019 as a capstone to The Art of Re-integration: Veterans and the Silences of War.

Judith Bernstein-Baker, former executive director of HIAS Pennsylvania, explores the methods of obtaining U.S. citizenship and immigrant experiences during the naturalization process.

In the 1960s, artists responded to and created calls for action within their work. Music, film, theatre, and comic books provided commentary on subjects including civil rights, black pride, the Vietnam War, and Communism.

In late 1968, after a decade of trial and exploration, the astronauts aboard Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the moon. This feat brought civilization closer than ever to the celestial frontier, which had fascinated people for millennia. In the past, events in space told kings when to go to war, lovers whom to marry, and—perhaps most significantly—gave a home to the gods. We learned how to read the heavens and in return were rewarded with divine knowledge.