What was going on in Chicago in the late 60s and early 70s?

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anonymous · Answer

Search it on the internet there is a lot of answers

anonymous · Answer

1. High-rise apartments along Lake Shore Drive and skycraper construction was at full speed. The Chase Tower (First National Bank) on Daley Plaza was one of the first. It was finished in 1969: http://www.securitycapital.com/images/Ch... The Hanwingspan Bldg was the completed in 1970. Before that, the Prudential Bldg was the tallest at 30 stories and the Lindbergh Beacon was rotating on top of the Palmolive Bldg...the 2nd tallest. The Conrad Hilton was the biggest hotel in the world. The Union Stockyards pens held cattle, hogs and sheep brought in by rail cars and waited shortly until being transferred to the huge adjoining processing plants. The stench could be smelled from miles away: http://lh4.ggpht.com/__Le_vMi7wPE/RoNAjZ... 2. Mexican-Americans were called Mexicans then and they worked in low-skill laborers jobs, or in the hundreds of factories and warehouses. Many worked for the railroads pulling up old and laying new track. 26th St was where you went to buy tortillas, meat, and peppers from the tortilleria, carneceria, and produce store. You had to go there because grocery stores in other parts of Chicagoland didn't stock them. Not many people knew about tacos then but were eager to try...at least once. Political involvement was non-existent for most Mexicans except for a few college students. Their efforts were spent on national issues surrounding Cesar Chavez. Other cultures had neighborhoods as today but there were fewer stores and even fewer restaurants. Southeastern Asians started migrating here near the end of the Viet Nam War. Most lived in Uptown and created their own neighborhoods: http://www.aklehr.com/Argyle3.jpg American Natives were numerous enough to have a cultural center. They also occupied the Nike missle site in Belmont Harbor in protest. http://m-epperson.home.comcast.net/~m-ep... African Americans rushed into abandoned neighborhoods on the west side and south side as long time residents fled to the suburbs. Absentee landlords neglected their properties and the neighborhoods fell to gangs and crime: http://www.chicagoclout.com/Chicago%20We... This was stirred on by protests, riots, and marches to city hall. Some of the outlying parts of the city were in ruins. The parks were feared, the streets were full of trash and rubble, schools built in the early century were at over capacity, and the CTA was slow...we had electric buses at that time: For a "fun time" people, until 1967, would go to Riverview Park...76 acres at Belmont & Western...to ride the many roller coasters, Shoot the Chutes, Pair-0-Chutes, Tunnel of Love, Flying Turns, Water Bugs and many other attractions: http://history.amusement-parks.com/River... http://whgbetc.com/home/river-pairo2.jpg http://riverviewparkchicago.com/Images/F... http://history.amusement-parks.com/River... 3. The Chicao political "Machine" did exist and rolled over all opposition. It soon became apparent to newcomers that it wasn't "what" you knew that was important. It depended on "who" you knew. If your ward delivered the vote in the last election things would be fine. If not, expect long delays in any city service. In those years the Kennedy election showed there might be hope for the future. The Viet Nam war raged and sides were taken. The "Hawks" wanted elimination of Communist control in SE Asia and the "Doves" wanted out of Viet Nam. This uneasiness built up until many years after the war was abandoned. Mayor Richard J. Daley was given credit for "winning" the 1960 election of JFK by delaying the reporting of the Illinois ballot count. The delay put Chicago politics in the position of swinging all of the state's 27 electoral votes to the Democrats. Daley was "king" and later received many benefits from Washington, DC. The mayor wanted to have the same power in 1968 so Chicago was chosen as the site for the Democratic Convention: http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/phot... One of the turning points in history was made in Chicago in that summer: http://stylemens.typepad.com/photos/unca... http://www.qctimes.com/content/articles/... As a result of a week of live tv coverage of protests against the war, National Guard presence, and police brutality in Grant and Lincoln Parks, the Democratic faction split and Richard Nixon was elected president...Viet Nam continued until 1973. As stated before, the war was the topic of most conversations for many years. Immigration was not often mentioned in the news nor on the minds of most people. The exception was the movement started by Cesar Chavez and the treatment the migrant workers received from the fruit companies: http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-med... There was a general apathy in most of the country except California and Texas where most of the produce was grown.

anonymous · Answer

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