University of South Florida History of The 1960s Discussion and Quiz
The Sixties
Historians often distinguish between “history from the top down” and “history from the bottom up.” History from the top down focuses on leaders and elites: presidents, politicians, military officers, and the like. History from the bottom up focuses on common people: average citizens, racial minorities, immigrants, women and children.
In studying the history of the 1960s, which is more important: history from the top down or history from the bottom up? Who had a greater effect on the course of American history in this period, the nation’s leaders or its regular citizens?
