Example Of Discovery Of A Time Capsule Essay

It was the year 2325 when I came out for a dig in a certain deserted site. It was a hot morning when I decided to commence with the dig. We were already deep in our attempts to find an item. My men who were doing all the work with me were already frustrated to find just dirt after hours and hours of endless digging. Until finally, one of them found what is a time capsule with the numbers “1-9-6-0” engraved on it. My curiosity was quite adamant to open the box. Then there it was. Five items whose origin I do not know of are inside this time capsule. One item was a pill, the other was a bullet, another item was a vinyl record of the Beatles. Next was a blonde wig stitched to a white dress and paper that has the Civil Rights Act written all over me. As I saw these items, I then found out that those numbers written outside the capsule were not just mere numbers. Rather, they were numbers signifying an era. This era is the 1960s.
Focusing on the pill first, I remembered that 1960 was the year the FDA released the birth control pill. It was the year where the idea of contraception and family planning was then again revived through the work of Margaret Sanger. Before the 1960s, Margaret Sanger diligently followed any developments on the birth control pill. It was also said that she even funded some of the studies that focused on it (Planned Parenthood, 2012). Major developments for the pill happened when a woman named Katharine Dexter McCormick suddenly gave her support by funding the studies of the pill (Planned Parenthood, 2012). McKormick according to the report from the Planned Parenthood (2012), was the heir to the International Harvester wealth. She was also one of those women who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school was in turn a constant partner of the women in fighting for their rights. So there it happened in 1953 after McKormick wrote a letter to Sanger, Sanger along with McKormick visited the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in Massachusetts. There were the researchers Gregory Pincus and Min Chueh Change were doing experiments that Sanger found to be beneficial. These scientists were testing to develop an oral pill or contraceptive founded on the elements of a synthetic progesterone. After such a progress, certain debates about the pill arose that hindered people from releasing the first pill. It was only until Russell Marker found out that different generations of women halted been eating the Barbasco root (a wild yam) for contraception that these debates toned down. And so finally, the pill was released to the public after gaining its approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Since the pill was already out in the public, people were then able to separate intercourse from procreating. The pill made birth to the sexual liberation movement of the60s (Planned Parenthood, 2012).
Next to the pill, I now feast my eyes on the blonde hair pinned on to the white dress. So then I remembered; Marilyn Monroe was found dead during this era.Nostalgia hits me as I recalled that together with the rise of sexual liberation during that era, an icon considered to be one of the most iconic symbols in the country died because of the overdose. In the year 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead because of taking in a lethal dosage of sleeping pills. Marilyn Monroe was then at the peak of her career when this happened. She was famous, beautiful and rich. However, the pressures of love and fame were starting to get to her. Little did she know that these subjects would push her to the limit. It was said that the actress underwent a five-year psychotherapy program in order to alleviate the pain that she was currently experiencing. However, Wiersema (2012), described her as suffering from depression even after a series of therapy. Amidst the search for cure and therapy for Marilyn, the actress still felt sad and lonely. According to Wiersman (2012), her depression started after going through a painful divorce with the legendary Joe DiMaggio. The heartbreak together with the pressures of Hollywood has moved Marilyn to feel the sadness and the loneliness that she is currently faced with at that moment. It was said that her depression worsened after her second divorce. Her feelings worsened and worsened until she could not take it anymore. Then on August 5, 1962, the iconic actress of the 60s, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home because of the lethal dose of sleeping pills that she took during that day. The entertainment industry truly lost one of the brightest artists of that era.
Moving my eyes to the right part of the box, I saw a bullet catching my attention. So then, I remembered, the 1960s was also the era when one of the most charismatic and if not the greatest one of the greatest presidents of all time, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was November 22nd of the year 1963 when the president accompanied by the First Lady went to Texas. Here, the President was set to do numerous appearances in order to gain support for the Democratic Party for the elections the following year (History in an Hour, 2012). Not much of his supporters found the idea as the best strategy during that time. Some officials of the federal government worried about the president’s move and that he might receive violent reactions from the audience. However, it was against the President’s character to pass up on an opportunity like this. The President still insisted on going through the journey despite the pressing danger. It was 12:30 at that time when the President was traveling through the streets of Texas with an open top car. Everything was going as planned until there was a gunshot. Apparently, the bullets were assumed to have originated from the 6th floor of a book depository building. As per the official reports the first bullet missed its target. However, the second and the third shot luckily hit the president thus leading to his death. His bodyguards and driver during that time rushed the president to the hospital named Parkland Memorial. He was proclaimed dead in this hospital at approximately 1pm at the age of forty-six. That day moved many Americans, and the President’s death will soon commence greater legislation proving that his death did not go in vain.
Of course, the 1960s would not be complete without the famous band, the Beatles. It was revealed from research by Hecl, (2006) that the hippie culture took over the country during that time. These people represented a new power that challenged the world order. As such a movement was already taking place in the country, it paved the way for the iconic release of the Beatles. This group has greatly influenced the people of the 1960s. More commonly, people found the Beatles as the greater representation of the rebels. According to Corry (2010), the Beatles came out in a very interesting era that the era itself has contributed their influence and careers. That was a time when musicians were music was a force for change after the country has gone through terrible wars. Another thing to look at that has greatly contributed to their fame was their relations to the working class. In that sense, The Beatles were able to empathize with the working class through their proletarian roots. In some sense according again to Cory (2010), the Beatles were considered as working- class heroes by the society. Their song, “All you need is love” has also greatly influenced the people’s idea of love. From a limited perspective on romantic love, the people’s focus has now been on the universal concept of love (Cory, 2010). The Beatles have impacted the lives of the people all over the world greatly and has changed the way that people looked at things.
The last item on the capsule has writings on a piece of paper with the Civil Rights Act written all over it. Most certainly, this era has truly made numerous contributions to mankind. One of them is the Civil Rights Act. Because of this legislation, the women now have equal rights to employment as much as the men do. There have been clear outlined guides on how to treat women better at work. There were created guidelines such as the sexual harassment section and sexual discrimination guides in this legislation. These guides were made in order to preserve the rights of women, have greatly influenced our workforce today (National Partnership for Women & Families, 2004). Without this legislation, this country might have been stuck in an era where the women will never receive rights in the same way as their male counterparts. This law has welcomingly included all races, genders, and classes in considering the welfare of the many. A more evident history making move of this legislation was that the Republicans and Democrats alike worked together in order to fulfill this legislation. The law created freedom for any citizen living and making a living in the country. This law has enabled the people to change their views and accept the fact that we are all people who also need a fair treatment in life. The law has opened doors for equal employment opportunities for all people regardless of their race, gender and class. This legislation has bridged the gap between people thus promoting fair treatment for all.
Looking at the time capsule that I have found, the 1960s is considered by many as the time that changed the games. This era has produced so many great minds that have contributed greatly to the development of our country. Without them, we might have been trapped in the illusions of fairness where segregation and gender discrimination exist. Without this era, different things will not change as a result of men’s stubbornness. One thing that I learned from this time is that people who were alive during that time valued and preserved peace and love as much as they can. These concepts are starting to fade deep into our minds and are starting to become memories again much like before the 1960s movements happened. The song such as “All we need is love” by the Beatles have opened the minds of the people to extend their minds to love that is universal and far more reaching than romantic love. These musicians, icons and legislators during that time have evidently fought the forces of destruction in order to preserve the peace of the country. People of the 1960s were the true patriots. They were the true citizens of this country. If not for this era, the people of America will not be able to open their eyes to the need of its people for fair treatment. If not for the 1960s, people might not have a fair chance in life.

References

The Assassination of John F Kennedy - a summaryHistory in an Hour. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.historyinanhour.com/2012/11/22/assassination-of-john-f-kennedy-summary/
Corry, J. (2010). The Beatles and the Counterculture. TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship1, 12, 1-5.
Hecl, B. (2006). The Beatles and Their Influence on Culture (Master's thesis, Masaryk University, Brno). Retrieved from http://is.muni.cz/th/108918/ff_b/The_Beatles_and_Their_Influence_on_Culture.pdf
Planned Parenthood. (2012). A History of Birth Control Methods. Retrieved from Planned Parenthood Federation of America website: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/2613/9611/6275/History_of_BC_Methods.pdf
The National Partnership for Women & Families. (2004). Women at work: looking behind the numbers 40 years after the civil rights act of 1964. Retrieved from The National Partnership for Women & Families website: http://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/workplace-fairness/women-at-work.pdf
Wiersema, D. (2012). Being Marilyn. Retrieved from http://www.united-academics.org/journal/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/5.-Biography-Marilyn-Monroe.pdf