How did the social unrest of the 1960s take root in the 1950s?

Answer 1

The U.S. entered into the Vietnam War in 1959. Many Americans believed that we should not interfere into what was essentially a civil war.

The 1950s also saw African-American military veterans come home from WW II. The segregation laws of the South became obviously more unfair. The black soldiers were good enough to defend their country, but couldn't eat or drink from the same places as whites. Black children were also segregated in inferior schools.