In the United States, the decade of the 1960s began with dreams of prosperity, justice, and equality with the election of John F. Kennedy as President. After Kennedy’s assassination on November 22nd, 1963, the decade experienced increasing turmoil in the form of US involvement in the Vietnam War, an increased emphasis on civil rights and feminism, the rise of countercultural movements, and technological advancements. 

The Vietnam War began as a civil war between the government of North Vietnam, which wanted to unite the country under communist rule, and South Vietnam, which wanted to maintain a more democratic style of government. The war was part of a large-scale conflict taking place across Indochina as former colonies sought self-governance. The United States sided with South Vietnam as part of a larger effort to counter the spread of the Soviet Union’s power and influence, a conflict referred to as the “Cold War.” After years of offering military and intelligence support, in 1963 the US sent troops to fight the communist Viet Cong. The conscription of US citizens to fight in the war proved unpopular with the American public, with protests against the war spreading as the years passed until the US withdrawal in 1973.

The 1960s also witnessed significant social change. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., Black Americans engaged in non-violent protests to end segregation, leading to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and continued legislative efforts to end racial discrimination against Black people. Second-wave feminism also became an important movement, as women pushed for legislative changes to ensure greater financial and professional autonomy and challenged conservative social norms by advocating for reproductive rights and easier access to contraception. Various countercultural movements also sprang up, such as the “hippies,” who voiced opposition to what they considered repressive mainstream cultural values. While some participated in anti-war movements, other hippies subscribed more generally to a rejection of materialistic lifestyles and sexual norms, embracing free love, communal living, and, very often, substance use. The hippie movement continued into the 1970s.

As Wayward Girls alludes to, it was also an era of important technological advances, particularly in space exploration. As Mairin observes when she escapes the Good Shepherd Home, the first moon landing of the Apollo space mission took place on July 20th, 1969, marking a monumental technological and imaginative milestone. Five more crewed missions reached the moon before the program concluded in 1972. Wayward Girls thus reflects the upheaval and change of this era through the protagonists’ lives and their broader social context.