ABSTRACT
Although urban decline was arguably one of the most prominent domestic problems of the 1950s, along with civil rights, subsequent historical events threatened to displace it from public consciousness. Political unrest and cultural turmoil, the traumatic loss of young men and women in Southeast Asia, and the deaths of the nation’s charismatic leaders maneuvered for center stage in a wrenching drama that exploded the myth of an American nation anchored in contentment, common aspirations, and shared prosperity. America seemed to be unraveling from within, while its international prestige and position became increasingly tenuous. The problems of the city receded in comparison.
