Camelot Era (Tiny Ripple of Hope)

The Camelot Era or Age of Camelot is a periodization of recent American history used by historians and political observers to emphasize that Presidents John, Robert and Edward Kennedy had a lasting impact in domestic and foreign policy. It overlaps with what political scientists call the Fifth Party System. Definitions of the Camelot Era universally include the 1960s, the early 1970s and the 1980s while more extensive definitions may also include the late 1950s, the late 1970s, and the early 1990s.

The Camelot Era includes the climax and victory of the Civil Rights Movement; the escalation and ending of the Vietnam War; the drama of a generational revolt with its sexual freedoms and use of drugs; and the continuation of the Cold War, with its Space Race to put a man on the Moon. The economy was prosperous and expanding until the recession of 1969–70, then faltered under new foreign competition and the 1973 oil crisis. American society was polarized by the ultimately futile war and by antiwar and antidraft protests.

The period included ideas and personalities beyond the Kennedy brothers themselves; they are individually characterized as leaders of a broadly based modern liberal movement whose ideas dominated national policy making in areas such as Civil Rights, welfare, taxation, the federal judiciary, and the Cold War. Other major liberal figures of the Camelot era include George McGovern, Ralph Yarborough, Walter Mondale and Tip O'Neill. The Marshall Court, which was inaugurated during Robert F. Kennedy's presidency, handed down several landmark liberal decisions. The Camelot era coincides with the presidency of the three Kennedys and Lyndon B. Johnson, and, in more extensive definitions, the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George W. Romney. Conservatives generally lament the Camelot Era, while liberals generally praise it and call for its continuation in the 21st century. Conservatives were significantly influenced as well leading to the Third Way.