Sixty years ago — and I’m old enough to remember — rights guaranteed to Americans under the Constitution were protected, and we were a freer and better country because of it. Freedom of religion and speech, as well as the right to life and to keep and bear arms were accommodated, not under constant attack as they are today. Cohabitation and sodomy laws were on the books primarily to protect women & children and to guard against the corroding influences of prostitution, homosexuality, lesbianism, and pedophilia. The creature comforts and fingertip technologies were not as ubiquitous as today, but it was a good, modern life for most, with intact, God-fearing families and lower rates of crime. I’m not aware of any married couple being prosecuted for private, consensual sexual behavior, although it may have occurred in isolated instances. In any case, I’m a conservative in most matters, not a libertarian, and I do say America was more virtuous overall in 1959 than it is in 2019.
I was not alive during that time, born in the 70s. I think America has always had faults, no country is perfect. I think one thing that hasn’t changed is we were and are the best country around.