Sixties part 2

         A few years pass from the first part to the second. By then, Katie’s child is born, Brian returns from his service in the Marines, and Michael is involved in running Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign.   Michael also has lost Sarah to another political activist. 

         Sarah begins to notice that she is being unappreciated with her current partner; she demands to be treated equally, she wants to lead with him, not one step behind.  On one protest broadcasted through television, Michael sees how Sarah is being arrested while trying to speak to some journalists with microphones. 

         Michael is involved in Kennedy’s campaign, and as part of this, he is collecting signatures to bring back all the troops fighting in the Vietnam War.  While on his job, he goes to his parents’ house.  And he asks his mother if he would sign.  She tells him that his father does not agree with this.  When the father arrives, the mother agrees to sign the petition to get the troops back from the war, and she faces her husband saying that she respects him, but that she also has a say in the house which he needs to respect.

         Brian returns traumatized because of the war.  He struggles with getting back into society as a normal person.  His father allows him to drink and do what he wants because there he feels sorry that he had to go through all that trauma.  Because there is no real treatment for these people that are psychologically unstable, Brian obtains no help from society.

         Katie has brought up his child, and at one point attends a Woodstock Festival where she is to be reunited with her two brothers.  All three return home and begin to live as a family once again.

         The father throughout the whole miniseries plays the part of the society that does not accept change. He is reluctant to accept what does not go as he had first thought, and he is the reason for Katie leaving home, Michael leaving home to work for Kennedy.  The father eventually accepts and apologizes to his daughter even though he admits that it is very hard for him to do so.

         Emmet, has grown up since his father died. He has joined the revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, and is willing to fight with arms to get their rights as Americans.  While talking with Fred Hampton, he reveals to him that it is better to be peaceful than to raise arms.  While reflecting on this, he visits his father’s grave and promises to continue the fight how he fought, with peaceful protests.

         The miniseries finishes with both families, the Taylors and the Herlihys, living happily in the American society.  Although society still faces social problems, discrimination and racism, they families are at peace with themselves and accept each other.