The American Counterculture Movement - 909 Words

The American counterculture movement began with the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, the termination of the United States combat involvement in Southeast Asia, the end of the draft in 1973, and the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in 1974. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was the main organizational groups of the campus-based radical movement known as the New Left in the 1960s. The New Left was a term used to describe the left wing movements in the 1960s and 1970s. Students for a Democratic Society were the largest and most influential radical student organization of the 1960s. At the beginning, there were just a few dozen members, inspired by the civil rights movement and initially concerned with equality, economic justice, peace, and participatory democracy. With the escalation of the Vietnam War, SDS grew rapidly as young people protested the destruction wrought by the United States government and military. Polite protest turned into stronger and more determined resistance as rage and frustration increased all across the country. â€Å"We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit,† according to the manifesto known as the Port Huron Statement. The Port Huron Statement was created by 60 young Americans who traveled in June 1962 to a retreat at the base of Lake Huron, Michigan, to hash out their beliefs about social change. All these years later,Show MoreRelatedRelfection of the American Environmental Movement Counterculture765 Words   |  3 PagesAmerican Counterculture Reflection The modern Environment Movement began with the passing of the Wilderness Act of 1964. The act established a National Wilderness System and created 9 millions acres. The main influence and writer of the act Howard Zahniser, who felt that we needed wilderness as it takes us away from technology that gives us perspective of mastering the environment rather than being a part of it (Nash, 2001). With the passing of the act Americans questioned both preservation andRead MoreThe Issues Of Urban Poverty1197 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican life was transformed in the 1960s from the start of the decade. The 1960s consisted of new rights and new understandings of freedom. The sixties consisted of rights for racial minorities to be involved in the mainstream of the American lifestyle. However, unsolved issues of urban poverty still existed. Women in the 1960s established a conversion in women’s status, for instance, women entered the paid workforce. America experienced a growth of conser vative movements, consequently, the 1960sRead MoreEssay about The Counterculture899 Words   |  4 PagesThe Impact of the Hippie Counterculture of the 1960s The â€Å"hippies† of the 1960s had many effects on the American society. The visual appearance and lifestyle of the hippies were in sharp contrast to the conservative nature of the older generation, which defined them as a counterculture. The hippie lifestyle was based on free love, rock music, shared property, and drug experimentation. They introduced a new perspective on drugs, freedom of expression, appearance, music, attitudes toward workRead MoreRevolution of music in the 1960s Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagesof this new generation called for new entertainment (Rock and Roll). Music of the 1960s was the new entertainment for the baby boom generation and impacted America by: starting new trends in genres of music, opening diversity of artists, counterculture movements, and music festivals. Music tends to follow the trends of its listeners; genres come and go with popularity. Rock and roll was considered to have its golden era in the 1960s (Rock and Roll). It stood out with unforgettable performances byRead MoreDomestic Changes After Cold War1071 Words   |  5 Pagesother words, the American state of mind changed which left the country vulnerable to various changes in domesticity. As the country furthered from the likelihood of economic depression, birth rates increased as well as marriages, the voice of the younger generations were finally heard, a counterculture blossomed, and citizens began leaving city slumps for suburbs. Following the Cold War, newly established domestic changes such as the uprise of suburbs, the Baby Boom, the Anti-War Movement, and the CountercultureRead More The Turbulen Sixties Essay1645 Words   |  7 Pages The Turbulent Sixties Throughout American history, each generation has sought to individualize itself from all others preceding it. Decades of American history can be separated to represent a distinctive set of values, culture, and political ideals. The 1960s was a decade caught between euphoric, idealistic beginnings and a discordant, violent climax. The music of this time period produced a strong counterculture which sought to influence America in a way never before experienced. The songs wereRead MoreRevolution of Music Essay1577 Words   |  7 Pagesthe 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels issued recordings of white singers performing renditions of songs previously released by African American singers (Rock and Roll). These renditions often altered the original lyrics to make them more appropriate. The most prominent star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, the â€Å"King of rock n’ roll†. With the new addition of the â€Å"Baby boom† generation, aRead MorePositive and Negative Impacts of the Sixties Counterculture1532 Words   |  7 Pagesshocking blow that American culture-- segregation, McCarthyism, unjust wars, censorship--needed to prove that some Americans still had the common sense to care for one another. The young people of the sixties counterculture movement were successful at a wakening awareness on many causes that are being fought in modern American discourse. If not for the Revolution that the hippies began, political or social reform and the Peoples voice would be decades behind. While the hippie movement has subsided, asRead MorePresident Lyndon B. Johnson s Great Society1248 Words   |  5 Pages-War on Poverty As part of president Lyndon B. Johnson’s â€Å"Great Society†, which focused on improving the quality of life among all Americans, he initiated the War on Poverty during the 1960s. The War on Poverty was built by using government funding to improve poverty-stricken areas of the country and to start â€Å"...a new food stamp program, giving poor people greater choice in obtaining food, and rent supplements that provided alternatives to public housing projects for some poor families.(Roark, PgRead MoreCounterculture Movement Essay1438 Words   |  6 Pagesessentially defines the 1960s and the counterculture movement in America. After WWII people had much more free time than they did during the war, and many people decided that they wanted to settle down and start a family. This caused a large boom in child birth. The children born during this boom are known as â€Å"baby-boomers†. â€Å"Due to the baby boom between 1945 and 1955, over half the population was und er 30 years old† (The American Experience 1). During this time in American history, the children of the â€Å"baby