Counterculture During The 60s

I can assume a common person in the 1960 would find information in a library. I think information literacy was despite the fact they did not have the technology like we have now days, it was something people would still have to learn to get accurate information. Newspapers, phone books, radio, library with tons of books and encyclopedias were also part of that era that started the necessity for inventors to create what we have today. Information literacy then and now I think it was the same practice just with the different tools. Resources now are less heavy but with the same content or maybe more than the 1960 's. A Mac air is less heavy than an encyclopedia back in the day.

The sixties was a decade unlike any other. Baby boomers came of age and entered colleges in huge numbers. The Civil Rights movement was gaining speed and many became involved in political activism. By the mid 1960s, some of American youth took a turn in a “far out” direction. It would be the most influential youth movement of any decade - a decade striking a dramatic gap between the youth and the generation before them. The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage, written by Todd Gitlin, explains the rebellious youth movement, highlighting activist group, “Students for a Democratic Society,” the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. While some of the youth became politically active, others escaped into the counterculture – disbanding their faith in government and the ideals

Punk rock is either one of the best or worst movements in society depending on how you look at it. Rebellion itself can be very scary to a country or very liberating for its people. It takes sacrifices from groups of people who are looking to make things better. A perfect example is the Civil Right protests that took place in the early 60’s. The cultural influence that punk carried still has values that can be observed today. However, with the mainstream rush that it’s bands have made, it has changed the original meaning and reasons for punk rock. It was created when a group of people got together and all agreed that the direction of the early 1970’s U. K. society was not one that they were pleased with. The punk movement is highlighted by

A new social and political wave came over the United States in the early 1960s. There had been many changes since World War II in domestic life, economic standing, and politics. 1960s America was much more economically stable and felt responsibility for global affairs. John F. Kennedy won the election in 1960 with an agenda of national prosperity and cold war internationalism. During Kennedy’s presidency America faced a few major events including increasing concern about the war in Vietnam, the Bay of Pigs (a major political and interventional failure), and the Cuban Missile Crisis. These events had quite a bit of controversy surrounding them. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson wins the presidential elections with a vision

"And in the end it 's not the years in your life that count. It 's the life in your years."(Abraham Lincoln) The words of Abraham Lincoln describe the accomplishments by the Baby Boomers perfectly and implies that it’s the accomplishments in life that matter the most. The Baby Boom drastically changed Canadian society forever. The Baby Boom was an epoch after World War 2 where there was a massive increase in birth rate. Canada had social reforms, new music genres, and a changed economy. As the multitude of the Boomers are retiring, their contributions have not been forgotten.

The music of the 1960s and 1970s definitely had an impact on culture and society in the United States. Protest music, specifically, brought ideas, as well as problems, to the attention of many Americans. Radio stations across the nation were a big part of the spread of protest music. Radio experienced a boom after World War II. Stations started appearing all over, which meant more people could be reached. The messages written in popularized protest songs were heard over the radio by people who otherwise may not have gotten the chance to hear the artists.

There have been a lot of statements towards popular music, made by people who are opposed to popular music and this resulted in the political importance of popular music in the 1960s. From the beginning of rock’n’roll, politicians, priest and parents have cautioned the youth of the dangers in the images, the words, the voices and the rhythms of the music. In the West, the political right has been terrified that it will undermine capitalism, family life and traditional values (Street 2001: 243.)

The British Invasion in American music would not have been as prominent without The Beatles, who paved the way for other British groups to come to America and be successful. The 1950’s rock and roll artist like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and others, influenced many British groups during the early 1960’s, but in America in the early 1960’s folk music was the popular choice of music. The popularity of folk music was due in large part to what was going on in American society with the civil rights movement, JFK assassination and the Vietnam War and folk music spoke to what was going on in America. The British Invasion ended the popularity of folk music in 1964 with The Beatles and other British groups.

Rock music in the 1960s was egalitarian, eclectic, and real based on a number of reasons. To explain the 'real' piece of rock music in the 1960s, one would have to know that there was war going on overseas that didn't make sense to Americans as to why it was going on (the Vietnam war). There was also still severe inequality between blacks and whites causing protests to occur via the Civil Rights movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There was inequality between women and mens rights. These issues caused dissatisfaction to occur in the American people. What better way to vent dissatisfaction than through music! Also in addition to the frustrations described above, teen rebellion from the parental obligations was also in full swing. The result of this was 'free love' and experimenting with drugs. This led to creative, and mind you interesting, rock that Americans loved like "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles. Aside from the above,

En Masse, Rock and Roll has influenced various areas of the youth culture amid the 1960’s, dominating many areas of the world. The popularity and international outlook for rock music resulted in a compelling impact on society as Rock and Roll influenced everyday fashions, attitudes, and behaviors. Drawing on many different styles, this genre of music excited a worldwide generation of young listeners, while, at the same time, distressing musical, cultural, and social authorities. Presently, it is tough to fully understand the bitter criticism the new music generated in its entirety. Rock music gave shape to many different counter-cultural movements which engulfed the world. Without Rock and Roll, many genres of music would never have emerged, such as: garage rock, pop rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock. Although rock no longer rules popular music, the styles of the 1960’s still appeal to the ears of those born long after. The utopian frenzy of rock defined the music of that era, and to this day continues to structure the music we call Rock and Roll

“Music has always been both a barometer measuring and responding to society's problems and possibilities, and the twentieth century was a period that witnessed the emergence of a diverse range of musical styles and genres, each seemingly in reaction to the dominant sociopolitical concerns of the day” (Morgan). Presley, Dylan, and Joplin had the greatest influence on American culture in the 1960’s.

The 1960’s was one of the most tempestuous decades in American history, remembered for its nationwide protests against the vietnam war and strive for political change. During this decade, a group of people called hippies, emerged and created their own liberal counterculture by refusing to participate in mainstream society. Hippies were white, well-educated, middle class adolescents who were products of the “baby boom” generation. As Hippies entered their early twenties in the late 1960’s, they began to advocate for individual freedom and highly promoted people to “do their own thing”. At the same time, they rejected any ideas of conformity and materialism that their parents had constructed and abided by the decade before them. Their unwillingness to participate in society usually lead them to communities in neighborhoods across the United states. The most familiar of these communities was Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco (Bove). Although each hippy commune was different, most of the structure and daily routines revolved around “free love” and drug use.

Two of the biggest groups to separate themselves from the other bands of the 1960s were the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Each had their own style of rock ’n’ roll and their own way of creating new music. The Beatles had a very British pop style at the start, which morphed into their unique style of music as they blended and mixed it with different kinds of “world music.” The band worked together to write and develop their style, which was different from the Beach Boys “whose creative center was unquestionably one member of the group” (Starr & Waterman, 305) Brian Wilson. Through Wilson, the Beach Boys developed a surfin’ style of rock ’n’ roll and like the Beatles, Wilson liked to experiment with different instruments and effects to change their sound. Having the ability to play with their music like this meant that they needed an encouraging producer, like the Beatles producer George Martin, or they needed to be the producer, so Wilson took on the job.

Pop culture during the 1970s originated as a consequence of the historical context of the era. The official end of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and the Bicentennial of the United States all occurred during this decade. As a result, a variety of social groups such as women, gays and lesbians, as well as racial and ethnic minorities confronted the American conservative ideals that had governed American society since the end of World War II. Conservative white Americans reacted to the civil rights gains that took place in the 1960s and moved to the suburbs of the city, leading to city deterioration. Ultimately the decline of the city allowed for the creation of cultural spaces (disco clubs) that in turn challenged normative American social values.

The war in Vietnam to do this day has gone down as one of the influential and controversial wars in United States history. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975.The nation as a whole began to uproar over the war and the major consequences of the war. There were many reasons why so many Americans were against the war. Public opinion steadily turned against the war following 1967 and by 1970 only a third of Americans believed that the U.S. had not made a mistake by sending troops to fight in Vietnam (Wikipedia). Not to mention, many young people protested because they were the ones being drafted while others were against the war because the anti-war movement grew increasingly popular among the counterculture and drug culture in American society and