Essay On The Counterculture

1907 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: American counterculture

“Make love, not war”, a very popular anti-war slogan that emerged during the 1960’s, represented a principle belief that ultimately created the counterculture, and explained the simplicity of ideals that the counterculture era encompassed. The counterculture was comprised of many parts of society which encouraged the transformation in attitudes towards society in middle class, mostly white, young Americans. The characteristics which supported the counterculture movement included hippies, drug culture, sexual revolution, music, and literature. When combined, these creative aspects formed the counterculture and caused people to think and act differently than they had before. People during this period lived by similar ethics, and expressed it through a variety of ways, changing their appearances and overall daily life as war progressed and obtaining a different perspective of violence. During the 1960’s, Americans began to see the unfair horrors of war, thus developing a feeling of restlessness toward the government. The Vietnam War (1959-1975) was one of the main contributors to the counterculture. Initially, many thought the war and intervention in Vietnam was necessary, but as it progressed people began to see the inequitable destruction. Due to their change in attitudes regarding the war and violence in general, people held protests and other anti-war movements and took it to further promote peace and love, which lead into other ideas of the counterculture. This movement greatly influenced America because the transformation in beliefs regarding war and violence had caused great social unrest, and impacted all other parts of people’s lives. The birth of the counterculture essentially established different ideologies that emphasize...

... middle of paper ...

...
Throughout the 1960’s, the counterculture era emerged from American society. Drug culture, hippies, sexual revolution, literature, and music all greatly contributed to influencing the attitudes and ideals of the late twentieth century. Each aspect of the counterculture influenced people’s ideologies and lifestyles. They developed a new sense of creativity which was never found in previous years in the United States. People experimented beyond their comfort levels and developed a ideals which contradicted the restricting ones prior to the movement. Counterculture left an everlasting impact. The emphasis on hippies and drugs and the other aspects of the society during the 60's has diminished, but towards the end of that century, long hair and colorful clothes became a trend, and the overuse of drugs led to overdose and addictions, including many Vietnam War veterans.

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Don T Step On It Make You Cry

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 1960’s changed the world in an explosion of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, for the first time women and men where declaring freedom and free love. The sexual revolution of the 1960’s saw changes in the way the world saw its self, and the way we saw each other. It changed what we wanted to buy, how we bought it and how we sold it to each other. Artistic free thinkers began to push boundaries everywhere they could. This is reflected in the music of the times, the notable events and the fashion.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The thesis of The Age of Great Dreams by David Farber and American Pastoral by Philip Roth

    2679 Words  | 6 Pages

    The 1960’s was a radical decade filled with political tensions, social strife, and overall cultural intrigue. The beginning of the decade allowed for the transition from President Eisenhower to President Kennedy, the youngest President to take office, and the first Roman Catholic. The move represented a shift from a Republican to Democratic administration in the Oval Office. Kennedy became a symbol for the young vibrancy of the American populous, as he was quickly accepted by the grand majority. After Kennedy was assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson took office, the nation was further engulfed in the war that would come to define America for years to come. The Republican Party regained office as Richard Nixon was elected in his second attempt to run as the decade came to a close. Activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X paved the way for the civil rights movement that swept the nation and captivated the spirit of not only black Americans, but white Americans as well. The race between the United States of America and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for domination of space escalated as Kennedy pushed for a man on the moon by the close of the decade, achieved in 1969. The possibility of nuclear war became all too real in 1962 as the launch of nuclear missiles became an abundantly clear possibility. The drug culture emerged in the 1960’s in large part due to the newfound accessibility of illegal drugs, such as marijuana and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, or LSD. American society was entrenched in the chaotic desire for new, improved highs. The profound ascent of the drug culture was truly realized when the 3-day music festival, Woodstock, took place in 1969, as “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll” symbolized America’s...

    Read More

  • The Day The 60's Died Analysis

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 1960’s was a time society fantasized of a better world. However, the horrors of the Vietnam War soon became evident; the mass amounts of death occurring because of the war became a reality. It created a “movement”, especially in American colleges, in order to stand up for what they believed to be “right”. By 1970, many Americans believed sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, however there were also various individuals becoming increasingly critical of the student antiwar movement

    Read More

  • The 1960’s: Decade of Disillusionment

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1960’s and early 1970’s were a time that eternally changed the culture and humanity of America. It was a time widely known for peace and love when in reality; many minorities were struggling to gain a modicum of equality and freedom. It was a time, in which a younger generation rebelled against the conventional norms, questioning power and government, and insisting on more freedoms for minorities. In addition, an enormous movement began rising in opposition to the Vietnam War. It was a time of brutal altercations, with the civil rights movement and the youth culture demanding equality and the war in Vietnam put public loyalty to the test. Countless African-Americans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, women, and college students became frustrated, angry, and disillusioned by the turmoil around them.

    Read More

  • The History Of Woodstock

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the turbulent era of the 1960s, youth excelled boundaries and expectations to adequately improve the world. Throughout this time, many individuals were trying to juggle the conflicts between racism, sexism, and the turning point in the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive. This battle occurred in 1968, and was a watershed moment in the Vietnam War that ultimately turned many Americans against bloodshed. “The total casualties – dead, wounded, and missing in action – had grown from 2,500 in 1965 and would top 80,000 by the end of 1967” (Willbanks 6). Destruction from the poignant fighting convinced rising numbers of Americans that the expense of United States’ commitment was too immense. The Anti-War movement gained momentum as student protesters and countercultural hippies condemned this kind of violence. As a result, many American citizens attended a three-day concert, Woodstock, because they desperately needed a place to be rescued from the brutality and turmoil. A young member of “The Beatles,” John Lennon, created music that was essential for the success of antiwar uprisings, as well as Woodstock attendees who justify the purpose of attending. Woodstock abruptly became a compelling icon; a turn of events where even all of the world’s calamities could not conquer the notions of peace, harmony, and cultural expression driven by young Americans to assert their voices as a generation, by genuine music and proclaims made by Woodstock celebrators.

    Read More

  • Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Brief Analysis Of the Counterculture Movement of the 1960s." DocShare - A New Way to Share Documents Online. Web. 06 Aug. 2011.

    Read More

  • Drugs and Rock and Roll

    643 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beginning with the late 1960’s counterculture in San Francisco, music and drugs will forever be inter-linked. Hippie bands such as the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, and Phish are associated with marijuana, mushrooms, and LSD. Modern electronic “rave” , or club music is associated with MDMA or Ecstasy. When one thinks of rock and roll, sex and drugs immediately come to mind. While the use of drugs is not essential for the creation or performance of all new music, it was certainly in important factor for the counterculture music of the late 1960’s. While some of the most important and influential music was made with the help of psychoactive drugs, it was often to the detriment of the artist. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and countless other tremendously talented artists had their lives cut short due to drug use. Drugs were most often good for the music, but deadly for the music makers.

    Read More

  • The Counterculture

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the sixties Americans saw the rise of the counterculture. The counterculture, which was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, was embraced by the decade’s young Americans. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and freer country.

    Read More

  • The Revolutionary Rebels of the 1960s

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    Known for their flower power, prevalent drug use, musical influence, and political protest of the late 1960s this branch of American Bohemians got a bad reputation. However, one can view them as greatest “rebels” to walk American grounds of contemporary time. The 1960s counterculture Hippie movement was the greatest revolutionary decade to have rebelled against conformity and societal ideals and values because of their political protest and musical influence from past to present.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Ken Goffman Counterculture Through The Ages

    300 Words  | 1 Pages

    For this reading, I read the first 40 pages given to us excerpted from Ken Goffmans book “Counterculture Through the Ages.” For this reading I focussed most of my attention on chapter 12, which discussed the youth counterculture during 1960 through 1967. The chapter caught my attention from beginning as Goffman describes the how researchers at Harvard University and other Ivy League Schools have been testing and experiencing the new hip drugs of the sixties. This interested me because it showed how all parts of society were intrigued by the new hip drugs being introduced. The professors at the universities assisted in paving the way for the success of these new drugs with their writings of their experiences. This encouraged people to try these

    Read More

  • The Hippie Counterculture

    2095 Words  | 5 Pages

    Unlike the society before this movement, the hippie did not try to change America through violence, the hippie tried to change things through peace and love. The Hippie Movement was a moment during the mid 1960s through the early 1070s where sex, drugs and Rock-n-Roll, was at the forefront of mainstream society. No one really knows the true definition of a Hippie, but a formal definition describes the hippie as one who does not conform to social standards, advocating a liberal attitude and lifestyle. Phoebe Thompson wrote, “Being a hippie is a choice of philosophy. Hippies are generally antithetical to structured hierarchies, such as church, government, and social castes. The ultimate goal of the hippie movement is peace, attainable only through love and toleration of the earth and each other. Finally, a hippie needs freedom, both physical freedom to experience life and mental freeness to remain open-minded” (Thompson12-13). Many questions are asked when trying to figure out how this movement reached so many of America’s youth, and what qualities defined a hippie as a hippie?

    Read More

  • The Impact of the Hippie on American Society

    2364 Words  | 5 Pages

    American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests with their alternative lifestyles and radical beliefs or drop out of society completely. The government and the older generations could not understand their way of life.

    Read More

  • The Hippie Movement

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    When people hear the term hippie, they think of men and woman in loose clothing with flowers weaved in their hair. Although these men and women did in fact wear these things, they left a significant impact on society. Hippies were a part of the Counterculture movement, which basic ideals were to reject the ideas of mainstream society. The movement itself began with the protesting of the Vietnam War. Eventually, the movement was more than just protesting the war. Hippies promoted the use of recreational drugs, religious tolerance; they also changed society’s views and attitudes about lifestyle and social behavior. The Counterculture movement was the most influential era in the 20th century because the people of this time changed society’s outlook, and broached the topics of drugs, fashion, and sexual freedom.

    Read More

  • Vietnam War Counterculture

    1700 Words  | 4 Pages

    The counterculture and hippie movements weren’t all flowers and fun, though. The young adults involved rejected almost all of their parents’ ideas. They saw no issue with public nudity or immorality. Drug use was extremely common, marijuana and LSD the most popular choices. Timothy Leary, a Harvard professor, openly promoted LSD (Flower Power). This is the real legacy of the movement. The political goal of somehow creating a world at peace did not occur. The looseness did though, leading to a degeneration of the morals of the American people (Isaacs 57). The societal norms of the United States had been changed by the Vietnam War.

    Read More

  • The Hippie Subculture

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    The sixties was a decade of liberation and revolution, a time of great change and exciting exploration for the generations to come. It was a time of anti-war protests, free love, sit-ins, naked hippie chicks and mind-altering drugs. In big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris, there was a passionate exchange of ideas, fiery protests against the Vietnam War, and a time for love, peace and equality. The coming together of like-minded people from around the world was spontaneous and unstoppable. This group of people, which included writers, musicians, thinkers and tokers, came to be known as the popular counterculture, better known as hippies. The dawning of the Age of Aquarius in the late sixties was more than just a musical orgy. It was a time of spiritual missions to fight for change and everything they believed in. Freedom, love, justice, equality and peace were at the very forefront of this movement (West, 2008). Some wore beads. Some had long hair. Some wore tie-dye and others wore turtle-neck sweaters. The Hippie generation was a wild bunch, to say the least, that opened the cookie jar of possibilities politically, sexually, spiritually and socially to forever be known as one of the most memorable social movements of all time (Hippie Generation, 2003).

    Read More

More about Essay On The Counterculture

Open Document