How Rock and Roll Changed America

1919 Words4 Pages

Rock and Roll was the start of a new revolution in America. It introduced the world to many of the famous artists that continue to be a part of our lives today. "Artists who became popular in the 1950s such as Elvis, began to pave the way for others such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly" (The History of Rock 'n' Roll until 1960). With the introduction of rock 'n' roll, there came many new changes to the lives of many Americans. Rock and Roll was a major contributor for the change in teens' behavior in the 1950s because it encouraged new freedoms for teenagers, encouraged new fads among teenagers, and caused a generation gap. Before the big evolution of rock and roll, the United States was heavily involved in World War II. In this era, teens were expected to grow up at a very early age. Going to school was not one of the main priorities for these young adults during this time, and because of that "teens were expected to take life seriously. [Meaning,] the young men were expected to join the military or go get a job to support their family or their future families, while the young women were taught to take care of the household and prepare themselves to be a dutiful wives and to take care of their [future] children," (Cox). Even though they were expected to grow up early, “teens had very little economic power, freedom, independence, and input into [many of their own] decisions" (Cox). The way these teens dressed during this time was very conservative. Due to the restrictions of World War II, "clothes were much [more] simple and less fabric was used because few materials were available” (Mathieson). Many teens during this time period were much more respectful and would not go out of their way to cause a corruption. Te... ... middle of paper ... ...ers, Kim. Sexual Teens, Sexual Media: Investigating Media’s Influence on Adolescent Sexuality. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002. Cox, Erika. Rewind the Fifties. Teenage Life in the 1950s. 2009. 30 January 2014. Howell, James C. Gangs in America's Communities. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2012. History of Gang's in the United States. 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. Mathison, Lindsay. Teenager’s Lives Changed Throughout the Century. December 1999. 30 January 2014. Powers, Richard. The Life of a 1950s Teenager. 2010. 30 January 2014. "The History of Rock and Roll Until 1960." The History of Rock and Roll Until 1960. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "Rock and Roll's Influence." The Impacts of Rock and Roll Music on American Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. Wetzel, JR. N.p.: n.p., n.d. American Families: 75 Years of Change. 1990. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • A Critical Review of All Shook Up

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    All Shook Up: How Rock n’ Roll Changed America, written by historian Glenn Altschuler, is a fascinating analysis of the impact that rock n' roll music has made upon American culture. Glenn C. Altschuler received his Ph.D. in American History from Cornell in 1976 and has been an administrator and teacher at Cornell since 1981. He is currently the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies and the Dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He is the author of several books on American history and popular culture, more popular for All Shook Up. (Wikipedia).

    Read More

  • The Role Of Youth In Canada During The 1950's

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    The institutions, cultural forms, and economic powers were lifted as the term “teenager” itself was created to differentiate young men and women from adults (University of Toronto 145). The clothing trends, hairstyles, dances and even the language was different from that of adults (Armstrong et al, 134). Young men and women enjoyed dressing themselves with blue jeans, leather jackets,and pony tails for women, which stood as an identity for teenagers as it differentiated them from adults (Armstrong et al,135). This idea was amazing to acknowledge because a new type of people are emerging, and this added to Canadian multiculturalism and acceptance of the different types of people.The adults response to the wild nature of teenagers was that they were left shocked at first, yet later they acknowledged this act as just a phase during one’s life, they got used to this unique behaviour as time progressed (OC University 10). With the brutality of World War 2, the youth at the time were simply left neglected (OC University 10). Many believe that teens during the 1950’s were greatly influenced by being raised during a war generation (OC University 10). The youth distinguished themselves through shocking, yet enjoyable behaviour such as dance moves and their overall mindset on life. In addition, advertisers convinced teens to purchase certain products which

    Read More

  • Rock n Roll & 20th Century Culture

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through Elvis Presley, rock ‘n’ roll changed the face of American music, and influenced a whole generation’s political philosophy. Composer Leonard Berstein once said, “He introduced the beat to everything and changed everything-music, language, clothes; it’s a whole new social revolution-the 60s come from it” (Wattenberg 6B). To his credit, Elvis embraced rhythm and blues not as a from to be imitated, but as a form to honored and interprete... ...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Rock And Roll Today And 1950's

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Teenagers have for long been a constant bother to many parents, for many years. It is during this stage that a large number of individuals engage in rebellious acts and are anxious to try out almost everything they lay their hands on. It is clear from the illustrations that music does have a great effect on teenagers. Parents should therefore combine effort in instilling a sense of responsibility and good morals to their young ones since they are the future leaders of the world.

    Read More

  • Teenage Dating in the 1950s

    3472 Words  | 7 Pages

    Teenagers in the 1950's are so iconic that, for some, they represent the last generation of innocence before it is "lost" in the sixties. When asked to imagine this lost group, images of bobbysoxers, letterman jackets, malt shops and sock hops come instantly to mind. Images like these are so classic, they, for a number of people, are "as American as apple pie." They are produced and perpetuated by the media, through films like Grease and Pleasantville and television shows like Happy Days, The Donna Reed Show, and Leave It to Beaver. Because of these entertainment forums, these images will continue to be a pop cultural symbol of the 1950's. After the second World War, teenagers became much more noticeable in America (Bailey 47). Their presence and existence became readily more apparent because they were granted more freedom than previous generations ever were.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Rock 'n' Roll on the Civil Rights Movement

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    It was no coincidence that rock ‘n’ roll and the civil rights movement started at the same time. The genre originated from African American music and was greatly discriminated against. Traditional white Americans would target anything bad about it. But as the teenager demographic of the 1950s started increasing the sales of the music, the genre started gaining more popularity. It was the style of Elvis Presley and his new voice that made girls weak in the knees and boys want to be him. Artists such as Presley had enough influence to change the view of their devoted fans on civil rights issues. Soon as protest songs and rock ‘n’ roll became more popular and influential, it began a gap between the young adult generation and their parents which led to the rebellion of the civil rights movement. Through these factors rock ‘n’ roll influenced a great deal over the civil rights movement.

    Read More

  • The ‘60s: Culture and Music

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ‘60s were the age of youth, as millions of children’s from post World War II became teenagers and rebelled against the conservative fifties. Denying civil rights to African-Americans and liberation to teenagers in previous decades and Vietnam War, created a vortexes which lead to massive rebellion against the status qua. Music of the 1960s was characteristic of the revolution that was going on during the decade. It was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which the teenagers and college students were critical of government, business, religious institution and other various aspects of life. Era marked by civil rights movement, Vietnam War, environment of drug abuse and sexual freedom formed new music like: folk rock, soul and psychedelic rock. These genres starkly contrast the teen idol music of ‘50s pop mainstream. Writes John Covach; “World was exploding, and rock musicians were listening more closely than ever.”(Covach, 152) Such stark contrast in pop music directly relay to changing social culture in America, which further echo’s the relationship between music and culture.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Race on Rock and Roll

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rock n - roll In the 1950s rock-n-roll established its own mark in history. It spread throughout the decade in a thrilling, substantial, and even livid manner to those Americans trying to get rid of all sorts of conflicts and challenges that occurred during this time period. As exciting as this music was, the novel “All Shook Up” portrays how rock-n-roll brought many changes to the American culture and later to the sixties. It expresses many concerns such as race relations, moral decay, and communism, but in ways that are partially true.

    Read More

  • Culture in the 1960’s Music

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Rock N' Roll Music Influence." Rock N' Roll's Influence. Dark Nation Music Group, 1 Oct. 2002.

    Read More

  • Music And Youth Culture In The 1950's

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Rock ‘n’ Roll/Teen Rebels." Youth Culture in the 1950's. N.p., 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

    Read More

  • Rock-N-Roll Music

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    After many of World War II’s harmful effects, the 1950s served as a period of time of musical change that reflected the dynamic of society as well as the traditional norms and values. Many factors contributed to this transformation. For example, the civil rights movement heightened many racial tensions, and the music produced consequently manifested this tension in itself. Rock-n-roll and R&B music universalized music typically associated with African-Americans, and many African-American musicians gained fame; however, as with any relatively-widespread success, there were many musicians as well who missed their opportunities due to the same racial segregation. While “radical” genres such as R&B and rock-n-roll laid the foundation for music future forms of music, the standard pop, jazz, and country music adhered to traditional values, and thus continued to maintain popularity amidst phenomena such as the Elvis craze.

    Read More

  • Nifty Fifties to the Twenty-first Century

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rock and roll was a form of rebellion among teens in the fifties. Most parents saw Elvis Presley as the devil himself. Now, in the twenty first century we have half-naked Britney Spears parading all over the television and most parents could care less. Within a fifty year time span we went from bobby-socks to no socks and sometimes no shirts at all. In the fifties singing about blue suede shoes was somewhat controversial, although the teenagers now a days listen to lyrics that possess such terms as "I'm a slave for you", or "I want to rock your body", most parents usually just turn their heads. Although the lyrics that many teenagers now listen to are unacceptable, many people just turn their heads and accept the fact that they are teenagers, just as the parents of the fifties teens did.

    Read More

  • Rap/Hip Hop, Rap, And Rock And Roll Music

    2380 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...ion of this want within the cultural climate of the 1950s which gave rock and roll's "politics of fun" its radiance of rebellion." (Pompa, 2009)6 Overall, it will be seen that Rock and Roll not solely heavily influenced the music trade, however additionally the approach of the globe that’s continued to be seen today.

    Read More

  • Cultural Impact Of Rock And Roll

    2071 Words  | 5 Pages

    While going through our history of rock and roll course, one thing has become apparent, and that is that music brings people together. Sometimes it takes music to get a point across, and our world has endured a lot of social and a cultural change, which is how we music today. Just like our world is evolving, music is the same way. When a baby is born until the day it dies, it has evolved internally and externally and that is the same way I view the history of rock “n” roll. For instance, the great wars and the civil rights movement help influence to history of rock and roll. It gave people a purpose to listen to music and let artist express themselves through their songs. I’m not saying by any means that all the struggles we as a nation have

    Read More

  • Rhythm and Blues- R&B

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stone, A. (2008, January 1). History and Evolution of Rhythm and Blues. . Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.last.fm/user/Alex_Stone91/journal/2008/03/03/b87fp_the_history_and_evolution_of_rhythm_and_blues_

    Read More

More about How Rock and Roll Changed America

Open Document