Post War American Culture

The decade of the 1960s can be said to be a subversion of the United States. From the civil rights movements, anti-Vietnam war demonstration, Kennedy’s presidency, to the assassination of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, the impact of the surging social movements and political turmoils to the American society is extremely far-reaching. There has been a lot of researches on the various social movements in this period. However, people 's attention seems to be limited to another important cultural phenomenon of this period, that is the prosperity of rock & roll. This paper is intended to analyze the

1. How can an understanding of the complexities of culture help us make sense of the day-to-day world which we live? Give an example from your life to illustrate your answer.

As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the

The 1960s was crammed full of many impacting events and important figures. From Hitchcock releasing one of the greatest thrillers of all time, Psycho, to Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death, to the infamous Woodstock festival. This era changed history completely and made the United States think twice about its youth. Events of the 1960s are still impacting our country as we know it today. The sudden pull from the conservative ‘50s changed America’s views on all aspects of life, including fashion, entertainment, and lifestyles.

With the overwhelming amount of Levittown houses, the obsession to obtain the perfect American “ideal family” as seen on TV and the unspoken agreement to fear any and all foreign ideas and values, the 1950s were revealed to be a decade of prosperity, conformity and consensus. Just ten years later the atmosphere in America was shockingly different; the 1960s were a decade of turbulence, protest and disillusionment due to the ongoing struggle for civil rights, arising feminism, and the Vietnam War.

“The rise of rock ‘n’ roll and the reception of it, in fact, can tell us a lot about the culture and values of the United States in the 1950s. According to historians James Gilbert, there was a struggle throughout the decade ‘over the uses of popular culture to determine who would speak to what audience, and for what purpose”. At the center of that struggle, rock ‘n’ roll unsettled a nation had been “living in an ‘age of anxiety’” since 1945” (p.15). Altschuler talks about how music and race interlock with one another. Rock had become a “highly visible and contested arena for struggles over racial identity and cultural and economic empowerment in the United States” (p.35). Other chapters within the book state the battles involving sexuality, generational conflicts, as well as other social issues. The author states ideas that are somewhat problematic. For example, he states that there is a myth that rock ‘n’ roll went into a “lull” following the payola hearings (the practice of record promoters paying DJs or radio programmers to play their labels ' songs) of 1959 and did not come about again until the arrival of the Beatles in 1964.

The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil

A lot has changed within American society since 1945, America as a whole has evolved. The act of change is not always positive, at times change can be negative. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the change within American society since 1945 and to examine whether the changes have been positive or negative for the people of America. This paper will begin with events and movements which came to public view post World War II.

The mid 1960s were an important era not only musically, but also historically. Sixties America seemed promising to begin with as ‘many Americans believed they were standing at the dawn of the golden age’ (History.com Staff, 2010). The young and confident John F. Kennedy was elected as The President of the United States, most of who’s campaign was based on arbitrating inequality and injustice in the U.S. The Civil Rights Movement was initiated

Post World War II America was a society full of anxiety. In the late 1950s Americans were deeply troubled by so many social shifts. Major changes were occurring both internally and externally. They were in the midst of the Cold War, and were vastly approaching the atomic age. There was a communist scare and fear of Russian expansion. Joseph McCarthy was hunting down major celebrities for their communist involvement and the 'Red Influence' seemed to be everywhere. The move toward suburbia and the growth of multinational corporations were flourishing. People seemed to be pulled in every direction. Another change that would have a major impact on society for years to come was the

Once World War II ended, it was like large weight had been lifted of the shoulders of not only the American people. In light of the heavy tole that this war, a preceding depression the nation was ready for a time of peace. The decade after this era stood in contrast, with numerous riots and turbulence due to major social changes. Because of this major contrast in two adjacent decades in history, many historians have come to conclusion that the fifties were a time of conformity, and collectedness, as well and prosperity due to the great economic output of the time. And the contrasting period of the 60’s lives up tot the nick name of the “stormy sixties” a name representative of the culture and over all attitude toward life the American dream at the time. A cloudy confusion of what was wanted and needed to be done, just a roller coaster of a decade. When we look at these eras we see that what the facts tell us are only “skin deep” and that if one is to look closely at the events of these two decades, the changes that occurred and actions taken by people have affected people in this era and will continue to effect people for generations to come. Just like many of the decisions made by our founding leaders still affect this nation today, and up for debate today. With this in mind, one must remember that the facts are concrete but interpretations of these facts can differ. And so, Historians are correct for the most part, but are incorrect in saying the 50’s represented a

After World War II, the United States faced a malevolent philosophical dispute that had spread from within itself. Chapter nine in Thinking Through the Past is titled “Pop Culture as History: The War Comes Home” because it identifies America’s disposition over the subject of communism during the Cold War era. Historian Stephen J. Whitfield writes his secondary source entitled, “The Culture of the Cold War” which presents a detailed analysis pertaining to the lives of Americans on both sides of the political spectrum of anti-communism during the 1950s in United States. Questions arise that carry significance to cultural and social growth during the period: How was communism threatening the

The 1960’s was one of the most controversial decades in American history because of not only the Vietnam War, but there was an outbreak of protests involving civil and social conditions all across college campuses. These protests have been taken to the extent where people either have died or have been seriously injured. However, during the 1960’s, America saw a popular form of art known as protest music, which responded to the social turmoil of that era, from the civil rights movement to the war in Vietnam. A veritable pantheon of musicians, such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan sang their songs to encourage union organizers to protest the inequities of their time, creating a diverse variety of popular

Twenty-first-century culture is inclined to award trophies to all participants of a sport, even if the participant did little to contribute to the team’s success; they all receive participation awards. In doing this, it may remove the incentive to be the best in that sport. Mathematical equations no longer have right or wrong answers; there is partial or full credit given for following the correct procedure. The students may not be learning where they are making mistakes; therefore, they may not be benefiting from the common core arithmetic’s. Today's society strives to protect children from experiencing failure or negative feelings. Of course, parents want their children to think positively as this reinforces desirable behavior; however, thinking

The evidence of documents from the Carolingian period was much more full of information than any other era since the fourth century. While our knowledge of France during the sixth century were little bits and pieces of the Merovingian kingdom along with along with around 900 pages of the chronicles and other forms of documents and treaties. Their literacy was one of their biggest improvement for their civilization. It has overcome things like the invasion of Germany, the expansion of land that Islam has taken over, and even the arrival of a new cult and society that was in western Europe. The civilization of Rome was the Mediterranean while, France, England, and Rhine valley where around to help improve