The Counter Culture Movement

The opinion of the public in the United States’ government was affected from the Vietnam War. In the beginning, most of the Americans supported the war but when more conflicts occurred and more troops were shipped the support started to decrease. What began is that some college student movement against the war then it became as a national protest. By the end of 1965, most of the soldiers who had been fighting in the war were drafted into war. Some Americans opposed the draft and believed it is unfair. The Vietnamese war was the first war to be televised instead of writing down news in newspaper

The Vietnam War protests and antiwar movement first began in 1964, gained national prominence in 1965, peaked in 1968, and remained strong throughout the rest of the war. In the beginning, the antiwar movement started out with only a small minority of fervent college students, peace activists, hippies, liberals, and pacifist religious groups who tried to make their voices heard. This opposition originated from people who did not agree with the American government’s actions regarding involvement in the war. Americans were opposed to the Vietnam War because they young men resisted enlistment in the war, citizens argued

Although the war was ten years old in 1965, there was no sign that North Vietnam would be defeated. By this time many Americans became opposed to the war. Some thought a war in Vietnam was not America’s concern. They were angry to see young Americans die while fighting for another country. Others were just generally opposed to human beings killing each other. Vietnam War protests became common in America.

The 60s was full of major movements. One of the most powerful counterculture movements was the civil rights movement. In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act to end racial discrimination in employment

Young americans were denying all conventional ideas of the middle-class. Sexuality, women’s rights and other civil rights with the use of psychoactive drugs helped create the counterculture movement by the students who were against the war and the draft. The civil rights movement was also another movement that turned out to be more aggressive and disregarded the idea of racial equality as the 1960’s came to an end. Although the movement was triumphant, it failed to resolve the problems the economy had in regards to race, and discrimination.

Throughout American history, the countercultures have greatly influenced the societies of their respective eras. The Quakers, the Harlem Renaissance participants, and the Hippies have had an immense impact on American culture. This impact is especially apparent in the political actions and art一audio and visual一of the countercultures’ respective times.

The Vietnam war was a long, armed conflict which heated between communist rule of North Vietnam, allied by Viet Cong and South Vietnam and its principle ally, the United States of America. The region was in fog of conflict from mid-1940’s, when the Viet Minh party was formed by Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader who was inspired by the Soviet Communism, to fight Japan and French Colonial administration during the World War II. After the Japanese forces left Vietnam, and French Emperor Bao Dai was in control of an independent region, Ho Chi Min rose to power, and declared himself as president of a Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The war in Vietnam brought about a huge societal shift in the US, in the way that people viewed the concept of conflict as a whole. In 1969, the number one complaint of many Americans was the ongoing war in Vietnam, in fact, in public opinion polls from as early as 1965, the war was proven to be the number one national issue among the American public. (SparkNotes Editors, 2015) It was this objection to the war in Vietnam that truly sparked the 1960’s Anti-War Movement in the U.S and the rest of the world. The movement became increasingly popular among young Americans, reflecting the growing disillusionment towards politics and society in general. (Wikipedia, 2015). The anti-war movement originated mostly on college campuses around 1964, as

The movement against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War began small among young college students, but eventually gained relevance in the United States during 1965, after America began the bombing of North Vietnam. The Vietnam War was taking many lives like never before. Many young American soldiers were dying in order to rescue a nation under the threat of communism. The Soviet and Chinese supported North Vietnamese were advancing at a fast rate towards the American supported South. With guerilla tactics paving a way for the invasion of the communist Vietcong fighters, America had no other choice but to pull out from the war or face unreasonable

Other cultural changes she experienced during her lifetime were deemed as ‘counterculture’. The counterculture was a significant factor in the fall of the American consensus as new ethos of rebellion and individuality caused youth to embrace the flawed Volkswagen and for Rock-and-Roll rebels to become more mainstream (American Yawp Ch. 27, 2017). While Ms. Hampton did not participate in the change due to her new marriage and raising children, she stated that she tolerated the new cultural wave because moving forward was the only option. However, not everyone shared her tolerance as the 1970’s witnessed the struggle to once again compartmentalize society by evoking simpler times with songs like “Okie from Muskogee” (American Yawp Ch. 28, 2017).

At the turn of the 1960’s, John F Kennedy famously challenged the American citizenry in his inaugural address to “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” While some enlisted to join the fight in Vietnam, others joined the Peace Corps. Others involved themselves in local politics and their counterparts, often referred to as nonconformists, formed their own organizations. With vastly different ideals of America’s path to future success, dissenting groups clashed and the tumultuous counterculture of rainbows, guns, and peace signs that defined the late 1960s was born.

Three key events that can be related to the dramatic change in views towards societal mores is the ‘Beat Movement’, the Nuclear Arms race and increased college enrolment. Firstly, the ‘Beat Movement’ was a movement during the 1950s that was initial conspired by writers and artist of the time and criticized American society’s values of “conformity over independence and financial gain over spiritual and social advancement,” (). Alongside these voiced opinions against society a new recurring uneasiness towards the future was being shared amongst the youth as American Government raced against Russia in the Nuclear Arms Race. Finally, a newly favoured sense of freedom and independence occurred as an increase in college enrolment created an environment in which the baby boomers shared similar fears and feelings towards society and its future. These three key events alongside advance in media and events such as the Tet Offense (Vietnam War) and release of the Pentagon papers allowed for people to begin question the government especially “by the end of the decade… [as] Americans… lost much of their innocence and optimism…. The escalating Vietnam War, which was taking the lives of thousands of American soldiers and countless Vietnamese every

President Kennedy saw the Vietnam situation as America’s fight to stop the spread of communism. Kennedy, who was young and well liked by the American people, did not really see much protest from the American people. He wanted equality in America, and supported open-mindedness in his country; at his assassination in 1963 only 15,000 troops were in Vietnam. His successor, Lyndon B. Johnson greatly increased the number of troops that went to Vietnam, reaching 500,000 in 1966. Television allowed the American public to see what these soldiers were facing and that this was a senseless war. Too many men were coming home in American flag draped coffins, causing many Americans to rebel and move to the new hippie counterculture.

The counterculture movement was triggered by many different things. Women had been used to staying at home taking care of the kids while the husbands went to work, but during this time they were standing up for the right to make the same kind of money as men did, to work at the same kind of jobs, and to have ultimate control over their bodies in the form of reproductive rights, like birth control and abortion. Colleges and universities were also pushing the movement along, telling students they could do what they wanted to do. Ideas about what was right and what was wrong were being turned upside down. Kids did not want to follow as their parents did, drugs became prevalent as something fun to do, and sex was something to explore. In the summer

For the first time in American history, a large population of people of all ages, classes, and races came together to challenge the traditional institutions, traditional values in society, and "the establishment" in general. Youth, women, ethnic minorities, environmentalists, migrant workers and others caused the emergence of the counter culture. This cultural movement from 1960 to 1973 was caused by many factors. This era was one that was filled with many important events that shaped the way that Americans viewed life. Those who were unhappy with what was going on around them and took part in this social phenomenon reflected and demonstrated their attitudes, values, and ideals in many ways. Various things from