The Sixties Countercultures

Terry H. Anderson The Sixties takes us back to that controversial decade where citizens not only believed change was important but demanded it to occur. The author beings his discussion on the Cold War era and how it seeded the growth of the sixties. The conventional and orthodox of the fifties was a vast improvement for many of the old-generation who lived through the great depression. The decade was referred to as “Happy Days,” however, it was only truly happy for white American males. The rest of the population was tired of the unfair treatment and the lack of national problems being addressed by the government. This anger was beginning to manifestation and would eventually take center stage in the era of the sixties.

During the 1960s Music was heavily influenced by the political and social events happening at the time. At this time civil rights movements were common as many people were trying to spread the emancipation of racism and segregation. As a result the music of the time tended to reflect this counterculture of peace. This “culture” encompassed civil rights, anti-establishment and, inciting revolution. This was a vital time in history for civil rights activists as well as anti-war revolutionaries and the music industry. From folk music to rock music, everyone was affected by the war and chose to express it through the most international form of art, music. Anti-war activists and counterculture enthusiast craved the music that truly expressed

The “counterculture” developed during the 1960’s into the 1970’s and during this time period the American mindset questioned normal values and institutions. Over half the population was under 25, many of whom associated themselves with the Hippie Movement. Hippies were all about rejecting and rebelling against monumental societal institutions and were the focus group in the counterculture. The hippies set themselves apart from the “stereotypical man” and wanted to be untamed and wild. They valued the beauty in naturalness and stripping away “the securities of civilization that normally intervene between humans and elemental challenges (Nash, p. 267). They wanted independence and felt that the GNP was not the best indicator of American success.

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

The sixties were a time of questioning and rebellion. The baby boomer generation was born into the most powerful, affluent, and influential nation in the history of mankind. Despite this, baby boomers were asked to fight in a foreign war, conform to societal norms, and accept institutional change in their lives. John Ketwig, Bill Ayers, and Robert Coles all showed in their own way the crumbling of American institutions in the sixties due to the belief that the US government was not working for its people. No other time in American history saw so much activity in terms of political and social movements and it brought the country into the age of questioning and rebellion which remains today.

The sixties seemed to challenge basic American assumptions; the value of hard work and of traditional family values. “Middle” America formed 55% of the population, earning between $5000 and $15000 p.a. They lived between the city slums and the affluent suburbs, and were usually up to their eyes in debt. They wanted the law to protect them and their property. They believed in good manners, in respect for authority and the flag. The changes of the sixties left many of them confused and angry. They were not sure who to blame for social unrest. They were the silent minority that Nixon appealed to in his election campaign, and they helped him to victory. They were the resentment and reaction byproduct of social unrest. They worked to ensure their property and found it unfair that the government gave money to the people that did not work as much as they did. They wanted law and order. They wanted a state that provided security, response to the insecurity they felt in face of the students movement and the liberal culture. They felt ignored by the democrat government because they did not benefit from the financial help, house and health security.

Hippies represent the ideological, naive nature that children possess. They feel that with a little love and conectedness, peace and equality will abound. It is with this assumption that so many activists and reformers, inspired by the transformation that hippies cultivated, have found the will to persist in revolutionizing social and political policy. Their alternative lifestyles and radical beleifs were the shocking blow that American culture-- segregation, McCarthyism, unjust wars, censorship--needed to prove that some Americans still had the common sense to care for one another. The young people of the sixties counterculture movement were successful at awakening awareness on many causes that are being fought in modern

The whole hippie culture all together was totally against social norms, what society wanted to see, how everyone else lived, and what they believed in. The hippie culture’s main moto was “make love, not war”. They were strongly against war and the Vietnam War, which was going on during the same time the hippie culture was popular. They thought that everyone should have acceptance of the universe. They wanted to see change in the world, global

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During the 1960s, different events occurred that changed Americans’ form of living. Numerous amounts of dissents from infuriated people and aggressive rioting helped spark a new society. New policies in the United States were created by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. The United States of America had sent its soldiers to Vietnam and as a result started civil unrest and eventually a deadlock was in place. Soon, the sixties was the most violent period of the 1900s, primarily because of the number of people against the Vietnam involvement.

The hippie movements of the sixties were driven by a plethora of factors. There were many new technologies that were being introduced in this period, a war against Communism around the globe, internal struggles against several types of injustices, a growing drug culture, and several other important developments. To say the least, it was a volatile period in American history and many sub-cultures were actively seeking to carve out new paths that were starkly different than the traditional norms. These generations who rejected traditional culture helped carve out a new trajectory for the United States and the movements influences can still be felt to this day.

Public art encapsulates a large part of Chicago’s history, and engages many different people in varying ways. Recently, I was in the city observing art and came across a woman who was seeing the same pieces I was. She proceeded to tell me she had just gotten off a plane, that morning, from New York, keep in mind it was around noon when I saw her, and wanted to show her daughter the great pieces of public art in Chicago. She passionately relayed the rich historical context of a few works of art: her main point being that Chicago is a hub for a booming culture of art. She noted that great artists from Europe, such as Picasso, Chagall, and Dubuffet, wanted to be a part of the modern art trends happening in Chicago in the twentieth century. She went as far to say that “these [pieces of artwork] are unique in the world,” meaning they are so well known and respected that their popularity extends beyond the city of Chicago. It is curious to think about what makes a successful work of public art, and why artists and observers alike are so intrigued with the art in Chicago. In my opinion, two works of Chicago’s public art, Monument with Standing Beast and Cloud Gate, serve as effective works of public art due to their complexity and appropriate placement in space, however Cloud Gate is more effective because of its personal appeal to the audience.

The 1960s are frequently referred to as a period of social protest and dissent. Antiwar demonstrators, civil-rights activists, feminists, and members of various other social groups demanded what they considered to be justice and sought reparation for the wrongs they believed they had suffered. The decade marked a shift from a collective view on politics, to a much more individualistic viewpoint. The 1960s could easily be characterized as a period during which political, ideological, and social tensions among radicals, liberals, and conservatives in American society are seen to have rapidly unfolded. Due to this, the decade has had an overwhelming effect on the decades that have followed. The sixties have had the greatest impact on American society out of any decade in recent history. Whether for better or for worse, the decade has had a profound influence on politics, society, foreign policy, and culture.

This counter culture that developed in the 1960s was an alternative lifestyle chosen by individuals who would eventually become known as hippies, freaks or long hairs (Richards, 2003). Members of the counter culture held a conviction similar to that of the new left wing movement, in that they wanted to overhaul domestic policy within the United States (MacFarlane, 2007). Hippies were generally dissatisfied with the consensus culture that had developed after the Second World War and wanted to distance themselves from American society hence the counter culture (Debolt, 2011).As a result,

As the story of Nora Helmer, and her struggles against societal norms begins to unfold, the reader is able to conclude many personality traits about Nora and her husband Torvald. Through the inclusion of timeless issues, the author, Henrik Ibsen, effectively portrays a female protagonist battling a male dominated society. Although the historical setting in A Doll’s House depicts a patriarchal society much different from today, underlying issues such as the search for one’s identity continue to pose a problem in the modern and more accepting world today. Through intentional inclusion of patriarchy, gender norms, as well as historical aspects, Ibsen introduces Nora’s journey of self-discovery and its progression throughout the play.