...Influence of the 1960s The sixties were the age of youth, as 70 million children from the post-war baby boom became teenagers and young adults. The movement away from the conservative fifties continued and eventually resulted in revolutionary ways of thinking and real change in the cultural fabric of American life. No longer content to be images of the generation ahead of them, young people wanted change. The changes affected education, values, lifestyles, laws, and entertainment. Many of the revolutionary ideas which began in the sixties are continuing to evolve today (Bradley & Goodwin, 2010). Because of the sixties, I was able to grow up in a neighborhood where different cultures live harmoniously. Before the sixties, non-white people were not allowed to mixed-in with the white families. It is because of the 60s that one neighborhood can include a Hispanic family, and Asian family and an African-American family (Carter, 2010). The Civil Rights Act of 1965 gave more people the right to vote and took down the obstacles which prevented many people from participating in democracy and exercising their full rights as citizens. This enabled me to exercise my right as an individual living in the United States. The Civil Rights Act provided not only me but a lot of people the right to be vote, be heard, and express their opinion (Farber, 1994). The legacy of the 1960s can be seen including society and family structure in America. America. American society is more...
Words: 1882 - Pages: 8
...1960’s Time Capsule Kaplan University 1960’s Time Capsule To some people, the 1960’s were the best of times, to others they were the worst. By some the 1960’s were looked at as a period when numerous things went wrong with society. Why did people have such different ideas about the 1960’s? I believe the different ideas came from all of the changes that were witnessed during this era. During the 1960’s, many different changes were made. Some of the changes were made for the good, and some were seen as horrible changes. The people referred to as liberals believed in individual choices and to have greater freedom. The liberals supported things such as the contraceptive pill and abortion. On the other side of the coin were the traditionalists who believed that many of the changes made were bad, and society had broken many boundaries. The traditionalists believed many changes that had taken years to build were now being torn apart. The five things I found in my time capsule were: The hippie movement, the breakdown of the nuclear family, legalization of abortion, homosexuality, and the initiation of the BBC channel. The Hippie Movement The first thing I found in my time capsule that people struggled with in the 1960’s was the hippie movement. People in the 1960’s that dressed different highlighted their lives on “love and people” were labeled as “Hippies”. They were often seen in large groups and could be found at “sit ins” protesting war and wearing peace signs...
Words: 1727 - Pages: 7
...The 1960s was arguably one of the most influential decades in the USA. After experiencing victory in WWII and the postwar booms in both strong economic growth and high employment numbers in the 1950s, many American believed that they were at a golden age at the beginning of the 1960s. Sociologists expected to see a low crime rate as a result (Pinker 2013). Yet, a huge crime surge still happened in the 1960s America, and the only explanation was through the unexpected changes in all cultural norms at American society. Knowledge wise, rational choice theory continued to take different assumptions from other theories, with social exchange theory included. Homans (1958) first proposed that when a person requires making an exchange, he would usually...
Words: 262 - Pages: 2
...Culture Wars in the 1960s The 1960s were all about changing the way America viewed sacred things like civil rights, war, and various other objects the counterculture was rallying for. Before this life-changing decade these things were near irrelevant, they were normal and not expected to change. However, during the 1960s these arguments were unavoidable and it was traditional people, typically the elders or parents of the generation, vs the new agers, young adults of the generation. The issues debated in the 60s stirred great conflict between the “religious” elders and the “secular” youths, by facing tradition against charisma, which brought together each of the groups since they needed to rely on each other to develop their argument. The elderly people in the 60s who were not for desegregation, anti-war, nor the new counterculture were categorized as “normative Americans who continued to believe in God, hard work, American exceptionalism,… and “traditional gender roles” (Snyder). This categorization defines them as the “religious” portion of this argument since they identified with believing in God. They were a hard group to get to budge on what they believed since for years prior to the 60s they ignored the efforts made by the younger generations to change the world. The elderly being set in their ways adheres to Smith’s argument that “A little more than half of emerging adults remain quite stable in their levels of religious commitment”(Smith,282)....
Words: 844 - Pages: 4
...The Sixties was a decade known to be unconventional and a crucial time in our history. It was a decade where there were various political and social issues, which also affected people’s values and the media. It was a crucial decade where people felt the need to express their values like never before. During this time Rock and Roll blew up, and hippies wanted to promote peace and love like never before. Culturally, the sixties was a time of major change for young and middle-aged citizens as sex, drugs and rock and roll became as much a trend, and way of, as a phrase. Teens sought to redefine the world in their own ways, rebelling against what they felt were restrictive, oppressive, social norms passed down from older generations. Drugs of various sorts, were a tool used to propel that rebellion. I’d stress the War in Vietnam, and the activism that spread across the country. I’d tie it to today’s Millenial generation and their political power and engagement being higher than has been seen since the sixties. John F Kennedy was popular, modern and impactful as President. He was cool and made the political landscape appealing to a younger generation; much of the same can be said of former President Barack Obama. Vietnam had been occupied by the French. In 1945, Ho Chi minh, a communist leader, declared North Vietnam an independent communist nation. The Domino Theory was the idea that if South Vietnam fell to the Communist North, then the rest of Southeast Asia would also fall...
Words: 723 - Pages: 3
...Was the 1960s really better than present day? That is a topic many people argue about. The 1960s is a supposed said a time of peace and love but was it really? Many things were happening in the 1960s many people were oppressed and therefore could not live life how they wanted. I had the opportunity to read an article with the pros and cons arguing whether society was better in the 1960s when peace and love was promoted. Some people may say the 1960s are better because life was simpler however, we have electronic devices to make life easier and faster. I think present day is better than the 1960s. The first reason why I think today is better is because people have the same civil rights as everyone else. Next, we have new technology to help us. Lastly, people aren’t as judgemental as they were back then. To start off, people in the 1960s were very judgemental. If someone looked different from everyone else they would instantly be judged. In the text it states “In today's society, people get tattoos, piercings, and write books or songs without being judged or told not to do it. Back then, people could have...
Words: 611 - Pages: 3
...How far was the effectiveness of the civil rights movement in the 1960s limited by Internal divisions? Firstly mention the successes of the 1960s * Greensboro Sit-ins 1960, This protest was very effective; it successfully desegregated the Woolworths store by the end of 1960 and all of Woolworths by 1961. By the end of 1962, 700k people protested and 810 southern towns desegregated something which helped to start the erosion of the Jim Crow Laws. But, the foundations for divisions were set, SNCC accused the SCLC of keeping donations and they were displeased with Kings top-down leadership. NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall called SNCC a ‘group of crazy coloured’. Although this didn’t affect this campaign, the co-operation was unsustainable and could be seen as the beginning of the end. * Freedom rides 1961, This again was successful in the respect that Supreme Court rulings MORGAN V VIRGINIA 1946 and BOYNTON V VIRGINIA 1960 were upheld, but divisions remained, CORE insisted that the SCLC said that CORE originated the freedom rides, cracks were beginning to widen. * The failure at Albany also helped with the radicalisation of SNCC and CORE, people started to question the effectiveness of peaceful protest. Talk about how when there is collaboration there is usually success, e.g. March on Washington which helped the 1964 Civil rights act go through. Tangible successes (dejure) * Civil Rights Act 1964 outlawed racial discrimination in employment and all forms of segregation...
Words: 593 - Pages: 3
...Was permissive legislation in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s a response to social change or did it create it? In 1959, six years before becoming Labour’s Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins said that ‘the state should not impinge excessively on peoples private lives and personal morality’. Permissiveness is routed in this idea of a new relationship between society and the individual, representing ‘striking changes in public and private morals’. According to Andrews, social change began in 1956 with a ‘class initiative’, caused by rapidly growing affluence. The affluence of the 1950s is proven by the proportion of homeowners in England and Wales rising from 31% to 44% between 1951-60, representing vast economic growth. Many politicians, particularly those on the Left, believed that ‘the affluent society was directly responsible for the permissive society’. Rising affluence occurred amid the re-emergence of Conservative values in the post-World War Two period, with Brown claiming that ‘the 1950s were about perfecting Victorian values’. The conservatism of the 1950s gave the 1960s a cause for rebellion, creating the unique conditions for permissive legislation to be passed. This paper will focus on acts passed between 1967-1970, including the Abortion, NHS (Family Planning) and the Sexual Offences Acts of 1967, the Divorce Reform Acts (1969), and in 1970 the Matrimonial Property Act. These permissive acts symbolised the breakdown of Victorian and Christian morals, particularly surrounding...
Words: 3580 - Pages: 15
...How far was cultural change in Britain in the 1960’s due to the contraceptive pill (24 marks) During the sixties Britain experienced a huge amount of cultural change, some may say that this was due to the contraceptive pill and it’s liberalising affect on women. On the other hand it could have been due to the rise in affluence, technological advances or the development of the car. The pill was licensed for use in Britain in 1961 and could be prescribed on the National Health Service. As source B states ‘women were keen to try it’. It led to cultural change firstly as it was liberalising to women. Source A states that women felt ‘in control’ and ‘free’. This was because the pill allowed women to plan when they wanted children, which in turn gave them a chance to get careers, something that wasn’t common for women during this time. It meant that women weren’t confined to being housewives as they could choose when and if they wanted to have a baby. As source A states ‘it changed women’s lives’. Further to this it led to a more permissive society. Women could have sex without the worry of getting pregnant, especially important as abortion hadn’t been legalised at this time. Source a states that she ‘had an affair’’ because she ‘could get away with it’. The family planning act in 1967 added to this when it allowed the pill to be prescribed to single women, not just married. This shows that there was a change in moral standards. For example the media was now publicising stories...
Words: 746 - Pages: 3
...women and their difficulties as there were basic rights which were being denied and discriminated against in the workplace during 1960 through 1980. As a setback that women faced in the 1960s and the early 1980s were that men realized what women were trying to do as much as they could, but men wanted to keep fully qualified women out of their workplace. During the early the 1960s, many changes were put in place to help women get to the top in a sense it would be fair to say that women as individuals have always been viewed as the underdog to a man especially in the workplace. Rex 1978 “stated that in the 1970’s women were heavily discriminated against when it came to what jobs they received and would the pay be equal to a what a man is paid”. Changes for women has progressed over time however in the 1960’s and 1970’s certain jobs like construction and policing made it hard for a woman to strive equally as a man in these types of fields during this time frame there were several activist that attempted to take a stand. Prophet Gail Cook addressed the issue of women being treated equally in the work field it is important to understand that changes that have been made to equal the playing field when it comes to a woman being treated equally to a man Sawhney stated that women have been denied basic rights and this has been occurring since before the 1960’s Changes that was effective and helped to succeed by more jobs being offered it opened up room for women to start applying for...
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...Mary Quant: A woman who completed women and the youth culture During the 1960s, although Great Britain was referred as the empire on which the sun never sets, the nation itself was too busy in replicating and imitating culture and arts of France. Even the young nation, United States had the victory of seizing hegemony right after World War 2, which hurt the Great Britain’s pride. Not only the nation itself but also the people of Great Britain desperately wanted something “British-like,” something of their own. Furthermore, the social issues for wanting individualism, having a will to express their own selves, and second wave of feminism, more liberated life styles for women, erupted across the Western countries. New definitions of youth and femininity were epitomized through fashion typically created by Mary Quant, a British fashion designer. She had not only helped translating a generation of women, but also helped the failing British fashion industry into a thriving commercialism. Mary Quant was born in London, 1934. She studied illustration at Goldsmith College of Art and met her future husband, Alexander Plunket Greene and a former solicitor, Archie Mcnair. When she failed to become an art teacher, she teamed up with her husband and Mcnair to open up a boutique called Bazaar in Kings Road, London. In the beginning, she planned to buy clothes from the private wholesalers and sell it as retail items at her boutique, but with the limited designs, which...
Words: 1068 - Pages: 5
...Abstract There is no doubt that as the American society has advanced technologically, economically, and politically over the decades that the positive and negative effects have trickled down into family structures. As time has passed, parenting rolls have changed and these altered rolls have led to an advanced but weaker society. It has been documented in the history books that the 1960s was one decade full of turmoil and change. During those times the United States was a country that was suffering from social, racial, and gender intolerance that sparked events that would transform this nation and propel it into the future. Women in the 60s were paid salaries well below that of men in every occupation. As time and our civilization have progressed, minority groups and women have both been granted equal rights with the rest of the American citizens. Changes to the family structures have been changed in light of equal rights. Over the past forty years notable changes include changes in women and men roles, increases in divorce rates, and the effects the role reversals have had on the children. Over a century ago more than two-thirds of household consisted of an employed husband, while the wives stayed home with the children. (Mintz, 2012). We all are aware that has changed. Women with children are more likely to work a fulltime job as well as her husband. Studies show that in 2010 there were more American women employed than men. (Castelloe, 2011). In addition, slightly...
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...Many controversial issues came up rapidly. The rebellion and violence afflicted the youth of America. The effect was especially bad because of the time period in which they had developed. By the middle 1950s, most of the youth’s parents had jobs that paid well. And they were very satisfied with their lives. They educated their children with what were known as "middle class" ethics. These contained a knowledge in God, hard work, and service to their country. Eventually, much of the youth in America began to question these beliefs. They felt that their parents' values were not enough to help them with the social hardships of the 1960s. They rebelled by against their prior ways by letting their hair grow long, and wearing odd clothing. Their anger was strongly communicated through music. Rock-and-roll music had become very prominent in America in the 1960s. Many people did not approve of it because they thought it was too sexual and demeaning, and they found the words inappropriate and harmful. The beatles came out with a protest song called “Revolution”. A revolution defined is, a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system.” This song was mainly about revolting against the social order of our society. They wanted to “change the world” as they state in their song. This reflects the concerns of the society at the time because if the rebel and start a revolution, they can not let the government control everything they do. Therefore the fear of control...
Words: 606 - Pages: 3
...greed and getting into other nation’s business, instead of taking care of our own nation. I, as a voter, voted for the politicians who I trust that will honor to serve my nation, state, and city. They are like palm trees, first they grow straight when elected, then they start bending towards the other side, and their palms (hands) are always open, and last their nuts at when their on top. I know I am the oldest in my class, and during my days I was considered the Baby Boomers. People born in the 1950s and early 1960s are Baby Boomers, named because there were so many of us. As we started having children in the 1970s, this was a group who tore away from the traditions of the 50s and 60s, but later found out that they were the first generation to have less than their parents. The children of the Baby Boomers born primarily early 60s to late 70s are called Generation X. If you were born in the 80s you are Generation Y. In today’s society people born in the 1950s and 1960s are so different from those who were born in the 1980s who are the Generation Y, because of how they interact with others. During my days and till now it is more verbal, today’s its more non-verbal, however my generation still...
Words: 287 - Pages: 2
...A. What made the 50s a golden era for children and teenagers were because there was stale separation rate, a low number of women in the workforce, a high birth rate, increase family income, and the development of child-centered suburbs. Regardless, as the years continue ahead the splendid time of secured pre-adulthood and youngster of the 1950s created what Mintz calls the "youthqauke "of the 1960s. Divorces rates began to double and women started to reappear in the workforce, especially the individuals who were housewives in the 1950s. The worry about "prepared" childhood introduced a period of endeavors at more prominent institutional control, especially in school. The call for expanded testing and institutionalization of the school educational...
Words: 361 - Pages: 2
