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1960s Counterculture Research Paper

1400 Words6 Pages

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has” hippie, Margaret Meade said. During the 1950s, many people started to rebel against conformity and the actions and mentality of the societal norms, called the beatniks. The beatniks later evolved to the hippie counterculture through the promotion of neon colored clothing, long hair, and participation in political customs and the new genre of music, rock ‘n’ roll. These brilliant people became known as the counterculture in the 1960s completing the transformation. Woodstock, the greatest music festival to ever take place, constitutes the pinnacle of the 1960s counterculture revolution, through anti-war, anti-establishment, …show more content…

Anti-establishment is the opposition to conventional standards which, is essentially what the counterculture stood for. Paranoia and fear of the government began to stem from youths after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. The conspiracies about his death caused an epidemic of distrust in the government. The focus of the counterculture anti-establishment movement went hand-in-hand with the anti-war movement. The extreme amount of young men being drafted against their will caused an escalation in youths being wary in trusting the soundness of government decisions, and whether they were making the correct decisions for the good of the American people. For hippies in the 1960s, it was really easy for them to see everyone as equal, including the blacks. This caused more frustration with the government, because while the law did nothing to help the African Americans during the during the Civil Rights Movement it hurt them instead. This sparking many hippies to join the protest against discrimination by the government and other white citizens of the United States. That weekend in August gave a naturally soothing place for the people of the counterculture to relax with good music and good people. The music at the concert was not just a form of entertainment to many attendees, but also a solid place to search themselves and find their inner

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