Counterculture Movement Essay

The Rise of Counterculture and its Effects in the United States

The counterculture movement began in the 1960’s and ended in the early 1970’s. It was largely perpetuated by American youth, and occurred due to the large amount of conformity that American society encouraged in response to the Second Red Scare, as well as in protest against the war in Vietnam. There were many aspects, both in and out of the United States, that motivated this movement, such as the newfound ability for people to express themselves through emergence of the rock n’ roll genre, as well as the news of political scandals relating to Vietnam, that led to a growing distrust of the American government. One element that encouraged the counterculture movement was music,

The members of the public were vehemently against America’s decision to involve themselves in the Vietnam War in 1965 after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, where two US navy ships had been attacked by Vietnamese forces the previous year. Instead, “American voters supported peace in Vietnam and social reform at home” (We Are Living In a State of Anarchy, 2). Despite the government's insistence on containment, stopping the spread of communism was no longer viewed as a reasonable justification for war, and had instead developed into an unending means of sending numerous young men to their deaths. Both throughout the war and in its aftermath, this discontent evolved into outright distrust, notably due to the media. Although it was attempted to be concealed, the public soon learned of president Richard Nixon’s intention to bring the conflict in Vietnam to Cambodia in an effort to attack North Vietnamese who resided there. This exacerbated the public’s frustrations, as it went against Nixon's previous decision to recall the American troops from Vietnam, and only served to fuel the growing doubt in their government, causing a rise in anti-war protests, particularly among college students. This is evident through what occured during the protest at Kent State University in 1970, in which four students were killed after the National Guard was