Counter+Culture-JH

The 1960's was one of the most eventful decades in the history of America. It gave birth to a youth movement that challenged the American political and social system and conventional middle-class values. The start of the 1960's dates back to the 1950's after World War II. The youth movement started from the baby boomer generation, the rise in population of kids after WWII, where more than half of the generation was 30 years old or younger.

These young people were concerned about the many injustices they saw, which was a small wealthy elite controlled politics and the wealth was unfairly divided. The young generation created a group called the New Left which differed from the Old Left of the 1930's. Their views were defined in a declaration written by Tom Hayden which is known as the Port Huron Statement.

While many of the people tried to reform the government, alot rejected it. They created a new lifestyle wearing colorful clothing (like the people on the right), listened to rock music, and did drugs. They were the ones that created counter culture or better known as the 'hippie era'. In the beginning the hippies rejecte rationality, order, and traditional middle-class values. They wanted to form a utopia, which was very free, closer to nature, and full of love. They lived together in communes and dropped out of society. The counter culture movement impacted fashion and music.