Essay --

In my opinion, the most influential time period in American history since 1945 would have to be the 1960s. So much was going on in America during this time period. Such as the civil rights movement, the counterculture, the war and so much more. I am going to focus on the counterculture because I think that out of all of the commotion that was going on in the 1960s, the counterculture has the most lasting affects and the most came out of it that we still have in our society today. They shaped music, politics, and the culture of America. They had fresh ideas that most were scared to act on or did not believe in. They had open minds and wanted everyone else to try to as well. â€Å"Your mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work unless it's open.† -Jordan Maxwell †¨ The counterculture was so important to America because it changed norms of the early 1900s to the norms of today. The definition of the Counterculture is as follows. â€Å"The counterculture of the 1960s refers to an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed first in the United States and United Kingdom and spread throughout much of the Western world between the early 1960s and the early 1970s. The movement gained momentum as the African-American Civil Rights Movement continued to grow, and became revolutionary with the expansion of the US government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam.† (Previous Quote taken from an online source) During the counterculture movement, people’s lifestyles started to change. People started dressing differently and acting differently. People’s clothes transformed. They changed from vary tailored styles into looser fitting and much more revealing especially for women in public. Men started growin g their hair out and... ...id, â€Å"The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn't the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.† –John Lennon that is a perfect example of how people felt and why they wanted to change so much. As you can see, the 1960s was a turning point for America. Not only did we break free of social norms in society but also the generation fought for what they thought was right. Yes maybe they were looked at a little bit strangely but in the end the ended up changing America and molding it into the place that we all call home today. "If someone thinks that love and peace is a clichà © that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal.† –John Lennon That is why, I believe the 1960s were the most influential years of American history since 1945.