1. Culture & Counterculture
In the 1960s

2. Early 60s Culture
Early 60s culture, such as fashion and film, still looked very 50s.
Traditional values emphasized; stereotypes around gender and race still seemed to prevail in many cases
Early 60s music was the exception
subtle evolution in R&B away from blues and toward Motown and Soul (fuller sounds, more instrumentation, more melody and baseline variation)
By 1963 and 1964, both the “hippie” and “mod” styles began to become more apparent
Mods (or modernists)
Bright colors, clean lines (even geometric-looking), very stylized, miniskirts

3. Television in the 1960s Television begins to mature in the 1960s
Kennedy assassination (unifying national moment)
A great deal of live programming emerged
Americans were now having a mutual experience of their collective culture AND history – in real time!
T.V. was the platform on which Americans got to know one another and themselves, not only making it easier to spread awareness of important issues, but also making possible to develop a collective identity and national unity
By 1963, Americans were watching an average of 4-5 hours of T.V. per day
Advertisers increased their grip on programming, and product placement on television proliferated

4. The Counterculture of the 1960’s
Counterculture was a movement made up of mostly white, middle-class, high school and college-aged young people who were disillusioned with the war and injustices of society
Like the Beatniks before them, they rejected the materialism and consumerism that had flowered during the 1950s; they sought creativity, originality and spirituality that they believed was missing from modern society
They turned their backs on traditional, mainstream America and attempted to create a society based on peace and love
Members of the counterculture known as “Hippies”
Youth were suddenly in the spotlight; America was watching everything they did; their activities, music, fashion, philosophy and culture were for the first time, more important and more relevant than that of their parents
The “Teenager” comes of age!

5. Hippie Culture Rock ’n’ Roll Music Sexual Revolution (Free Love)
Marijuana and LSD ( Illegal Drugs)
Eastern Religions (Zen Buddhism, Hare Krishna)
Ragged Jeans, Tie-dye shirts, military garments, love beads, Native American jewelry and clothing styles
Long hair and beards
Many joined communes, renouncing private property
Haight-Asbury District of San Francisco a major center for hippie culture and lifestyle
Casualness and permissiveness: “Do your own thing”

6. Materialism, technology, and war were hollow
Harvard Psychology and counterculture philosopher Dr. Timothy Leary urged the youth to “Tune in, Turn On, Drop Out!”
Many left home, work, and school to create an ideal community of peace love and harmony

7. As urban communes become less cooperative, more dangerous and thus, less popular, the commune movement increasingly moves to rural areas
The shocking case of the Manson Family tragically creates a negative social bias towards communes and hippie lifestyles
Many of these communes would not last beyond the mid 70s

8. Music of the 1960’s
Coffeehouse Culture of the Beatniks gave rise to 60s folk music
Beat poets gave way to wholly original singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell
Roots Reggae comes to America; becomes very popular among counterculture youth
Folk music acquires a focus on political and social commentary during the 60s
British Invasion: music that grew out of African-American rhythm and blues of the 1950’s – the new Rock n’ Roll
The Beatles, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, The Who
These groups brought back the blues to mainstream America; it had survived in the black community, but in mainstream America, it had faded with the advent of Motown and Soul. The new Rock n’ Roll inspired a whole new generation of American musicians and groups:
The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead
The era of “The Album”

9. The Conservative Response
The counterculture’s impact on mainstream America included a more casual approach to social and sexual behavior, a greater demand for equality in terms of gender and race
A conservative backlash ensued, culminating in Nixon’s election
Nixon, Agnew and J. Edgar Hoover publicly expressed anger and concern over the counterculture and the threat to traditional values
Many conservatives saw the values of the counterculture as decadent, self-indulgent, un-American, immature and irresponsible
Conservatives presented their own solutions to crime and lawlessness (beginning of the “tough on crime” stance – response to protest action)