How has the counterculture and rights expansion of the 1960s/70s affected American society today? The counterculture became more relevant and affected the attitudes of young people on a variety of topics. Women began to challenge social norms. Latinos as well as Asian Americans, Indians, and other minorities began to stand up for themselves. Americans began to protest against our environmental destruction.
Counterculture was all about challenging the mainstream culture. The counterculture movement was against dress codes, music, personal behavior, and other cultural norms. Hippies include Baby Boomers with counterculture values. Hippies value peace, love, freedom, and love. Baby Boomers were influenced in their political beliefs by musicians. Bob Dylan is one artist who wrote about civil rights, peace and the environment. The counterculture encouraged young Americans to fight for their beliefs.
After World War II most women were content with letting men return to work and staying home. Women began to demand equality with men after the civil rights and counterculture movements became popular. The civil rights movement taught women the ways they could achieve gender equality. Betty Friedan was the author of The Feminine Mystique and helped found NOW, or National Organization for Women. NOW was aiming for two things. First was the Equal Rights Amendment to ensure equality of gender across the nation. Second, was the protection of reproductive rights. They should be allowed to abort. So women would not have to go down dangerous and illegal paths to eliminate a unwanted pregnancy. Conservatives, and even women like Phyllis Schlafly, were vocally against feminism. Roe V. Wade’s ruling and the Civil Rights Act of 1984 set in motion a chain reaction. The Civil Rights Act of 1984 gave feminists the legal tools to protect themselves from discrimination based on their gender. Roe-v. Wade secured women’s rights to legal abortions.
Other ethnic minorities were inspired by the expansion of rights for African Americans and Women. Latinos experienced severe discrimination after World War II. Latinos are usually farmworkers who work in deplorable working conditions without any benefits. Cesar Chavez fought vocally for farm workers, and for better working conditions for Latinos. He first formed a labor union before merging it with the United Farm Workers. California passed laws after the worker’s strikes and boycotts of grapes. Latinos finally got representation. In 1980, there were six Hispanics in Congress representing New York and California. Indians wanted to have the power to manage their own resources within tribes, and also to decide how education would be handled. Indian Self-Determination Act of 1974 fulfilled Indians’ wishes.
Americans became more concerned about environmental issues. They began to protest against the environmental damage caused by industrial companies. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was the book that started the modern movement for environmental protection. Earth Day demonstrations started popping up all over the country. Earth Day 1970s protests reportedly involved 20 million Americans. Nixon believed in protecting the earth, but didn’t make this a big part of his presidential campaign. He was trying to be neutral. After he became president, he realized the need to act. The Environmental Protection Agency was created by Congress in 1970. There was a goal to protect the world. Nixon signed a number of acts to protect the environment. The Clean Air Act regulated the emissions of factories and automobiles. Clean Water Act does exactly what its name suggests. The Clean Water Act aims to reduce the amount of pollution in water. The Endangered Wildlife Act aimed to protect America’s dying species.