Essay On Counterculture

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Many events and cultural shifts have impacted today's United States. Counterculture began due to how much free time there was after World War I. People were exposed to new ideas and challenged the traditional values in society. Women fought to change their social status in society. One of the rights they fought to change was the right to vote. The Flappers were one of the major traditions or the start of counterculture because it tempted lifestyle change in a bad way. Smoking, drinking and sex became more popular but was heavily looked upon. Counterculture was also plagued by those who fought for their race, gender, peace and religion. Even though counterculture caused many troublesome events from gender equality to civil rights, it helped …show more content…
Martin Luther King JR, a baptist minister, helped establish the Southern Leadership Conference where they wanted to give all African Americans a voice but wanted to it in a non-violent manner. In 1960, they began the “sit-in”, where a group of African Americans would sit at a white only table and refused to move when asked. Resulting in the African Americans being beaten physically and verbally. The sit-ins that happened was a success because it ended segregation in 27 cities. Martin Luther King JR, who had one of the most famous speeches, was known as “I Have a Dream”, calling for peace and equality between races. His speech took place during March on Washington where 200,000 to 300,000 African Americans participated and wanted a peaceful rally to confront the inequality occurring between Colored and Whites. This event convinced the Congress and Lyndon B. Johnson to pass the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed all African Americans the right to vote. In the following years to come, Martin Luther King was shot in the head in the balcony of his hotel in Memphis. Martin Luther King JR. only wanted to change the society for the better. He became a leader for his infamous speeches and his idea of violence will only make a situation worse. He was one of the major reasons why segregation ended and we can live together as a
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