Societies idea still stereotypes the decade “as a decade of sex, drugs, and rock and roll…” and of “civil rights and protests against Vietnam” but also the culture “in music and the use of illicit drugs” (The 60s 1); the public during the decade had abstract ways to express themselves and at the same time question authority, America’s counter-culture. Mid-century, values were different then the era of the 60s, “many young people starting doubting such values. They protested against society and the mainstream…” with different ways. They went against the norm, this “social change also reflected in the music of the decade… singers composed lyrics that showed what was wrong in society” (S.E.T 1) which was mainly the strong distrust of authority and the Vietnam war, which were two prominent conflicts in society at the time. The youth began to call “themselves hippie… they took drugs and believed in sexual freedom” (S.E.T 1) to protest the nation's’ culture at the time and create a new one. They wanted to go against the norm and defy society and politics. Woodstock was a way to express their new ideals by which “300,000 youths from all over America gathered with a sense of love and peace…” something that was not very easy to find in 1969, when the Vietnam war was raging. Moreover, “thousands in the audience [were] stoned on marijuana, …show more content…
The sixties is still said to be “truly an age of reform and revolution…” because “mainstream politicians campaigned to eliminate poverty, expand government services, and increase educational opportunities” (Society in the 1960 2) whether or not the politicians wanted these, they were prominent and popular ideas at the time that were supported by Kennedy and Johnson and the majority of America. Because of the effect of counter-culture and hippies, it seemed to be “mainstream” to be a good politician and support the ideas of the new generation that America bred. The young America created an urgency to change something when “students across America rose up to demand reform on campuses from Berkeley to New York demanded desegregation, unrestricted free speech, and withdrawal from the war in Vietnam” (1960s 1) giving the people an idea of change and with “periodic success, the students believed they were creating a new America” (1960s 1) because of their calls to action and their fearless ways of protest, violent or peaceful, the generation got the job done under the influence of presidents’ Johnson and Kennedy, who supported their desire to change