Social change (USA)

• The birth of rock n roll gave teenagers their own music to listen to and the more their parents disliked it the more they wanted it. The main star was o emerge was Elvis Presley who influenced the youth in their appearance and attitude to authority.
• In the 1960s the British groups such as the Beatles took the US by storm. Hard rock and protest songs, by artists like Bob Dylan, became common. The Beach Boys were a huge American band that sung about the youth of California. Many parents blamed music for the rebellious American society.
• Music underwent huge changes between 1970-2000 and was still hugely influential. the 70s saw the rise of disco with groups like the Bee Gees. Heavy metal also became popular with bands like Led Zeppelin. other artists spoke about working class issues and everyday life like the Springsteen. the 1980/90s saw the birth of hip hop and rap speaking about inner cities who were struggling.
• There were two main features of literature: the search for the great American novel and counter-culture literacy.
• There was a quest to write a novel which defined the meaning of being American linking to the history and diversity of the nation leading to major works like ’To kill a mockingbird‘ by harper lee and ‘The Catcher in the Rye, by Salinger.
• Counter culture challenged the traditional conservative American views. The beat generation were a group of novelists and poets who rebelled against traditional views.
• Issues of hard drugs and sexual content shocked many American audiences but appealed to A changed youth generation. The Feminist Mystique also challenged the traditional role of women. issues of race, segregation and inequality were also tackled.
• Youth culture was possibly the greatest change to emerge
• In the 1950s there was an entrance of teenage rebellion. for the first time teenagers escaped from the shadows of their parents and against what they believed in. They formed gangs, cruised in cars, drank and attacked property.
• affects of youth culture include young people now had far more money due to rising affluence, they grew up in the fear of nuclear war so they “enjoyed today” and films such as “rebel without a cause” glorified this emerging class.
• I’m the 1960s the American youth continued to develop as hair had grown longer, jeans and t-shirts replaced jackets and ties And the use of drugs increase.
• Many youths decided to drop out and become hippies. This meant they grew their long hair and developed an alternative lifestyle. they often travelled, wore flowers and promoted “peace not war” which became a concern to the older generation for often refusing to work as well as the use of drugs.
• before WW2 most women had traditional roles and mothers and wives however WW2 had mixed results for women suave as the contribution to war effort especially in munitions however the majority of women willing to give up their roles and return to traditional roles after war.
• In the 1950s, especially middle class women, began to challenge traditional roles as they became frustrated with the life of a housewife due to labour saving devices.
• The pill gave women more freedom and they were now far better educated than before by 1960, 1.3 million were at university.
• The 1960s were a key decade for women’s rights due to The Feminine Mystique which was book that encouraged women to challenge traditional roles and NOW which was set up by middle class women to attack discrimination by 1970 it had 40,000 members.
• By 1980 there were over 100 feminist groups across America
• Eleanor Roosevelt highlighted inequality for women. A report showed that only 7% of women were doctors and 4% lawyers. Women also earned 50% of that of a man.
• The Women‘s Liberation Movement were known as feminists and were much more active in fighting discrimination. Initially they wanted all signs of male supremacy removed.
• In the 1960s the students became heavily involved in the CRM and the opposition of Vietnam.
• in universities many students wanted a greater say in their education and protested to become more involved.
• The first main student group was the SDS. it was set up to give them greater say in how universities are run. this group led protests about Vietnam and had 100,000 members by the end of the 1960s.
• Many students were called upon to fight in Vietnam through the draft process. As the casualties grew, so did the opposition. people did not like the use of chemical weapons and protecting a corrupt regime.
• The anti-war protests reached their peak during 1968-70. in 1969 700,000 people marched on Washington. Some burnt the draft cards and the US flag. Most famous event was Kent state 4 people were killed and 11 injured by the police when students refused to move from a protest they held.
• Drive-in cinemas first opened in the 1930s but became popular in the 1950s and early 1960s and 4,000 drive-ins were spread across America. teenagers with access to cars doing drive-in‘s ideal for dates and gained a reputation as immoral and were nicknamed “passion pits“ by the media
• Stanley H. Durwood opened the first mall multiplex in 1963. it was made up of two side-by-sid theatres with 700 seats and was in Kansas City.
• After the Second World War young people wanted new and exciting symbols of rebellion. The late 1940s and 1950s saw the rise of the anti-hero, a main character who has a lack of traditional heroic qualities such as idealism or courage examples include James Dean and Marilyn Monroe
• The 1970s saw the appearance of the blockbuster film with Jaws (1975) directed by Steven Spielberg. it became the highest grossing film in history until Star Wars two years later.
• Hollywood continued to search in the 1980s for the one large “event film” that everyone wanted to see. these films had dazzling special effects technology, sophisticated soundtracks and highly-paid stars.
• In the 1990s, cinema attendance was up- mostly at multiplexes throughout the country. it was the decade of the mega-paid movie stars such as Arnold Schwarznegger, Tom cruise and Eddie Murphy.
• The VCR was still popular in most households and rentals and purchase of films on video tape were big business.
• By 1997, DVDs had emerged in stores. Films such as Jurassic Park (1993) used ever more advanced digital imagery and special effects.
• During the 1940s there were relatively few television sets in American homes. However, the number increased from 7,000 in 1946 to 50 million by 1960. The average family watched 6 hours a day. Subscription television became popular in the early 1980s
• Americans especially liked game shows and funny shows. they also liked shows that offered a mix of entertainment and the “western” became one of the most popular styles of programme including “The lone ranger“ giving idealised image of American west
• American soap operas became, and still are, very popula. long-running daytime dramas included Love of Life (1951-80) and Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000)
• Daytime chat shows like the Jerry Springer Show (1991-present) have pulled in many viewers. the most successful being the Oprah Winfrey Show which is the longest running daytime television show in the USA running since 1986