The Countercultures: Once Pooh-poohed, Now Revered

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Throughout American history, the countercultures have greatly influenced the societies of their respective eras. The Quakers, the Harlem Renaissance participants, and the Hippies have had an immense impact on American culture. This impact is especially apparent in the political actions and art一audio and visual一of the countercultures’ respective times.
The Quakers first arrived in North America after facing constant persecution under England’s monarchical government. Led by William Penn, Jr., the Quakers landed in the not-yet-founded colony of Pennsylvania. During the early stages of their settlement, the Quakers and Native Americans had a mutual relationship; this一at the time一was unheard of between European settlers and Native Americans. It was not until after regular, Episcopalian Englishmen began to migrate to Pennsylvania that Native American and Pennsylvanian ties were broken. Although that progressive step forward of the counterculture, Quakerism, was neutralized, remnants of their beliefs were kept and ingrained into the United States of America’s own set of core values. This is especially evident in the United States’s first governmental document, The United States Declaration of Independence. Found in the Preamble, the line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (US 1776) is strong proof of Quaker impact. Before the Quakers, this was a foreign idea. Quakers did not only believe in the equality of men though; they also played a great role in the fight for gender equality一specifically一helping to push the Seneca Falls Convention. Society of Friends members truly did show that actions speak louder than words in that they modeled very progressive “relationships where men and women worked and ...

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Works Cited
"The African-American Migration Story." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
B, Zachary. "The Miller Test and the Value of Obscene Speech." Yale Law Technology RSS. Yale Law Technology RSS, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 May 2014.
GoDaddy.com. “Best Go Daddy Sexy Commercials.” Dir. GoDaddy.com. Perf. Danica Patrick. YouTube.com. YouTube.com, 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 26 May 2014. .
Bio.com. "Harlem Renaissance." BIO. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
Hughes, Langston. "When The Negro Was in Vogue." The Big Sea: An Autobiography. New York City: Hill & Wang, 1940. N. pag. Print.
StudyMode.com. “The Impact of the Hippie Movement.” StudyMode.com, Aug. 2012. Web. 26 May 2014.
United States. National Park Service. "Quaker Influence." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 May 2014.

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