60's

One concept of the generation gap is that parents and offspring have different values and beliefs. As a result, many parents fear that they will lose influence with children when peer opinions become highly valued. In the 1960's the generation gap developed from three situations. These situations are Free Speech, Civil Rights, and the Vietnam War. Older generations had a different vision than the younger generation. This caused a lot of conflict.

In the forties, and fifties speaking out against your president, or government was considered unpatriotic. In the sixties the younger generation didn't agree on a lot of issues that the government and the country were dealing with. These people didn't like that their friends were getting sent to a war. They also felt the United States did wrong by getting involved in war that didn't involve them. One major incident that started Free Speech was the protesting at Berkeley College. In 1964 students at Berkley were trying to express their feelings toward politics. The students were shocked and hurt at the same time. With outrage the students began to protest their free speech rights. Many students were physically abused by the police. Some were beating or arrested. One important leader of the group was Mario Savio. These protests influenced students all over the country to speak out against their schools for their rights. They demanded their schools to help them with their needs in which they thought were unfair. One school even took over the administration building. This situation caused a generation gap because people of the older days felt if you speak out against your government it is like your disrespecting them. The older generations just listened back then. They didn't question anything; they just put their faith and trust in their government. They didn't see any wrong. However students who were involved in their government, and didn't like what was going on opposed to it. They spoke out for their rights. Although they didn't do it in a peaceful manner they still got their point across, and got what they wanted.

Another situation that caused a generation gap was Civil Rights. Our country to the older generation grew up with segregation. They grew up with separate water fountains, bathrooms, and schools. They knew that blacks sat on the back of the bus. To them that was the right thing. They didn't question that blacks were human beings. Or even if they did question it, it never left their mind. Everything is like a circle. By these people questioning or even slightly thinking that this was wrong, they never said anything. This was because they didn't want to disrespect their country. This goes back to free speech. The younger generation fought for these rights. They knew treating blacks harsh was wrong, and they opposed it. Martin Luther King JR and President Lyndon B. Johnson played an extreme role in Civil Rights. With Martin Luther King's belief that we can change things in a nonviolent way, the government put their faith in him. President Johnson was the first president to pass Civil Right Acts. He felt a responsibility to the death of John F. Kennedy. In 1964 the Civil Right gave federal government the right to end segregation in the South it prohibited segregation in public places. A public place was anywhere that received any form of federal (tax) funding (most places). This stopped lawyers homing in on the private places issue. This act tried to cover every aspect that some lawyer might use to avoid implementing this act.An Equal Employment Commission was created federal funding would not be given to segregated schools (note that these had been banned in 1954, ten years previous!) any company that wanted federal business (the biggest spender of money in American business) had to have a pro-civil rights charter. Any segregationist company that applied for a federal contact would not get it. This caused a generation gap because the younger generation pushed the Civil Rights movement. They helped with sit-ins, and freedom rides. The older generation disagreed. It wasn't their fault one hundred percent because it was what they were born into. Except for one point they weren't open-minded. They just did what they were told, and didn't question anything.

The Vietnam War was the biggest cause of the generation gap. In a way you could understand why this was. In WWII people