How did the counterculture and growing rights revolution of the 1960s and 1970s influence American society? The counterculture gained relevance and shaped the minds of young people on various topics. Women began to fight against social norms. Other minority groups such as Latinos, Asian Americans, and Indians began to advocate for their rights. Americans began to notice and protest our destruction of the environment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay The countercultural movement aimed to go against the norms set by the dominant culture. The main things the counterculture objected to were traditions of dress, music, and personal behavior. Baby boomers who held countercultural ideals can be considered hippies. Hippies are synonymous with peace, love and freedom. Musicians had an effect on the political views of baby boomers. Artists such as Bob Dylan wrote songs about civil rights and peace. As a whole, the counterculture has convinced young Americans to stand up for what they believe in. "As radical musician John Sinclair put it, rock became "a weapon of cultural revolution," inspiring listeners to reject conventions and, in many cases, government political policies." (Section 1, page 683) After World War II, women were content to let men return to their jobs and let women return home. But after the counterculture and civil rights movements began to gain popularity, the. Women also began striving to be equal to their male counterparts. “The civil rights movement both inspired women to demand gender equality and taught them the means to achieve it” (. Section 2, page 687) Women also wanted jobs in fields typically dominated by men Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, helped found the National Organization for Women, also known as. from NOW. NOW had two goals in mind. The first being to pass the Equal Rights Amendment which would guarantee gender equality across the country. The second was to protect women's reproductive rights. To grant them the right to abortion. So that women don't have to take illegal and dangerous routes to get rid of a pregnancy they didn't want. Feminism faced stiff opposition from conservatives and even other women like Phyllis Schlafly. The ball got rolling when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and Roe v. Wade. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave feminists a legal tool to use to ensure that they would not be discriminated against solely because of their gender. Roe v. Wade assured women the right to legal abortion. After seeing African Americans and women have their rights expanded, other ethnic minorities wanted in on the action as well. Latinos were harshly discriminated against, especially after World War II. Latinos were typically migrant farm workers where they had to endure deplorable conditions, with no benefits. Cesar Chavez was a very active activist who fought for agricultural workers and for better conditions for Latinos. He formed a union and then merged it into what became the United Farm Workers, or UFW. After a few strikes 699).