Feel What Teens Felt In 1963. A Trip Through The Early 1960s. Music. School. Family

This is a clip from my six part prime time television series released in 1991 called Making Sense Of The Sixties. It looked at the social movements at that time and the experiences that some baby boomers had growing up. This is the first part of the series which looks at the early 1960s.

In the early 1960s the Baby Boomer generation was coming of age and many teenagers were starting to reject the values and traditions of their parents' generation.

The cultural revolution of the 1960s was just beginning and teenagers were at the forefront of many of change. This was the beginning of a time of great social upheaval with movements for civil rights, women's rights, and peace and anti-war protests gaining momentum.

Music played a significant role in shaping the experiences of teenagers in the early 1960s. The emergence of rock and roll and the British Invasion brought new sounds and attitudes to the forefront of popular culture.

Many teenagers felt a sense of excitement and possibility. At the same time there were feelings of confusion, alienation and anxiety as young people grappled with complex issues. You could say that this is true for every generation but my team and I, after much research, felt that the 1960s was unusual and not every generation was as ready for change and feeling powerful. Watch my video and see what you think.

At that time most colleges and universities operated under the doctrine of "in loco parentis," which meant that they acted in the place of parents and were responsible for the well-being of their students. This doctrine gave colleges and universities broad authority over student behavior including everything from curfews to dress codes to restrictions on dating and socializing.

For freshmen this meant that they were often subject to strict rules and regulations designed to promote discipline and order. Freshmen were required to live in on-campus dormitories and many schools had strict curfews and restrictions on socializing between male and female students. Students were expected to attend classes and follow a rigorous academic schedule, with little room for deviation or independent study.

The television show "Leave it to Beaver" was a popular sitcom that portrayed an idealized version of middle class family life in suburban America during the post-World War II era. While some families in the early 1960s may have resembled the Cleaver family the show was a fictional representation of family life and not reflective of the reality for many families.

In reality family life in the early hen was more complex. Additionally many families struggled with issues such as poverty, divorce, racial discrimination and family conflicts.

Remember that the nuclear family was still the dominant model and many families placed a strong emphasis on traditional values such as hard work, respect for authority and conformity to social norms. There was also a growing emphasis on consumerism and materialism, with families focused on acquiring the latest consumer goods and achieving the "American Dream" of upward mobility.

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David Hoffman filmmaker