The 1960s is a decade often associated with student movements and the counterculture—young people trying to end the war and change society, while pressing the boundaries of accepted social behavior. But as we emphasize here, the impetus for change came from many directions and all generations. 

The belief that change was necessary and possible may have been advanced most aggressively and colorfully by young people, but politicians, community activists, clergymen, and teachers of all ages joined in trying end poverty, expand opportunity, and build a “great society.”