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McCarthyism was gaining popularity and the second red scare was sweeping the nation, along with the new threatening domino theory. Anyone could be deemed a communist, even elected officials, or your neighbors. The government was dictating what was considered to be American vs. communist behavior. The Beat Generation was made up of writers (mostly), producers, and artists who explored who they were and didn’t follow the status quo. They were also known as beatniks, and non-conformists. They expressed different sexualities, got into public drinking and drug use, and above all, they expressed themselves for who they were without a care if the government said they were communists; they were non-conformists! They were significant because they taught people that just because they were different, didn’t mean that that made them communists.

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Three Quick Facts About the Beat Generation

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Three Quick Facts About the Beat Generation

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1. The BEATles and Bob Dylan often claim to have been influenced by the Beat Generation, hence the way the Beatles spell their name

2. Most authors writing during this period didn’t bother to edit what they wrote, they just published the original draft

3. When Jack Kerouac wrote “On the Road”, he wrote it on one long 21-foot continuous “scroll” of paper.

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1948- the beginning of the Beat Generation
1956- “Howl” by Ginsberg was published
1957- “On the Road” is published and is known as the “bible of the beatniks”
1960- “Naked Lunch” by Burroughs is banned for obscenity laws
1960- the end of the Beat Generation

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The Beat Generation hit hard in New York City first, but San Francisco became the heart of it later on. It also reached Los Angeles and Chicago.

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Beat Generation - Jack Kerouac - On the Road

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-The start of this movement was in 1948
-In 1948, Jack Kerouac (founder) coined the term Beat Generation
-In 1955, at the San Francisco Renaissance, Ginsberg’s “Howl” was read aloud to the public for the first time
-In 1957, Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” was published, and became the “Bible” of the Beatniks and the Beat Generation.
-In 1960, the famous novel “Naked Lunch” by Burroughs was banned for being too obscene
-The end of the movement was about 1960 as well, but there were many lasting impacts that we still see today

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A majority of the people associated with this group are some of the greatest American authors. All of the following are authors and the founders of the Beat Generation group.

-Jack Kerouac- founder/author of 1957 “On the Road” which was later deemed the “Bible” of the Beatniks
-Allen Ginsberg- founder/author of 1956 “Howl”
-William S. Burroughs- founder/author of the later banned book “Naked Lunch”. It was banned in 1960
-Gregory Corso, Gary Snyder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Neal Cassady, Lucien Carr, Philip Whalen, and Amiri Baraka were also active members of the Beat Generation, and were all great authors who published their works mostly in the ‘50’s.

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During the Cold War, communism put America in a panic with the second red scare and the ever dangerous domino theory, especially since china fell in 1949. McCarthyism was sweeping the nation, and now even your neighbor could be deemed a communist. A group of people including founders Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs were tired of living the new “normal” which was now pretty much regulated by the government, so they made the decision to write and express who they were without a care what the government said. They were called the Beatniks, and later were labeled the Beat Generation or beat movement. During the Cold War, they helped people realize that differences in opinion or personality didn’t mean that they were communists, that’s just who they were.

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This era of change was founded by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs in 1948. They were brilliant American authors who were tired of living under oppression of personality, and decided to make a change. People who adopted this new lifestyle of free expression became known as beatniks, not to be confused with hippies, while some hippies claim that they were influenced by the beatniks. This movement gained popularity when Jack Kerouac’s novel “On the Road” was published in 1957. It became idolized by many beatniks, and was later known as the Bible for the beat movement. This trend was ongoing strong through the ‘50’s but shortly burned out later by 1960. Though the trend seemed to have ended, many of the lasting effects are still seen today, such as different genres of music, free speaking on religion, and being somewhat open with sexuality.