Baby Boomer

Thesis Introduction

There are presumably two major reasons behind the baby boom in UK and the US. Firstly, one may point out that the period between 1942 and 1944 was characterized by the closing stages of unemployment. Secondly, one may also identify the sudden return of large numbers of demobilized soldiers from the Second World War as a factor for baby boom. Ideally, the said soldiers were quite optimistic about the future successes for their children considering the fact that there was an airwave of peace and good environment for upbringing kids.
Historians and social scientists argue that prior to the Baby Boom, bringing up children would have been a thorny issue due to the Great Depression and World War II that lasted during the period of 20 more or less years. For the above reasons, the Baby Boom thus reflected the sudden elimination of social and economic pressures that held back individuals from reproducing. Following the end of the World War II, couples started concentrating on bearing and rearing children. Marriage also gained its past significance as a cultural and career custom for most women.
It is important to mention that female fertility was one of the key biological factors that resulted into immense baby boom sensation. In an ideal biological argument, Owram says that “scientists teach us that women are normaly fertile only into their mid-forties thus in relation to this period, a woman married in her late twenties after the Second World War that ended in 1945 would continue being fertile for 20 more years or so”. However, birth control pill introduction in 1960 in the U.S. was a remarkable contribution for a slower birth rate.
Historical Events that Shaped the Baby Boomer Generation
This was basically the decade that best defined the boomers; this time was characterized by accelerating change. in his work A Generation of Seekers: the Spiritual Journeys of the Baby Boom Generation argues that Boomers born during the period 1945-1951 were young teenagers whereas those born from 1952 to 1957 were in their formative years during the 1960’s period.
It is important to mention that the Sixties generation was tumultuous considering the fact that during this time, there were numerous civil rights marches that fuelled unrests. Additionally, this period was characterized by free love, drug experimentation, rock music, long hair, and dishevelled clothes as well as winds of war in Indochina, something that saw the rise of Dr. Spock as a celebrity antiwar protester (Davidson, Heyrman, et al, 2010). Below, there are some of other notable developments that took place during this decade:
i. Impulsive passion for action movies; some of them included Rebel Without a Cause by James Dean and famous musicals like Sound of Music, South Pacific, and My Fair Lady by Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.
ii. Adverse explosion of the music industry; this was basically characterized by the return of Elvis Presley from the Army where he introduced Rock 'N' Roll to the Boomer Generation. Additionally, crooners like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Rosemary Clooney were on the top positions n the record charts while the Beatles got introduced into the British scene by the Ed Sullivan Show.
iii. Sport; great personalities that emerged included Hank Aaron in baseball, Arnold Palmer in golf as well as Sugar Ray Robinson in boxing
iv. The start of the legendary Motown empire; this brought into the limelight such legendaries like Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and Aretha Franklin among others. At the same time, the Beach Boys began their surfer hits; the Boomer Generation danced on American Bandstand such dance crazes as the Twist with Chubby Checker and the Watusi.
v. The beginning of the Women's Liberation Movement during the course of the Vietnam War.
vi. Fashion fads at the time were bell-bottom blue jeans and poodle skirts.
vii. The most popular Baby Boomer men hairdos were either crew cuts or Beatle cuts; women prefered bouffant hairdos.
viii. Barbie dolls and hoola hoops were the enthusiast gadgets for kids.
Notable Contributions during the Baby Boomer Period
Orwam in his book “Born at the Right Time: a History of the Baby-Boom Generation” (1996) says that there were several notable contributions by key people. Such happenings have forever been engrossed in the national archives of the states that they represented. Firstly, 1950 is the year when Harry Truman permitted theh production of the hydrogen bomb and sent troops to Korea.
Secondly, 1954 is the famous year when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in Alabama in 1955, something that highlighted the Civil Rights movement. Additionally, the first US satellite orbited the Earth in 1969 with Neil Armstrong as the key icon behind the success. Meanwhile, in 1963, John Glenn gained the reputation of the first American to orbit the Earth.
Significant Social, Political, and Cultural Changes Accomplished during 1960s and 1970s
Among the major achievements of this period was the attainment of social dreams. Ideally, most boomer activists pushed for new federal legislation to fulfill the old social dreams of the Bill of Rights and FDR. One notable federal response was Affirmative Action that saw and encouraged the increase of women and minority groups’ representation in higher education admittance and job hiring practices. Civil right activists believed that this was the move that helped equalize access to the American Dream.
Secondly, there was political sea change where adults falling in the age bracket of twenties and thirties realized their political rights and decided to support conservative President Ronald Reagan. During this period, cases not in favor of segregation in schools or housing that had been previously prepared by the Justice Department virtually disappeared. However, the worst recession was also witnessed towards the end of this period due to the high expectations and slow economical growth.

The article was written by professional writer Lola Nickson, more her papers you can find at https://papers-land.com/ writing service.