1970s US Culture and Society

• Man landing on the moon made anything seem possible.
• The 1970s were an era of immense cultural progress.
• Segregation ended, the women's liberation movement succeeded, and the voting age was lowered to 18.
• The first color TVs and communication technology allowed Americans to witness world events in real-time
• Art of the period became characterized by a sense of realism absent in prior decades.
• Many strides were made by sacrifices from average Americans who wanted a better life for themselves and their children.

Changes in Society

• Jim Crow was eradicated, and black America achieved freedom.
• Black leaders like Malcom X and Martin Luther King set precedence for racial equality.
• Women joined the workforce in larger numbers.
• The Vietnam War took a toll on the political landscape and the minds of millions of Americans.
• The Vietnam War devolved into the most unpopular war the United States had ever taken part in.
• Video cameras captured the horrors of war from the front lines, broadcasting it to the entire nation.
• Popular opinion shifted to an anti-war stance.
• 60,000 American young men lost their lives in the war.
• The voting age lowered from 21 to 18, the legal age for conscription into the Military

Technological Advancements

• The war ended in 1975, and the United States breathed a collective sigh of relief.
• Television had become a staple in every American household, uniting citizens through common programming.
• Citizens started to feel closer via television and film.
• What were once isolated events became national problems.
• The Apple II in 1977 revolutionized the computer industry by targeting everyday consumer.
• Computers before then were mostly sold to large-scale industries and tech firms.
• The Sony Walkman allowed listeners to take their music with them.

Music and Film

• Led Zeppelin was the biggest act in the world rivaling The Beatles in terms of cultural influence.
• The members of Led Zeppelin would be the first musicians to own their own private Boeing 720.
• With seven number one albums in ten years, their stardom only ended due to the death of their drummer John Bonham in 1980.
• Led Zeppelin shaped rock n’ roll culture.
• Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather showed audiences raw and bloody drama.
• Based on Mario Puzo’s book, The Godfather explores the criminal underworld of the Mafia’s five families.
• The Godfather remains one of the greatest achievements in cinematic history.

Cultural Shift

• The 1970s made up for lack of aesthetic with historical and cultural significance.
• Major advances were made by progressives toward a more equitable America.
• Engineering fields saw a shift toward computers and gave inventions that would lead to the tech boom of the 80s.
• Culture was being shaped by art that was raw and unfiltered.
• Young people felt that the authorities who governed them were of an old time where wars and injustice were rampant.
• Young people felt they had to change all that, and so they did.