obvious harmful effects was the physical damage. The rebellion in the sixties caused injuries and deaths as well as property damage. African Americans were lynched, protestors were shot and sometimes killed, and neighborhoods and college campuses were destroyed. The counterculture caused many strong emotions to flare and caused lots of immediate destruction. It also caused the society to be torn into two: the group that challenged American society and the group that conformed and resisted change. Things are always better when a country is united, but during the sixties the society was split. This also caused difficulty during the Vietnam War. When American policymakers should have been focusing all of their attention on the war in Vietnam, they also had to focus on the war at home. The protests often called for government action. When James Meredith tried to attend the University of Mississippi, the federal government had to send 400-500 federal marshals and 3,000 paratroopers in to secure his safety. This also cost them 4 million dollars. The Kennedy administration and others after him were pressured to pass civil rights acts. They had to pay major attention to the counter culture at home and the war in Vietnam. This may have weakened their ability to handle issues in Vietnam. Although in the short run the counter culture was detrimental, in the long run the efforts to challenge the American culture paid off. We now live in a society that is coming closer and closer to full equality. The counter culture may have also ended the war in Vietnam a little sooner. If it weren't for all of the anti-war protests and demonstrations, US policymakers might not have worked as hard to end the war. As a result of the counter culture, we also live in a society that is not conformed to the same values, ideals, and attitudes. We have people who are rising to every debatable occasion. People aren't scared to challenge the American so...
