Between the end of the Korean War and the mid-1960s, happiness was equated with material prosperity. A generation scarred by a devastating depression craved consumer goods. Newfound prosperity led to a buying binge. People bought houses, cars, furniture, clothing, stereos, televisions, and hula hoops. Having experienced a war, Americans also wanted a strong military to keep their prosperity secure. Fears of communism grew, as people worried it would expand across the globe.

In the mid-1960s, this emphasis on the pursuit of happiness as found primarily in consumption and materialism began to be challenged. A new generation came of age which did not remember the Depression or world war. Having grown up with material plenty, they saw that consumer goods alone did not buy happiness, but often left people feeling empty. As Viet Nam escalated, young people threatened with being sent to the front lines began to question the assumption that the US needed to save the entire world from communism. Many began to look inward or to community with like-minded people or to drugs, or to alternative ideologies from Hinduism to Taoism to Maoism, to find a fuller happiness. They began to more profoundly question sexism, racism, and other hierarchies. Instead of embracing the latest Madison Avenue fashions, they wore old, bleach stained clothes and went barefoot, seeking a different kind of bliss.

Since the social upheaval of the 1960s, the American notion of the pursuit of happiness has expanded beyond owning material goods to encompass internal well-being. Today most Americans take for granted that inner peace and inner growth should be part of the good life. We see this manifested in the many self-help books and videos that advise on inner growth, the explosion of interest in yoga, and the concern to live a mindful and balanced life. Many believe they should not have to live in "quiet desperation" to earn a living and obtain material goods.

The 1960’s were times of relative prosperity for Americans, as well as a time when more citizens looked to the federal government for leadership and assistance in civil and economic matters. An increased sense of unity also emerged among Americans, in great part due to the country’s growing connection through television. These factors combined to bring public protesting front and center as the method of gaining influence for various causes.  While the “American dream” of the roaring 1920s was all about gaining individual wealth, during the 1960s it was more often related to happiness, equality, peace and the prosperity of America as a whole.

The multiple protests, speeches, and demonstrations for the civil rights movement lead to Congress passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under President Johnson, putting an end to legal public segregation and discrimination based on race. Women’s rights and gay rights protests also vied to reduce discrimination and gain improved ways of life.

From the mid 1960s through the early 1970s, anti-Vietnam War protests were staged all around the country, especially at universities.  Protesters argued that the war was a civil dispute between North and South Vietnam, and not truly a matter of protecting the U.S. from a communist threat, as our government claimed. Americans were becoming increasingly disillusioned with our government’s honesty and effectiveness. In a sense, the “American dream” was more about unity—being able to trust and rely on our government—and definitely less about gaining individual wealth. Certainly Americans had become more insistent on being informed about U.S. foreign policy, rather than simply trusting the government’s word.

Further reinforcing the notion that the pursuit of happiness had transcended beyond the individual, protesters went to bat for the environment during this time. Their movement was primarily kicked off by Rachel Carson’s sadly prophetic book, Silent Spring, which vividly predicted the downfall of our natural and agricultural world if we continued to abuse the environment as we were.  Many demonstrations took place at universities and other public forums around the country. The effectiveness of citizens’ protests was evident in the passing of the National Environmental Act of 1970, the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and a multitude of laws that followed.

With the bulk of these protests staged on national television, all of America was affected on some level by the transforming vision of what Americans valued most in their pursuit of happiness and their quest to attain the new American dream—peace, equality, representation, and a healthy world to live in.