The Sexual Revolution And The Contraceptive Pill - 1239 Words

The Sexual Revolution has been one of the most defining movements in recent world history. It is the only event other than a world war that has irrevocably shaped our global public consciousness. When we here the term, The Sexual Revolution, we unconsciously begin to associate it with several late 20th century cultural movements and philosophies. The most famous of these are its influences through music, and the contraceptive pill. On May 9th, 1960, the United States Food and Drug Admiration approved the world s first commercially produced birth-control pill, and from then on, the world would never be the same. The pill was heralded as ushering in a new age of â€Å"greater reproductive freedom to American women† and it was credited with starting the cultural paradigm shift commonly called Sexual Revolution (History.com Staff). However, the contraceptive pill itself did not have the power to change a culture, it was only an instrument to facilitate a culture in changing itself . It had no power; it only gave people a way to have greater sexual liberties without consequences. So what made the culture want to change? What truly caused the Sexual Revolution? By looking deeper into its root philosophies and causes, the Sexual Revolution can be viewed as a product of Darwinist human ‘unexceptionalism’. To understand the revolution’s underlying cause, you have to understand what The Sexual Revolution was, and perhaps more importantly, what it still represents today. The SexualShow MoreRelatedThe Birth Of The Pill962 Words   |  4 PagesThe arrival of the pill in the spring of 1960 represented both an important step towards bodily autonomy for women, and a ‘new era in the long history of birth control’. For the very first time, there would exist a method of contraception that separated brith control from the act of sexual intercourse, and allowed women total control over their fertility. This caused many commentators to fear th at the pill would ‘wreck moral havoc’ on the sexual behaviour of the nation, with some even going as farRead MoreThe Birth Control Pill And The Sexual Revolution884 Words   |  4 PagesImagine a country with no sexual freedom, a limiting amount of rights, and no power for American women. This was the image that the United States portrayed around 60 years ago, not giving the same freedom that Americans can have today and express carelessly. During the 1960’s the United States experienced changes in its society that would affect the perspectives of future generations by turning our weaknesses into strengths. During this time, the United States encountered many movements and opportunitiesRead MoreMale Birth Control Essay861 Words   |  4 Pagessexes responsibility to practice â€Å"safe sex†. 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Reflecting of this changeRead MoreWhat Was the Impact of Increased Availability of Contraception on British Society?1382 Words   |  6 Pagesage old myth says that the pill caused a sexual revolution in the 60s but is this really true? Were all of the changes caused by the pill, or was the impact greatly exaggerated? The contraceptive pill at first didn’t have that large an effect on society. Many women and girls were frightened of taking any medication. 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The pill provided a safety net against the ever-looming threat of pregnancy, and a method in which to exercise female sexual control, while f eminismRead MoreThe Sexual Revolution of the 1960s1423 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sexual Revolution of the 1960s Sex and the 1960s The 1960s was a decade of many changes, revolutions, and experiments including the sexual revolution brought on by the sixties generation. Free love was a popular term coined in the later sixties that meant everyone should love each other, sexually and non sexually. This was the first time in history that sex was not something only men could enjoy but women too. What came from this revolution was birth control, knowledge of the female