The mid-1900s in America was a time of great change– the advent of new movements in pop culture, music, entertainment, and technology molded the course of the remainder of the century and brought the nation to its current political, social, and civil state.

As it relates to 1950s America, the musical scene was heavily influenced by previous movements in country music and rhythm/blues music, facilitating the creation of rock n’ roll music and its ability to capture the attention of the nation’s youth. Characterized by instrumentation including electric guitars, bass, drums, and strong vocals, rock n’ roll was a dominant musical force of the time. Rock n’ roll persisted throughout the 50s and into the 60s.

With the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in late 1963, citizens of the United States were in desperate need of a uniting force, and when the English rock band, known as The Beatles, arrived in America in 1964, the band’s “…joyous energy and invention lifted America out of its gloom…” (MacDonald, 77). Debuting their unique take on rock n’ roll on television on the famous Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles garnered unprecedented support and viewership. Mid-twentieth century America also saw a sharp increase in the prevalence of household televisions, and “the Beatles came along just as television was becoming an affordable necessity in American homes” (Leonard, 40). While television had been around for three decades prior to the Beatles’ premiere, the technology was integral in delivering the band’s unique sound to the ears of millions.

The Beatles’ 1964 performance of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on The Ed Sullivan Show helped facilitate the shift from ‘rock and roll’ to ‘rock’ with the help of television; the television broadcast, with its use of new camera and sound advancements, made The Beatles’ unique style accessible to a wide audience and motivated the ongoing sexual revolution.