THROUGH THE KALEIDOSCOPE: COUNTERCULTURE IN AMERICA AND ITS EFFECTS ON UNDERGROUND PUBLISHING IN MILWAUKEE

Abstract

The 1960s in the United States was a tumultuous period of social change. The Civil Rights Movement, the war in Vietnam, sexual revolution, and drug culture shook the foundations of post-war American society. From these tensions and upheavals emerged a powerful counterculture that valued radical self-expression and espoused equally radical politics. One of the most powerful voices of this counterculture was the underground publishing movement. Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s underground publishing scene was spearheaded by the underground newspaper Kaleidoscope. Running from 1967 to 1971, Kaleidoscope exemplified the underground publishing movement. It reported on art, drugs, poetry, music, and politics. Despite the backlash received by the paper since its conception, Kaleidoscope defined Milwaukee’s counterculture scene during its run. The success and subsequent downfall of Kaleidoscope exemplifies the rise and fall of national counterculture. Examining the history of Kaleidoscope against the backdrop of American counterculture reveals insights into the origins behind counterculture’s creation, and its demise.