"He (Elvis) was already doing what the civil rights movement called for: breaking down barriers. You don't think of Elvis as political , but that's what politics is about: changing the way people see the world." - Good. The youth generation of the 1950s was ready for this: the baby boomers were ready to break down barriers built on racism. Elvis was the perfect neutral ground for the younger generation to share as an idol and, in turn, helped spark a revolution that forced different races to coexist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay This was a generation of rebels, the perfect time for kids to do what they wanted to do. Despite their parents' wishes, white kids went to black clubs to listen to music. Music was the gateway to a desegregated society, and the baby boomer youth generation was the key. Children of the 1950s were known to reject their parents' style and find their own stylistic influences. Elvis was popular with 1950s teenagers because of his new style that parents hated: their parents hated him meant they loved him. (Baughman) Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a two-room shack where no one expected anything from him, no one thought he would ever succeed. All his school teachers said he wouldn't get anywhere in life until they heard him sing. At the age of 19, he began recording his music. Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, had long been looking for a white guy to sing black music. Elvis entered his recording studio and got a contract after recording a few songs. In the same year he toured with various famous musicians. It was very controversial for a white man to sing black music, but it was the beginning of a good music revolution, full of teenagers celebrating life, regardless of the skin color of their friends. Elvis' musical style was not well received by adults. They didn't like the fact that a white man was playing "black music" and dressing like a black man, all the while dancing in a very sexual way. This was a new type of music that scared most adults, especially because their children listened to it and it heavily influenced them in a way that their parents didn't like. The kids of the '50s were ready for a revolution and Elvis, "...the pioneer of rock 'n' roller became the idol of an entire generation of music fans” (Biography in context). Music is a powerful mechanism and when it's in the hands of an idol that appealed to the entire baby boom generation, the greatest generation of teenagers ever, you get kids who don't care about anyone's race or background They had the idea right and Elvis helped them express it through music. You might think that Elvis sang and preached about equality and freedom, but no! Elvis grew up surrounded by whites, went to an all-white school and his musical influences were also mostly He didn't intend to influence the civil rights movement like he did, he influenced it by doing what he loved to do. Even during interviews, when Elvis was asked a question about anything political, he respectfully refused. He kept all his political opinions to himself. This allowed the generation to speak for itself rather than having a leader telling a generation to desegregate. In 1954 the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court decision was passed which now meant that facilities.