(I) Beginning in the mid-60s, there was in the West a profound surge or extension of liberalism, revolving once again around individualism. (II) It built upon what had gone before, but it also represented a significant redefinition, (III) And it is that surge which provides the immediate backdrop for current American opinion and values. (IV) To some extent, the way we perceive a decade is affected by the period which immediately preceded it. (V) Indeed, the modern American concept of freedom has been influenced by this all-pervasive individualism.