The Beats were a literary group formed in the United States in the 1950s. The founding members began as college friends, attending Columbia University, who had similar interests. The small group of friends soon acquired other like-minded individuals in the New York area and became a movement. The group's common theme was the rejection of prevailing middle-class values ​​in the United States. They also felt that modern society had no purpose and felt the need to retreat and protest. (Parkins) The group became known as the “Beat Generation” because of their message of being “brought down” by society. (Matterson) The group eventually migrated from New York to San Francisco, California, where it gained even more members. This article will briefly discuss some members of “The Beats” and what impact the movement had on society in the United States. The two founding members of the Beats were Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Jack and Allen met while they were students at Columbia University. Jack Kerouac was born in 1922 in Massachusetts. He attended college on a football scholarship. (Feider) Allen Ginsberg was born in 1926, in New Jersey. He attended college on a YMCA scholarship. (Feider) Kerouac and Ginsberg both loved literature and began spending time together using benzodiazepines and marijuana to fuel their creativity. (Feider) William Burroughs joined the two friends after meeting in Manhattan. Burroughs, born in 1914 in Missouri, had been deemed unfit to serve in the military during World War II. (Rahn) He spent his time doing odd jobs. Together, these three and a few others, including; Gregory Corso, Neal Cassady and Herbert Huncke......middle of article......July 1994. www.litkicks.com/BeatGen/#.UyiEjk4o7IU. (March 17, 2014). The editors of the Encyclopædia Britannica. "Beat Movement (American literary and social movement)." Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica. www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/57467/Beat-movement. (March 17, 2014). Feider, Megan. “Beatnik Writers.” Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs. www.bluesforpeace.com/beat-generation.htm. (March 18, 2014). Matterson, Stephen. "Beat Generation from the mid-1950s to the 1960s". PBS. PBS. www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/beat generation.html. (March 19, 2014). Parkins, Keith. “Beat generation.” Beat the generation. March 2005. www.heureka.clara.net/art/beat-generation.htm. (March 18, 2014).Rahn, Josh. "The Beat Generation." - Literary periods and movements. www.online-literature.com/periods/beat.php. (March 17, 2014).