Art: the ultimate form of self-expression. But what constitutes art? And who decides? It is precisely these questions that plague society as it tries to decide and define the official status of graffiti: art or vandalism? Because it has made its way into art galleries and thanks to the community of artists who challenge and inspire each other, graffiti should be considered art and a way to express yourself. The origin and history of graffiti is not what you might expect. Believed to have been created by a Philadelphia high school student named Cornbread in 1967, it was a bold effort to get the attention of a girl (De Melker). Graffiti also arose in New York around the same time. It was “one of the many forms of social protest” of the 1960s, “an era marked by social unrest” (Prahlad). Graffiti artists, often known as “writers,” used graffiti as a form of protest, most clearly exemplified in the “‘bombing’ (painting) of subway trains in direct response to the bombing of Cambodia and Vietnam” (Prahlad) . The graffiti movement reached its peak in the 1970s, also known as the “golden age” of graffiti (Ehrlich). “The modern graffiti movement, associated with the hip-hop culture of break dancing and rap music, began primarily among black and Latino teenagers in Philadelphia and New York in the late 1960s” (Derfner 30). The tagging phenomenon spread quickly because these artists “usually wrote on subway cars, which had the advantage of moving their writing across the city” (Derfner 30). This dispersal increased the popularity of graffiti and the movement spread from city to city, painting the nation. The influx of graffiti into urban cities raised some concerns among citizens. City officials were the main opponents. So much s...... middle of paper ...... in its own right." New York Magazine July 3, 2007: No. Page. New York Magazine. Web. November 17, 2013. Eiserer, Tanya. " Dallas Will Try to reduce graffiti by giving artists 'free walls.'" The Dallas Morning News Aug. 22, 2012: n. page. Dallas News. Web. Nov. 17, 2013. "Graffiti." City of San Antonio. Np, nd Web. Nov. 17 2013. Main, “Gangs Using Social Media to Spread Violence.” Chicago Sun-Times January 26, 2012: No. Chicago Sun-Times November 17, 2013. “Aerosol Art: Understanding the Controversy and ABC.” -CLIO, 2013. Web, November 17, 2013. Watkins, Matthew "Dallas's First 'Free Wall' Gives Graffiti Artists a Legal Canvas." The Economist 9 November 2013: 40. Student Resources in Context (Gale). Web. 17 November. 2013.