Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on March 12, 1922. He started his career in writing after he quit school and began traveling by ship to work his position as a merchant seaman. He did well in English class; receiving superior grades in the study of Shakespeare. Jack Kerouac created and lived the Beat Generation in the 1950's. He had several friends whom also participated in the group such as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, and William S. Burroughs, which also made a large impact with their Beat beliefs and Beat poetry. World War II, also known as the Cold War and the beginning of the Great depression was a beginning for the Beat Generation. The beatniks felt that society was growing to be materialistic as a result of a lack of resources and consumer goods during the war. Because the overall mood of the Beat Generation was influenced by the Cold War of 1939-1945, the beatniks felt rebellious toward America's acquisition of consumer goods, which had been scarce during wartime. .
Jack Kerouac attended Horace Mann School for Boys, Lowell High School and Columbia University in New York City. "Kerouac was known as a football star at Lowell High School and received a scholarship to Columbia University." (Jack Kerouac: Dharma). Kerouac broke his leg and quit football due to conflict with his coach. What he had not realized was what he thought was a rough experience, put him on a new path to poetry and new accomplishments. "He quit school to become a merchant seaman and traveled to the North Atlantic, Greenland, and England- (Jack Kerouac: Dharma). During this time of travel, Kerouac wrote constantly. In 1951, he wrote On the Road, which was finally published in 1957. On the Road was a stylistic breakthrough for Kerouac who had developed a theory of writing he called, spontaneous prose. "He defined that as a sketch or landscape to start a novel-(Kerouac Spontaneous Prose). His writings were the beginning to his new beliefs and influences.