Beatniks?

Question:

What are the Beats/Beatniks?

How would you define the Beats?
Do you know any quotes from Ginsberg/Kerouac/Corso/etc, describing what, in their minds, the term means?

Additional Details

2 months ago
I'm talking about the Beats from the late 40s, 50s, and early 60s. :)

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

The Beatniks were a group of people who rebelled against the "Good Life" of the 1950s. they reacted against the mainstream society by wearing ragged clothes, growing beards and wouldn't conform to society.They were the predecessors to the Hippies of the 1960s.