Hippie Movement

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Hippies

When one mentions the word "hippie" most think about the 1960s. They think about the flowing skirts and long unkempt hair. They cannot forget the LSD and marijuana usage either. The peace loving hippies were more than just happy stoners. They were young people who were redefining their thoughts on the issues of war. This generation of liberals brought about one of the most history defining social movements. The anti-war peace movement was one of the largest movements of its time. These hippies had strong feelings about the Vietnam War and its effects on the country. The people involved in this movement had various ways of showing their displeasure of the ongoing war in Vietnam. Protests, love-ins, music, and anti-war marches are just a few of the ways these hippies displayed their views.

According to 123helpme.com, Doctor Timothy Leary was one of the first prominent leaders in this hippie philosophy. He had a philosophy of life that people enjoyed very much to hear and learn about. He promoted gender equality, living life freely, and living like a God. He was famous for saying "Turn on, tune in, and drop out." The hippie movement became defined and substantial in 1965, and fizzled out by the early 1970s.

Arkit.com explains the views of these hippies. They were usually white Americans from the ages of fifteen to twenty five. They all had very liberal views. They criticized established institutions, rebelled against the middle class rules and most importantly, strongly opposed the Vietnam War. The ones who opposed the war used musical lyrics, psychedelic rock, and art to visualize their views.

A lot of folks believe that the hippies were just against everything and did not really stand for anything. They opposed so many things; it would be difficult to elaborate on them all. The peace movement that they partook in against the war seems to be the most important opposition. There were many protests that took place during the late 1960s that caused an uproar that would eventually help turn the war to peace in Vietnam.

The first protests happened on May 2nd, 1964. Students in different campuses did various things to show their disapproval of the ongoing war. According to an article found at hippy.com, one thousand students marched across Times Square in protest of America’s involvement in the Vietnamese government. In San Francisco, more than seven hundred students protested similarly along with many other smaller demonstrations in Boston, Madison, Wisconsin, and Seattle.

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