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The hippie movement 1960s
Effects of vietnam war protests
How hippies effected american culture
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During the 1960s, a new culture spread throughout the United States, stirring up the Flower Power movement as well as the aversion from the typical American lifestyle. These “Hippies” as they were known, didn’t want to fit in with the mainstream crowd. The name “hippie” was taken from the term “hipster”. It described how the Hippies believed that we should make love, not war, their vocal opposition to the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, and the increasingly rocky road to shared civil rights among all Americans led to this new, alternative form of activism. But the Hippie movement wasn’t just about experimentation. The concept of Flower Power also emerged as a passive resistance to the Vietnam War during the late 1960s.
The nineteen sixties were a very noteworthy time in America. It can be best culminated by the drastic social change led by the hippies. Before this time period the United States was dominated by clean-cut, conservative culture. Americans generally lived in a conformist society where most people lived out social norms, including the hard working business that and stay at home mom. Then the sixties came around. The hippies love the free-spirited lifestyle that ousted them completely from mainstream American culture.
They didn’t like the life their parents had left them and wanted to live in their own Utopian society filled with peace and love. They despised the greed that they saw in corporations and businesses. Other beliefs that they had were the acceptance of all people, equality and involvement in eastern religions such as Buddhism. They were experimental to music and other forms of art, and liked
to live communally and enjoyed being in harmony with nature. They believed in free love. This comp...
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...s of gathering established in Chicago's Old Town, in Atlanta's 14th Street, In New York Cities Greenwich Village and, what was the informal capital and cradle of that movement, San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury. Hippies wanted a society that was based on love, trust and tolerance. Therefore, they couldn't accept the war in Vietnam during that time period and a lot of them took part in several peace demonstrations. The Hippie era was accompanied by many mottos like " Killing for peace is like fucking for chastity" or "Tune in, turn on, drop out" which found their origin in the opposition to the ongoing war and their attitude toward life in general. In order to accomplish their intends of world peace and love, they turned to Rock'n'Roll music, colorful clothing and appearance, the liberal use of "soft" drugs like marijuana and LSD (also known as acid) and the practice...
The 1960’s was a happening decade. It was a time when many people came together for a common good and stood against injustice. The 60’s is often recalled as the era of the peace sign, one ridden with hippies, marijuana and pacifism. While true of much of the era, some of the movements calling for immense social change began as non-violent harbingers of change and later became radicals. The reason for this turn to radicalism, as seen in the case of the Students for a Democratic Society, and as suggested by the change between this organizations earlier Port Huron statement and the later Weatherman Manifesto, is due to the gradual escalation of the Vietnam war.
One of the main waves of music of the time was a calmer more gentle rock. A major band called The Beatles were so popular during this time it was called Beatle Mania. The Beatles were one of the numerous bands coming to America either many more would coming getting the title of the British invasion. During the 1960s America’s economy was greatly increasing. This time period focused on the housing and computer industry which overpowered automobiles, chemicals, and electrically powered consumer durables, which were the leading sectors in the 1950s. Agriculture fell from 19.2 to 7.5 percent, minimum wage increased from $1.00 to $1.25, and the unemployment of was around 6 percent. Another economic point is the growing middleclass. Between 1945 and 1960, the median family income, adjusted for inflation, almost doubled. Rising income doubled the size of the middle class. Before the Great Depression of the 1930s only one-third of Americans qualified as middle class, but in postwar America two-thirds did. Many middle class families of postwar America became suburban families. Of the 13 million new homes built in the 1950s, 85 percent were in the suburbs. The GI bill helped this growth greatly. Soldiers coming home from the war would have a government loan for a home or going to college. Making college more of a social norm. Which still effects society today making more jobs having a college degree required. The political culture focused more on containing communism with the theory helping this being called the domino theory “Military Intervention in Korea and Vietnam finally, you have broader considerations that might follow what you would call the falling domino principle. You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration
The 60s was the period of time when the baby boomers began to grow up and supplement their own ideas. The post World War II Baby Boom created 70 million teenagers for the sixties. This youth swayed fashion into their own favor by moving away from the conservative fifties. Also the fads and the politics of the decade were also influenced by the new generation.
The movement started after the assassination of President Kennedy, led to protests against the Vietnam War, civil rights movement, usage of psychoactive drugs, sexual liberation, a new taste in music, such as the rock genre from bands like The Beatles, and more. This generation in the 60’s began the ideas of peace, love, harmony, freedom and community. They were associated with energetic, vibrant colors and spreading peace signs such as, “Make love, not war”. The movement originated in San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and many other prime cities. Later, they went on to spark new beginnings in other countries such as Canada and England.
The purpose of this society is to allow people to live in equality and freedom. Their social and economic status would be the same. An example of such a society was established in 1848, by John Humphrey Noyes. It soon dissolved in 1880 because of the oppositions aroused among the people about the system of "complex marriage". This system is different from the one in The Giver, whereby all adults in the community were considered married to one another.
The largest anti-war demonstration in history was held when 25,000 people marched from the Capitol to the Washington Monument, once again, showing the unity of youth. More than any other countercultural group, hippies reflected a deep discontent with technocracy- society’s reliance on scientific experts who ruled coldly and dispassionately and who wielded enormous power. Hippies said good-bye to that and hello to the mystical spirit, oneness with the universe- life as passion, passion as life, harmony, and understanding. The hippies believed they could develop their vision in the communes in which they congregated.... ...
During the sixties Americans saw the rise of the counterculture. The counterculture, which was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, was embraced by the decade’s young Americans. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and freer country.
During the summer of love, the diggers helped out and spread the trend of being a hippie. Hippies are always so recognizable then and now with their “long flowing hair, bright clothes, and flowy dresses.” (The Sixties Chronicles 2004) With their noticeable look the hippies believed strongly in individualism. Again shown with their clothes, but also something else. “...where the hippie cry, "Do your own thing!" served to incubate a new cornucopia of causes…” (Stein pg.1) There are all sorts of causes that they fought for then that we have now that is better than what it was before. Some of the causes they fought for were gay rights, the environment, women's liberation, saving the whales, saving the forests and so much more. It had a, “...widespread impact in fashion, art, in the use of illicit drugs…” (Ventre pg.1) They also helped out creating a counterculture movement. During the summer of love there was also bad things happening during this time, Vietnam war was going on. The Summer of Love was a backlash to the war. Most of the people there wanted progress and there were tons of anti-war protests. Although there were still some who resisted and didn’t care that thousands of people were being drafted into the war. “Some methods of change proved healthy, others were damaging, depending on which social observers are to be believed.” (Summer of Love That Changed Music and Culture 2007) While the hippies were out and trying to change the world, some did it while doing
The term hippie is derived from "hip" or "hipster" used by the beats to describe someone who was part of their scene. It literally means to know, so someone who's "hip" is wise. Hippies never adopted this term for themselves. They preferred to be called the "beautiful people". However the media played up "hippy" as the catch-all phrase to describe the masses of young people growing their hair long, listening to rock music, doing drugs, practising free love, going to various gatherings and concerts, demonstrating and rejecting the popular culture of the early 60's. Hippies were the adults of the baby boom post-World War II. They wanted to test and enjoy the limits of life adopting a motto of - “Being alive should be Ecstasy”.
Unlike the society before this movement, the hippie did not try to change America through violence, the hippie tried to change things through peace and love. The Hippie Movement was a moment during the mid 1960s through the early 1070s where sex, drugs and Rock-n-Roll, was at the forefront of mainstream society. No one really knows the true definition of a Hippie, but a formal definition describes the hippie as one who does not conform to social standards, advocating a liberal attitude and lifestyle. Phoebe Thompson wrote, “Being a hippie is a choice of philosophy. Hippies are generally antithetical to structured hierarchies, such as church, government, and social castes. The ultimate goal of the hippie movement is peace, attainable only through love and toleration of the earth and each other. Finally, a hippie needs freedom, both physical freedom to experience life and mental freeness to remain open-minded” (Thompson12-13). Many questions are asked when trying to figure out how this movement reached so many of America’s youth, and what qualities defined a hippie as a hippie?
African Americans were still facing discrimination even though segregation was outlawed, gender roles was still presently enforced, nuclear testing was becoming a reality and their friends and family were dying in a war halfway around the world (Freccia). The youth of Woodstock was over it and they were ready for a revolution, so began the “hippie movement… who not only were opposed to the vietnam war but also were engaged in illegal drug use and enjoyed rock and roll music” (Tauber). Since their parents rules were not a concern anymore, many hippies at Woodstock went very open and bare as “lyrics from Dylan’s The Times are A-Changin” say “Come mothers and fathers/.../and don’t criticize what you can’t understand/ your sons and daughters are beyond your command” (Hopkins). What the hippies did at Woodstock; standing for peace, love and equality they went against their parents morals, while singing to The Beatles lyrics Give Peace a Chance. Woodstock changed Aamericans into what we are today “it was supposed to be anti materialist” completely different from their parent’s generation (Seckler). In present time America what our parents say and think have some value however they no longer hold us bounded to what we do with our lives. Marijuana is currently legal in some states and gay marriage are? is ruled legal throughout the
American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests with their alternative lifestyles and radical beliefs or drop out of society completely. The government and the older generations could not understand their way of life.
In the mid 1960’s the United States involvement in Vietnam stirred controversy amongst the Americans and politicians. Across the U.S., the American public became increasingly more opposed to the war. Throughout the duration of the war, protesters strived to influence policy makers to withdraw troops from Vietnam by protesting. Demonstrators marched with signs that displayed phrases such as the famous “Make Love, Not War.” Antiwar demonstrations swept the nation from the beginning of the war to definite end in 1975. From this time period, “hippies” became notable figures of period. Long hair, peace signs and grungy hygiene was the face of the era of protests known as the Vietnam Anti-war Movement.
When people hear the term hippie, they think of men and woman in loose clothing with flowers weaved in their hair. Although these men and women did in fact wear these things, they left a significant impact on society. Hippies were a part of the Counterculture movement, which basic ideals were to reject the ideas of mainstream society. The movement itself began with the protesting of the Vietnam War. Eventually, the movement was more than just protesting the war. Hippies promoted the use of recreational drugs, religious tolerance; they also changed society’s views and attitudes about lifestyle and social behavior. The Counterculture movement was the most influential era in the 20th century because the people of this time changed society’s outlook, and broached the topics of drugs, fashion, and sexual freedom.
The sixties was a decade of liberation and revolution, a time of great change and exciting exploration for the generations to come. It was a time of anti-war protests, free love, sit-ins, naked hippie chicks and mind-altering drugs. In big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris, there was a passionate exchange of ideas, fiery protests against the Vietnam War, and a time for love, peace and equality. The coming together of like-minded people from around the world was spontaneous and unstoppable. This group of people, which included writers, musicians, thinkers and tokers, came to be known as the popular counterculture, better known as hippies. The dawning of the Age of Aquarius in the late sixties was more than just a musical orgy. It was a time of spiritual missions to fight for change and everything they believed in. Freedom, love, justice, equality and peace were at the very forefront of this movement (West, 2008). Some wore beads. Some had long hair. Some wore tie-dye and others wore turtle-neck sweaters. The Hippie generation was a wild bunch, to say the least, that opened the cookie jar of possibilities politically, sexually, spiritually and socially to forever be known as one of the most memorable social movements of all time (Hippie Generation, 2003).