History of Hippie Movement
The Hippie Generation, those who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s, embraced philosophies of peace, love and community. Rejecting middle class values and the teaching of the generations who had come before them, the hippie movement created a culture of its own, embracing "free love" and beginning the sexual revolution. However, the hippie movement had a darker side as well, encouraging drug abuse and the use of substances ranging from marijuana to LSD.
Beat Generation
The Beat Generation was the precursor to the Hippie movement. This included poet Allen Ginsberg and author Jack Kerouac. The Beat movement was a bohemian counter-culture in its own right and included experimentation with drugs and sexual liberties. The Beat writers began in New York, but most of those who were closely associated with the movement moved to San Francisco, where the Beat Generation of the 1950s would become the hippie movement of the 1960s.
Beginning
The hippie movement began in California, then spread throughout the United States, Canada and other parts of the world. Most of those in the movement were young, between the ages of 15 and 25, and a saying within the movement was that no one older than 30 should be trusted. While they flocked to California from middle class families, their music, fashion and arts started to influence trends in the rest of the nation.
Arts
Those in the hippie movement, often referred to as Flower Children, used the arts in all their forms to communicate their protest of the status quo and "the Establishment." In particular, folk music was the medium the hippie movement chose above all others. The movement gained steam in 1967 with a San Francisco concert kicking off the Summer of Love. Woodstock followed in 1969 with close to 500,000 people attending. In addition to expressing their ideas about sexuality, drugs and authority, the hippies used their music and other art forms to comment on political and social issues --- most notably the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War.
Vietnam
The hippie movement is connected to young Americans' disillusionment with the Vietnam War. The hippies followed a pacifist philosophy and sought to protest the war with non-violent demonstrations, including burning draft cards, sit-ins and protesting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The political arm of the hippie movement was called the Youth International Party, or "yippies."
Hippie culture often encouraged dropping out of society because of what it viewed as social wrongs, and the movement was a catalyst for other social movements, including the back-to-the-land movement, environmental movement and the rise of organic farming.
Change
In his 1999 book, "Hippies from A to Z," Skip Stone asserts that the hippie movement did indeed change the world, succeeding as a cultural revolution if not a political one. Among the changes the hippies brought about that are still a part of society today, Stone writes, are sexual freedoms, the environmental movement, humanitarian causes, the natural food movement and a greater acceptance of religious, cultural and ethnic diversity.
