THE COUNTERCULTURE: HIPPIES

Chelsea Graffam and Chris Paine

US History - White One

WHAT IS A HIPPY?

Some say it’s the way peopledress, behave, or a lifestyle.Others classify it as drug users

and rock 'n' roll fans or those withcertain radical political views ashippies. The dictionary defines ahippy as one who doesn’tconform to society’s standardsand advocates a liberal attitudeand lifestyle.

WHAT IS A HIPPY?The term “hippy” is from hipster, and was

initially used

to describe beatniks who had moved into New York

City's Greenwich Village and San Francisco's Haight-

Ashbury district. These people inherited the counter

cultural values of the Beat Generation, created their

own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced

the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as Marijuana

and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.

Hippies rejected established institutions, criticized middle

class values, opposed nuclear weapons and the Vietnam

War. They used alternative arts, street theatre, folk music,

and psychedelic rock as a part of their lifestyle and as a

way of expressing their feelings, their protests and their

vision of the world and life.

The Hippy Philosophy

To be a hippy, you must believe in

peace as the way to resolve

differences among peoples,

ideologies and religions. The way to

peace is through love and tolerance.

Loving means accepting others as

they are, giving them freedom to

express themselves and not judging

them based on appearances. This is

the core of the hippy philosophy. 

PEACE SYMBOL

The peace symbol was developed in the UK as a logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and was embraced by U.S. anti-war protestors during the 1960s. Hippies were often pacifists and participated in non-violent political demonstrations, such as civil rights marches, the marches on Washington D.C., and anti–Vietnam War demonstrations, including draft-card burnings and the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests. The degree of political involvement varied widely among hippies, from those who were active in peace demonstrations to the more anti-authority street theater and demonstrations of the Yippies, the most politically active hippie sub-group.

THE STYLEBoth men and women in the hippie movement wore jeans and maintained long hair, and both genders wore sandals or went barefoot.

Men often had long beards, while women wore little or no makeup, with many going braless. Hippies often chose brightly colored clothing and wore unusual styles, such as bell bottom pants, vests, tie-dyed garments, peasant blouses, and long, full skirts.

HIPPIES

THE ORIGINThe foundation of the hippie

movement

finds historical precedent as far back

as the counterculture of the Ancient

Greeks. The “hippy” philosophy also

credits the religious and spiritual

teachings of Jesus Christ, Hillel the

Elder, Buddha, Mazdak, St. Francis of

Assisi, Henry David Thoreau, and

Gandhi. The first signs of what we

would call modern "proto-hippies”

emerged in Europe.

Haight-AshburySome of the earliest San Francisco hippies were former students at San Francisco State College who became intrigued by the developing psychedelic hippie music scene. These students joined the bands they loved, living communally in the large, inexpensive Victorian apartments in the Haight-Ashbury. Young Americans around the country began moving to San Francisco, and by June 1966, around 15,000 hippies had moved into the Haight.

Many who could not find space to live in San Francisco's north side found it in the quaint, relatively cheap and under populated Haight-Ashbury.

TRAVELTravel, domestic and international, was a prominent feature of hippy culture. It become an extension of friendship. School buses and the VW bus, were popular because groups of friends could travel on the cheap. Hippies tended to travel light and could pick up and go wherever the action was at any time. Hippies also created mobile gypsy houses that were sometimes quite elaborate with beds, toilets, showers and cooking facilities. The number of young people living at the time made for unprecedented travel opportunities to special happenings.

MAJOR FIGURESKen Kesey and his Merry Pranksters helped shape the developing character of the 1960’s counterculture when they embarked on a cross-country voyage during the summer of 1964. Beginning in 1959, Kesey had volunteered as a research subject for medical trials financed by the CIA's MK ULTRA project. These trials tested the effects of LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and other psychedelic drugs.

Chandler A. Laughlin III recruited much of the original talent that led to a unique amalgam of traditional folk music and the developing psychedelic rock scene. He created what became known as “The Red Dog Experience”, featuring previously unknown musical acts such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Charlatans.

Love Pageant Rally

On October 6, 1966, the state of California declared LSD a controlled substance, which made the drug illegal. In response, San Francisco hippies staged a gathering in the Golden Gate Park panhandle, called the Love Pageant Rally, attracting an estimated 700–800 people.

SUMMER OF LOVE

The Monterey Pop Festival from June 16 to June 18 introduced the rock music of the counterculture to a wide audience and marked the start of the "Summer of Love.” College and high-school students began streaming into the Haight during the spring break of 1967. During the “Summer of Love”, psychedelic rock music was entering the mainstream, receiving more and more commercial radio airplay.

WOODSTOCK

The 1969 Woodstock Festival in New York became a symbol of the hippy movement. The Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place in Bethel, New York on August 15 to 18. Over 500,000 people arrived to hear some of the most notable musicians and bands of the era, among them Richie Havens, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Carlos Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimi Hendrix. The 1969 Woodstock Festival in New York became a symbol of the hippy movement.

MUSICThe music of the 1960’s moved towards an electric, psychedelic version of rock. The newly popularized electric sound of rock was then built upon and molded into psychedelic rock by artists like the 13th Floor Elevators and British bands such as: Pink Floyd and the Beatles. Britain's new wave of musicians gained popularity and fame in the United States. The Beatles went on to become the most prominent commercial exponents of the “psychedelic revolution” in the late 1960’s.

Bands that exemplified the counterculture were becoming huge commercial, mainstream successes, such as: Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Mamas & the Papas, Van Morrison, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, the Doors and Sly and the Family Stone. They were all considered key to the counterculture movement.

MUSIC

Jimi Hendrix

Bob Dylan

MUSIC

The Beatles

The Grateful Dead

MUSIC

Janis Joplin

John Lennon

THE COUNTERCULTURE: HIPPIES

Hippie fashions and values had a major effect on culture, influencing popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts. Since the widespread movement in the 1960s, many aspects of hippie culture have been assimilated by mainstream society. The religious and cultural diversity made popular by the hippies has gained widespread acceptance, and Eastern philosophy and spiritual concepts have reached a wide audience. The hippy legacy can be observed in contemporary culture in many different forms from health food, to music festivals, and contemporary sexual mores. The hippy culture has never died out completely. Many embrace the hippy values of peace, love, and community.