1960s Counterculture

The Counterculture Defined A movement made up of mostly white middle class youth. Baby boomers were coming of age.

Counterculture Roots: The New Left Radical political movement of the 1960’s and 70’s Mostly white college students Beliefs Anti- Draft Pro- Civil Rights Anti- Traditional values (family, materialism) Rebelled with sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll Opposed authority (“The Establishment”) The New Left was the group that would eventually challenge the government about its actions in Vietnam through protests

ALL WRONG

San Francisco and Haight-Ashbury San Francisco was the birthplace of the counterculture/hippy movement. By 1965 hippies had taken over the Haight-Ashbury district. Haight-Ashbury district contains Golden Gate Park home of the Trips Festival and “be-ins.” This is a 20,000-strong be-in at Golden gate park in 1967

Hippie Culture: The Age of Aquarius Idealistic-The Good? Anti-materialism Communal Living: share everything, no one goes hungry Pacifism-embrace non-violence Live in the present. Don’t fret about the past or future (Buddhist influence) Non-conformist-be who you want to be. Find your true nature, your true self. Hedonistic-The Bad? Drug Culture Marijuana, LSD, speed Sexual Revolution No rules. Have sex whenever you want with who you want Rock and Roll Acid rock Hippie fashion The “Jesus Freak”

Communes: Counterculture Ideals in Action Communes were groups of hippies who rejected capitalism and materialism and lived communally.. Hippies living in communes shared possessions, work responsibilities, and sometimes each other. Clothing was optional at some communes.

The Drug Culture LSD was created by a Swiss scientist, used by the CIA, and tested for use by psychiatrists before it became illegal in 1968. Timothy Leary (a Harvard professor) was an advocate of LSD. He claimed it could expand the power of the mind. Using drugs like LSD made hippies feel like they were rebelling from mainstream society.

The Sexual Revolution Consequences? 1960: “The pill” introduced and launches the sexual revolution Women can now have sex without fear of pregnancy Sexual restraint seen as repressive. The counterculture embraces sexuality and the idea of multiple partners. The sexual revolution spreads to gay culture in the 1960’s with the emergence of the Gay Pride movement after the Stonewall riots. Consequences?

Counterculture Fashion Hippies distanced themselves from mainstream culture by their dress. Colorful, flowing clothing, beads, headbands bellbottoms, and tie-dye were popular. Men wore their hair and beards long or in afros. Women wore their hair long, didn’t shave, and wore no make-up Hippies were often called “longhairs” or “Jesus Freaks”.

Doing the “wavy gravy” at a concert. Rock and Roll The most popular music of the time was psychedelic or “acid” rock Bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Grateful Dead played free concerts at Golden Gate Park. Concerts and be-ins were places for hippies to protest, socialize, dance, or take drugs. At Woodstock over 5000,000 hippies showed up to hear artists like Janis Joplin, The Who, Canned Heat, The Allman Brothers, and County Joe and the Fish. Doing the “wavy gravy” at a concert.

Woodstock Music Festival: August 1969 500,000 attend free music concert in upstate N.Y. Woodstock was not just a music concert. “For thousands who couldn’t even hear the music” it was a “profound religious experience.” Woodstock marks the end of the intensity of the counterculture. It begins to fade in 1970, although it’s influence persists.

Decline of the Counterculture Drugs become the end, not the means Distribution of drugs becomes a source of income for many hippies Sexual Revolution spreads AIDs and stds. Mainstream America reacts to the excesses of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” with revulsion. The youth of the counterculture grow up, get jobs, get married and face reality

Altamont Speedway Altamont Speedway Concert in California December, 1969 Free Concert-hailed as “Woodstock West” Hells Angels hired as security—kill 18 year old girl Violence viewed by public as another excess of the counterculture                                       

Conservative Reactions Conservatives such as Nixon and Reagan call for a return to “traditional family values” and a rejection of the excesses of the counterculture. They emphasize traditional American values: Patriotism Marriage Chastity Respect for elders Work ethic and personal responsibility Key Point: The reaction to the counterculture leads to the modern conservative movement.

The Legacy of the Counterculture As the counterculture ended if left America with more liberating views in the areas of dress, appearance, lifestyle, and social behavior. While some Americans found it liberating, some said it was the start of moral decay in the country