Hippies
The 1950's gave to America certain ideals and values that were strongly followed and enforced, some of the people in the following generation took those ideals and attempted to destroy them. Most of them were just teenagers or young adults, but they all agreed that the lifestyle and beliefs that their parents and most other adults established didn't make sense and needed to be changed. These kids started to defy authority and soon were getting encouragement from popular bands, actors, and authors. As the 60's went on, adults kept trying to put an end to this resistance, but the anarchists started to join together to create a movement that stood up against society and tried to change it. The people creating this movement became to be called the counterculture. The children of the counterculture fought for change by rebelling against the standards of society by using drugs, protesting political issues, and expressing their free love. Music and fashion helped them make their impact. The 1950's brought great economic growth and with it the dream for a perfect life in a perfect country. Many people got married young and had children quickly, moved into suburbs, and found good jobs. They expected no
Adults in mainstream society were stunned when the young men being drafted said they wouldn't go. The end of the war seemed so far off, that going to fight was like a death wish. The young men weren't just scared, they were sticking to their beliefs. " When General B. Lewis stated in early October, 'I cannot see an end to the war', a week later a new kind of war protest begun. As David Miller of Manchester, New Hampshire burned his draft card on the steps of the Induction Center on Whitehall Street in New York City."#13 Although some hippies were confrontational, burning draft cards or American flags and "screaming stop the war!", other protesters were more interested in making a gentle statement for peace. They often marched in silence, caring peace signs. Both types of protesters were often harassed by government troops, who were mainly made up of young men who were once part of the hippie movement. "No one even tried to make sense of it; teenage students placed flowers in the gun barrels of teenage National Guardsmen. When one Guardsman dropped his riffle, removed his helmet, and quietly sat down in the middle of the Bancroft and Telegraph intersection saying, 'I can't take it anymore," he spoke for millions". thing else but for their children to go to college and follow in their footsteps. Adults had faith in the American government, and believed that any hard working, dedicated and honest man would succeed, and of course, they thought that their children would conform to their traditional values. Young adults were expected to look and act a certain way. Young men had to have their hair cut short, be clean shaven, and dress in suits or nice clothes all the time. Young women should always wear the right amount of makeup, have their hair done, and wear skirts or dresses even when they are at home.#1 #12 "I Don't Stand Alone" by Perry Friedman. c 1968 Most of the hippies living in communes as well as others believed in "free love", or casual sex, and had many sexual partners with the idea of no strings attached and no emotional breakups. Many thought that the idea of getting married and staying with one person was dumb and selfish. "If I were to stay with this man, and we promised to never see another, then what if our soul mate comes along? We would be so wrapped up in tradition that we couldn't follow our destiny"#6 Hippies believed in sharing everything, from love and peace, to sexual partners and drugs. Drugs were taken for recreation, for bonding, and as the war in Vietnam continued, for easing the frustration and fear of getting drafted. "As the fall semester moved on, a barely controlled panic was beginning to become a bond between students, who increasingly tended to "feed their heads" (as Jefferson Airplane urged in "White Rabbit") as an antidote to the fear of getting blown off in Vietnam
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Approximate Word count = 1912
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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