Hippie Era

The hippie era started way long ago then people realize it. It all started with the deep depression in just years after the World War Two. There began an anti-establishment movement. People wanting to break away from societies values placed on them. The poet Allen Ginsberg could possibly be considered the father of this movement. Using the written words they began to express their frustration, protesting what they saw wrong with the world. The poetry was not always just read but often performed to music. This is probably the source of the name given them, "The Beats". They were also referred to as "The Beat Generation". By the fifties the movement had spread and grown. Coffee houses began to open. Places where they could meet and share thoughts. Even today there are many coffee houses that host poetry readings. Jazz clubs were also a gathering place. From these places emerged the “Beatniks”, typically dressed in shabby clothes, sporting a beard and wearing sunglasses at all hours. The beatniks refused to conform. The phrase "I'm Hip" was used quite often by beatniks. Their talk was said to be hip. Some even called them "Hipsters". Thus the beginning of the Hippies.
It was the hippies that took the movement out of the coffee shops and on to the campuses around the country. Berkley became the center of the movement. There were protest and demonstrations. Angry at the injustices in this country such as racism, poverty and the lack of women's rights, sit ins were staged. Sometimes practically taking over campuses. Many were arrested. The movement started small and grew. I believe there were two major factors in the growth of the hippie movement. Music and Vietnam have to be considered in the equation. As the war escalated, more and more young people were going to Vietnam. Students died in confrontations with the National Guard at Kent State and Jackson State. It was a war that was considered unjust within the movement. Peace became a common goal and the ranks of the... [continues]

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