Summer of Love

The Summer of Love The 1960s was a decade of political and social upheaval. The counterculture, which was what the decade was called, became disappointed with all the restrictions and conventions of the straight society. The Summer of Love did not occur until 1967, but the decade was inspired by the Bohemian spirit which was already present in the 1950s; known as the Beat generation. The counterculture gained significant influence in liberal cities such as Berkley and San Francisco. In 1967, Scott McKenzie released his song San Francisco and with this song came rumors of a huge love-in in the summer. This is what fueled the Summer of Love. Leaders of the counterculture in the Haight-Ashbury district were anxious to start planning an event that would fit in with the Summer of Love hype. Their hope was that musicians and other artists would just naturally travel over to the Haight-Ashbury. The Summer of Love would not have been the same without the usage of LSD and marijuana, free love, and the all famous rock and roll music. Drugs seemed to be the way of life for the hippies; they were using all kinds of drugs throughout the decade but the two drugs that were most associated with the Summer of Love were LSD and Marijuana. To the hippies they used the term “dope” instead of “drugs” because dope was good; but drugs included both good and bad substances. Miller stated, “Substances that were perceived as expanding consciousness were good; things which made the user dumb were bad” (Miller 2). Another drug that was used in the Summer of Love was marijuana. It was not as huge as LSD, but it was still used throughout the decade. Marijuana was first introduced in America during the Jazz Age and became one of the central fixtures of the 1960s counterculture. Baugess wrote, “It was intrinsic to the jazz music scene; many musicians used marijuana for its perceived ability to boost creativity and as a way to find relief from racial oppression” (Baugess 400). It grew