The Hippie Rebellion
The Hippie Rebellion There are many subcultures in our history that resulted from a variety of sources. One of the biggest rebellions came from the “Hippie Generation.” The sons and daughters of the Baby Boom era push themselves away from their ancestors, who rejected them for an alternative culture which was their own. (Huber, Lemieux, Hollis) The three key reasons are do to the change in music, the use of narcotics, and their anti-war beliefs. The change in music clearly set their generation apart from any other. As found on the History Channel’s website, “To express their protests, and to "turn on" others, the hippies used art, street theater and particularly music. Folk music and psychedelic rock…were both crucial aspects of hippie culture.” That was the first aspect that set the 15-25 year old movement apart from their preceding generation. Along with the music came the inspiration.
Many bands and singers talked about the use of narcotics, or what they saw when they took a “trip.” It creates a state of mind that is supported by the live free, die young mentality. “Many hippies also saw hallucinogenic drugs, such as marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), as the key to escaping the ties of society and expanding their individual consciousness.” (Hippies and the Revolution of a Culture.) Whether they used drugs to promote the peace and happiness in which they believed, to protest against the conservative and closed-minded “establishment,” because their friends all took drugs, or just because they enjoyed it, drug usage was a huge part of the hippie sub-culture. (Kent) The drugs were used to escape from responsibility and reality. For others it was used for forget. The three million Indochinese, and 58,000 American lives that were lost in The Vietnam War, was the biggest reason the ‘Hippie Generation’ became to exist. (Axelrod) Anti-war protesting was the heart and soul of the movement. “By the decades end protests seemed to have done some
Many bands and singers talked about the use of narcotics, or what they saw when they took a “trip.” It creates a state of mind that is supported by the live free, die young mentality. “Many hippies also saw hallucinogenic drugs, such as marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), as the key to escaping the ties of society and expanding their individual consciousness.” (Hippies and the Revolution of a Culture.) Whether they used drugs to promote the peace and happiness in which they believed, to protest against the conservative and closed-minded “establishment,” because their friends all took drugs, or just because they enjoyed it, drug usage was a huge part of the hippie sub-culture. (Kent) The drugs were used to escape from responsibility and reality. For others it was used for forget. The three million Indochinese, and 58,000 American lives that were lost in The Vietnam War, was the biggest reason the ‘Hippie Generation’ became to exist. (Axelrod) Anti-war protesting was the heart and soul of the movement. “By the decades end protests seemed to have done some
Cited: Axelrod, Alan. "Of love, the moon and dirty tricks.." Complete Idiot 's Guide to American History. 293. US: MacMillan Publishing USA, 1998. History Reference Center. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 31 Mar. 2008 <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=760380&site=ehost-live>. "Hippies and the Revolution of a Culture." The History Channel. 2007. 30 Mar. 2008 <http://www.history.com/states.do?action=detail&state=Hippies&contentType=State_Generic&contentId=56743&parentId=1968>. Huber, Adam, Chris Lemieux, and Marlon Hollis. "The Hippie Generation." Rowan University. 30 Mar. 2008 <http://users.rowan.edu/~lindman/hippieintro.html>. Kent, Ryan. "There Were Drugs At Woodstock!?" May-June 2000. Lehigh University. 30 Mar. 2008 <http://www.lehigh.edu/~ineng/jac/jac-ryan4.htm>.