Cultural Movement: The Hippie Movement

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By the early 1960’s, America experienced a cultural movement of seismic proportions; primarily within it’s youth. Appropriately deemed the counterculture, this social metamorphosis was based upon a transition from strict long-held American values to a widespread antiestablishment attitude. The hippie movement, as it was commonly called, began as a youth movement in 1960’s America. College-aged men and women throughout the United States adopted an entirely new belief system and way of life; this cultural phenomenon would soon become known as the hippie movement. In an attempt to separate themselves from mainstream society, these young Americans quickly became the backbone of the counterculture. The hippie movement was based upon a blend of passionate beliefs ranging from a certain style of dress to fervent political activism. This movement challenged America’s seemingly rampant materialism as well as its political and cultural norms. Often among the middle–class, the hippies were trademarked by their distinctly alternative style of dress, which included jeans, tie-dye, sandals, beards and long hair. Additionally, they embraced the concept of sexual promiscuity as well as the use of recreational drugs, including marijuana and LSD. Among the many ideals associated with the American counter culture, the most prominent included a demand for greater social tolerance, a desire to challenge authority, environmental awareness, a significantly more open attitude towards gender roles, and a natural inclination to expand one’s consciousness. The very heart of this subculture, however, lay in intense anti-war and anti-capitalistic notions. America experienced this intense anti-war movement when vehement protest of the Vietnam War began in 196... ... middle of paper ... ...ment of Muddy Grace." New York Times. August 5, 2005. Accessed January 30, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/arts/music/09pare.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. *Spitz, Bob. Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969. New York: Viking Press, 1979. Thomas, Mark. "Economist's View: Did Woodstock Hippies Lead to US Financial Collapse?" February 26, 2010. Accessed January 30, 2014. http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2010/02/did-woodstock-hippies-lead-to-us-financial-collapse.html. *Tiber, Elliot, and Tom Monte. Taking Woodstock. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers, 2007. "Vietnam War Protests." History.com. 2014. Accessed March 30, 2014. http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests. "Woodstock Rocked." The Economist. August 30, 1969. Accessed January 30, 2014. http://www.economist.com/node/14252662.

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