The Hippie Culture

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Many generations have come and gone, and many have made an impact on American life. The Sixties were definitely one of those generations that left its mark in history. The people of this generation didn't follow the teachings of their elders, but rejected them for an alternative culture, which was their very own (Harris 14). This new subculture was such a radical society that it was given it's own name which is still used to this day. They came to be known as the Hippies.

The Hippie movement originated in San Francisco, California and spread across the United States, through Canada, and into parts of Europe (World Book), but the Hippie movement had its greatest influence in America. During the 1960's a radical subculture labeled as Hippies stunned America with their alternative lifestyle and radical beliefs. All Hippies were young, from the ages of 15 to 25(Worldbook). The young hippies split from their families for various reasons. Some rejected the idealistic views of their parents', some just wanted to free themselves from society's current norms, and others were simply outcasts, who could only fit in with the Hippie population. Most Hippies came from wealthy middle class families. Some people would say that these youngsters were spoiled and throwing their lives away, but to the Hippies this was the way of life and no one was going to tell them different. Hippies came from all over with various backgrounds to congregate in San Francisco on the corner of Haight Street and Ashbury Street, where the world got its first glimpse of this peculiar sub group. This corner which lies in the very center of San Francisco came to be known as the Haight Ashbury District.

There was a tour bus that ran through the Haight- Ashbury District area in San Francisco called the Gray Line. The tours promotional brochure contained the statement: "The only foreign tour within the continental limits of the United States" (Stern 147). The Hippies were so different that the significant people in the city didn?t like the idea of a large hippie community growing in their city. In the years of 1965 and 1966 the Hippies took over the Haight Ashbury district (Cavan 49). There they lived and spread their psychedelic theme through out the whole area. In the Haight Ashbury district there were two parks where the hippies would hang out, Golden Gate Park and Buena Vista Par...

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...and failed after a few years. Hippies still fought for racial equality. Finally when the 1960's were over new laws were put into action helping racial equality which would not have happened without the Hippies.

During the 1960's a radical group called the hippies shocked America with their alternative lifestyle and radical beliefs. No movement in our history defines a culture change more accurately than the hippie movement in the 60?s. They had their own laws, music, clothes, and writings. The view of what a society should be was common among all hippies. Their ideas were big all throughout the late 60?s and early 70?s. The effects of the hippie movement are still felt to this day, and to this day there is still large hippie population in America .

Works Sited

Cavan, Sherry. Hippies of the Haight. St.Louis: New Critics Press, Inc., 1972.

Harris, Nathaniel. The Sixties. London: Macdonald Education Ltd., 1975.

"Hippies" WorldBook Multimedia Encyclopedia. CD-ROM.

Stern, Jane and Michael. Sixties People. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1990.

This Fabulous Century. New York: Time-Life Books, 1970.

Clark, M. "LSD and the Drugs of the Mind." Time 9 May 2011.

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