Who they were During late 1960s a lot of younger people were
dissatisfied with the war In Vietnam and the way society in general
was going. Because they espoused a lot of seemingly radical ideas,
like free love, tolerance and anit war attitudes, the media deemed
their views counterculture Flower Children- hippies, they created
new styles of dress, experimented with psychedelic drugs, lived
communally and developed vibrant music scenes. Some formed commune
to live as far outside the established as possible After Summer Of
Love, it spread from san Francisco and Berkley to many US and
Canadian cities, as well as European capitals As members grew older
and moderated their lives and views the counterculture was largely
absorbed by the mainstream Practiced acts like reusing trash and
recycled materials to bid geodesic domes for shelter Hippies were
often vegetarian and believed in eco-friendly environmental
practices. They championed free love and sexual liberation,
particularly for women. They also promoted the use of psychedelic
drugs which they believed expanded their consciousness.
Slide 3
What is the Counter Culture? Counterculture of the 1960s was
the anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed first in
US and UK then spread throughout much of the western world between
the early 1960s and mid 1970s with London, NYC, and San Francisco
being the hot beds of early counter culture activity A counter
culture is a culture of a group of people, particularly among the
young, whose values and lifestyles are considerably different and
often diametrically opposed to those established culture. Started
because of general distrust of government, practiced free love, mid
altering us of psychedelic drugs and localized notion of
freedom
Slide 4
1960s originate on college campuses 1964 Free Speech Movement
at University of California, Berkley. It had its roots from the
civil rights movement in the South It was mainly among young people
It began with issues from the Vietnam war, and drafting and arose
with people talking about social issues around campus Social
issues- the remain issues talked about were dress code, student
freedom, course requirements, and discriminations Students began
non violet protests on campus such as sit ins and taking over
college buildings 1965- SDS started a nationwide protest against
the draft Hippies- the main areas for hippies were Urban locations
such as San Francisco and East Village in New York 1969- Woodstock
Festival, in New York was a three days of peace, music, and love.
and was about 300,000- 400,000 to support love and peace in the
United States Hippies wanted peace and there nonviolent protests,
festivals, and organization were there way of expressing that to
the world an making change. Where, When, and Why?
Slide 5
Music Big music names in this era: Bob Dylan Grateful Dead The
Doors Janis Joplin Jimi Hendrix The Who
Slide 6
Musical Influence During this era music fearlessly put drug
references into their lyrics. Since famous musicians decided to
make this drug use public, more people were being opened up to safe
drug use. An entire new genre of music called Acid rock was formed.
Some examples The Doors: Break on Through- alludes to the new
insights gained from drugs and the chemical stimulations in the
brain they produce. Bob Dylan: Subterranean Homesick Blues- starts
off with the lyrics Johnnys in the basement mixing up the medicine.
Which is also a reference to drugs and the making of them. Rock
bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, and The Who
not only sang of drugs but also became avowed users, frequently
celebrating the creative consequences of some elixir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67u2fmYz7S4
Slide 7
Art Jan 14th 1967 human be-in in San Francisco organized by
Michael Bowen caught the culture and medias attention Drop art=
painted rocks that were dropped off a loft roof and onto sidewalk
by John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg), Drop City= success, after
visitors would take the idea of communes and spread them As with
film, press, and music, art in the 1960s responded to the new
counterculture, primarily in pop art and psychedelic art. For
example, pop art challenged traditional fine art by including
imagery from popular culture such as advertising, news, etc. The
concept of pop art refers as much to the art itself as to the
attitudes that it led to, and Andy Warhol is often considered
representative of this type of art. Psychedelic art also emerged in
response to the counterculture, and is defined as any kind of
visual artwork inspired by psychedelic experiences induced by drugs
such as LSD. During the 1960s, psychedelic visual arts were often a
counterpart to psychedelic rock music. This psychedelic art also
represented the revolutionary political, social and spiritual
sentiments that were derived from these drug- induced, psychedelic
states of consciousness
Slide 8
Drug culture- turn on, tune in, drop out The counterculture
movement included a lot of new recreational drug use. LSD and
marijuana were the two drugs that went major in this era do to the
want to expand ones mind. The dangers of drugs were not known or as
well known as they are today. Scientists were trying to decipher if
the use of LSD could be beneficially and truly expand the minds of
the users. At most festivals, including the Summer Of Love,
ambulances were readily available to the public since it was known
that everyone would be doing drugs.
Slide 9
The Summer of Love Known as the Wild Hippie party included free
food, medical care, entertainment, and communal living. The Summer
of Love took place in San Francisco. Most of The Summer of Love
took place in Haight- Ashbury section of the city.
Slide 10
Sex Sexual experimentation began as a way to have fun and yet
another way to not meet the expectations of society. The Counter
Culture Movement stressed the idea of free love for all. The
Free-Sex Movement was the introduction of the idea that people
could have sex with as many people as they wanted Public nudity
also became more welcomed and popular. Society's rules were being
bent. People were beginning to regard sex the same way they
regarded marijuana, if it's relaxing and pleasant with no major
side-effects, why not?
Slide 11
Critical reading questions The hippies were certainly no
strangers to controversy; and, what got them into the most trouble
was their use of illegal drugs. Which "hippie" drug, however, was
perfectly legal until 1966? Most hippies loved to protest; and, the
Vietnam war provided an ideal excuse to complain loudly. On October
21, 1967 in Washington DC, what did close to 70,000 war protesters
gather in an attempt to do? Rock music was most often the sound
that accompanied the hippies when they gathered or traveled. This
music was new and exciting, influenced by rock and roll, folk,
country, and the blues. The hippie musicians also started to mix
rock with their ever expanding minds, and psychedelic rock was
born! Which of these is generally considered the first psychedelic
band The hippies were usually aged between 14 and 26; the boys
often grew their hair long; and, many hippies walked around
barefoot. What style is generally NOT associated with them? The
peace sign is a well known hippie symbol. It was designed in 1958
by British artist Gerald Holtom. Originally, it was created for use
by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War. The symbol was
not copyrighted; so, it began to appear all over the world. How did
Gerald Holtom come to create his peace symbol design?
Slide 12
Citations Singleton, Carl. The Sixties in America. Pasadena,
California: Salen, 1999. Print. Howard, Gerald. the Sixties. New
York: Washington Square, 1982; Print. Dickstein, morris. Gates of
Eden: American Culture in the Sixties. New York, 1977. Print
Source: Boundless. Art and Music. Boundless U.S. History.
Boundless, 16 Sep. 2014. Retrieved 20 May. 2015 from
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textbook/the-sixties-1960-1969-29/counterculture-221/art-and-music-
1234-8459/
https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-
textbook/the-sixties-1960-1969-29/counterculture-221/art-and-music-
1234-8459/
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