Long Road To Peace When someone hears the word “hippie” they are most likely to think of the scene in Forrest Gump or even the groupies that followed The Beatles on hand and foot. Hippie culture is much more than that. Some aspects of this sub-rebellious culture are the concept of free love- you know, that bumper sticker that reads “make love not war”? That would be a relic of the 1960-1970’s. The hippie lifestyle was uncanny to older generations- this created the phenomenon of the “generation gap” (Feinstein). Younger people, early to mid 20’s, started to pursue the “counterculture” of using marijuana and LSD to free their minds and be closer to nature. Typically, the tradition hippie attire was ripped up blue, bell bottom jeans, with …show more content…
The corporate connections of The Board of Trustees of Stanford University stated that the turning point for these riots was on May 4 1970. Four peaceful student demonstrators at Kent State University in Ohio were murdered by Ohio National Guardsmen during a campus anti-war rally which started a long train of disturbing, violent, riots in the United States. Some college campuses became virtual war zones, with arson and bombings as well as low-level vandalism and window-breaking says author James K. Sayre who then states that the protests became political blockades.
The anti-war movement was started by “leftist” members of the SDS, Students for a Democratic Society, started to organize groups to teach college students about the opposition to the war (history.com). As the movement grew, so did its following. Some of whom were the members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, many of whom were in wheelchairs and on crutches. In 1969, President Nixon claimed that the anti-war protestants were made up of a “small-albeit-vocal-minority” that allegedly “drowned” out the voices of the majority American views. This speech drove the nation to tear even more and then came the final leap into brutal riots- the draft lottery (history.com). The hippie culture went mobile and took protests to capital cities like Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and then ending in colossal gathering in Washington D.C.
Young men were drafted into war; however, people were able to dodge the draft through various circumstances, conscientious objectors, most prominent being that they were part of a peace church, the government also allowed for those in college to stay and continue their education. This meant that a disproportionate amount of soldiers fighting in the war came from working class families, and so a rift was created between working class and college educated, who predominantly opposed the war. Throughout the 60s anti-war protests broke out, and people would burn their draft cards in the street. That angered those who felt that the action was un-American, and directly combated the struggle of the military personnel across the seas. Nixon, after having won the election in 1968 actively opposed the anti war movement, he even linked dissent with treason, and refused to pull troops from Vietnam. Despite the outcry of voices demanding an end to the war, Nixon and his vice president Agnew sided with the “silent majority” putting those who opposed in a minority, so that when the war continued it appeared as if it were all part of the democratic
The Vietnam War made impacts on the movement back home. As in 1967 Martin Luther King Jr. even went against his own beliefs of not speaking out about the war he began preaching that it is truly sad to see African American people and the poor who can not make a living, being drafted (Doc C). Not only were they being drafted they were also dying at a much higher rate then just about every other group in society (Doc C). MLK also stated that these individuals were fighting to establish peace and rights over in Vietnam, while they did not even have these for themselves (Doc C). During the Vietnam years there still was some of the American population who supported the war, but would not speak out publicly about supporting the actions. This group was given the name the silent majority. Richard Nixon while in office spoke out about the group saying that the silent majority needs to speak out publicly as all the messages going around about the war are negative (Doc G). He also said in his speech that even though some people may not like the war everyone should help in the mind of creating peace in South Vietnam and that without everyone coming together in the nation that the US military could be defeated in the war (Doc
“Hippies were called Flower Children because they gave flowers to communicate gentleness and love” (Salge). The Hippie Movement was a popular counter culture during the 60’s-70’s. Hippies are best known for their practice of psychedelic drug use, interesting political views, where they took up living quarters, and their unique fashion sense.
The student body at Kent State numbered about 20,000 and had been considered conservative, but not overly political. In fact they were thought of as rather passive politically. The shootings were a culmination of four days of demonstrations by members of the student body. The students were protesting the invasion of Cambodia by American forces.
In a students’ perspective, the Kent State Shootings were for a horrible reason and the protest was not wild at all. The students believed that their protest was for a good cause and that they should not have to break it up. An article says, "They were informed that a ban on student gatherings had been called. They were then ordered to disperse by the National Guard and police. When they failed to do so, tear gas was launched, and the guardsmen moved in. Several students were beaten and even bayoneted as the guardsmen dispersed the crowd"(“The Kent State Shootings: May 4, 1970"). They believed the protest was under control, so they continued. However, this resulted in the National Guard taking matters to the extreme by beating and using weapons on the students. When the National Guard was called in to calm the protest, they were very aggressive and angry. They also came in looking for violence and one article says, "Sunday, May 3rd was a day filled with contrasts. Nearly 1000 Ohio National Guardsmen occupied the campus, making it appear like a military war zone"(“The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The search”). The National Guard came into the protest looking to break it up using violence. Their violence resulted in the deaths of four students and the injuring of many. The students view the Kent State Shootings as
The anti-war protests of the 1960s was a response of resentment by minorities and young educated college students against the nation’s desire to participate in war against Communism in Vietnam and conduct a military draft. The protests, originally began with peaceful public demonstrations by activists, who were nonviolent; however, the peaceful demonstrators were frequently attacked and victimized by the police and other citizens, who did not share their same opinion. Throughout the peaceful protests the activists suffered many beatings in the hands of the police and as a result, many of the activists claimed the right of self-defense and turned to taking offensive actions against their oppressors including the police and other citizens. Later, the scene of violence and mayhem quickly shifted to college campuses, to which college students began protesting the draft (Gurr, 1989, pp. 183-185). At the time the average age of an American soldier serving in Vietnam was 19 and students quickly rebelled after realizing that young Americans were legally old enough to be drafted to fight and die, but were not yet legally allowed to vote or drink alcohol (UShistory, nd.).
The anti-war movement attracted people from college campuses, middle class suburbs, labour unions and government institutions. Pacifists were also against the war on moral and religious grounds as they believed all war is wrong because it is against Christian teaching. By the end of the sixties,
During the 1960s and 1970s, America endured the Vietnam War and protests against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. From college campus demonstrations, to newspaper articles and radio broadcasts, antiwar sentiment blossomed through different mediums to convey how dissatisfied some citizens felt against the War’s duration. May 4, 1970 saw college students of Kent State University holding a common antiwar demonstration turn unusually fatal: four students were shot dead and nine others sustained wounds. It was the third day in a larger protest at Kent State criticizing the then recent April 1970 move of American troops into Cambodia. No one was injured during the protest’s first two days, but when students starting vandalizing buildings and throwing rocks at the Ohio National Guardsmen on campus, the soldiers retaliated with gunfire. Having students killed over opposing the War, the incident added more material into the ongoing debate of whether citizens should protest U.S. involvement and evade conscription. Antiwar protestors had saw Vietnam as a country not worth fighting in to curb Communism. Others saw the War as necessary to fight Communism. In his book Fortunate Son, returning veteran Lewis B. Puller did not know how he should react when U.S. troops murdered protestors; mixed feelings of supporting antiwar demonstrations but not callously dismissing the War-inflicted deaths and injuries his fellow soldiers and him bore clouded his opinion. The New York Times, however, backed
The Hippie Counter Culture began in 1960. The hippie era was influenced more by personal happiness in which books, music, and fashion followed as result of their personification of a blissful society. Hippies did not care what others thought of them and their motto was “if it feels good, do it”. Hippies were seeking a utopian society. They participated in street theater and listened to psychedelic rock. As part of their culture they embraced more open sexual encounters amongst each other in their community and believed in use of psychedelic drugs which consisted of marijuana and LSD. The fashion choice that hippies dressed in was due to set them apart from the mainstream society. They choose to buy their clothing from thrift shops and flea markets (Haddock, 2011). Clothing choices are described as “brightly colored, ragged clothes, tie-dyed t-shirts, beads, sandals (or barefoot), and jewelry” (Haddock, 2011, para 7). Hippies also referred
John Lennon once said,” We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity,” whether this claim is true or not, the world will never know. The Beatles were, however, one of the most influential groups of all time and paved the way for many others to follow in their path.
The Beatles: Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) was born in Liverpool on 7 July 1940. Drums and vocals. John Lennon was born in Liverpool on 9 October 1940. He was shot dead in New York on 8 December 1980. Rhythm guitar, keyboards, harmonica, vocals. Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool on 18 June 1942. Bass guitar, keyboards, lead guitar, drums, vocals. George Harrison was born in Liverpool on 25 February 1943. Lead guitar, sitar, keyboards, vocals.
The Beatles are simply the greatest band ever. 20 accomplishments, achievements and innovations that may change your mind:
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement beginning in the United States around the early 1960s and consisted of a group of people who opposed political and social orthodoxy, choosing an ideology that favored peace, love, and personal freedom. The hippies rejected established institutions, criticized middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War, were usually eco-friendly and vegetarians, and promoted the use of psychedelic drugs. They created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs to explore alternative states of consciousness. They strived to liberate themselves from societal restrictions, choose their own way, and find new meaning in life.
the Beatles. And they had to go to Germany to do it. In order to
If I had to think of one word to describe the Beatles, it would have to be iconic. Their style and innovation is something that has really stood the test of time and remains unsurpassed. They were ahead of their time, they were experimental, and their music is timeless. The Fab four’s music speaks to all generations. The variety in which is displayed throughout their albums is what I admire most about the Beatles. Each record has its own unique sound; there really is a song for everyone. It is impossible to talk about the progression of music without mentioning the Beatles. They sit atop The Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artist of All Time list, and for good reason. I am excited to express my views on some of my