SixtiesProject

Hippies

Hippie: A member of a loosely knit, nonconformist group generally characterized by emphasis universal love, withdrawal from conventional society, and a general rejection of its mores, especially regarding dress, personal appearance and living habits... That is the dictionary definition of a hippie. May I suggest that you research it, get your own opinion and then take the definition or leave it.

A Small Intro	What is a Hippie?
How They Came About	Hippies Made the Sixties
Just a Few Pics	Other Sixties Pages

Hi! I'm Dana. I began this page as an assignment but have since become very interested in Hippies and their ways. When I hear "sixties," I think "hippie." When most people hear "hippie," they think drugs, sex, and other unnecessary rebellion. However, through my history class and other research, I have learned who hippies really were, their purpose, and what motivated them to do what they did. By knowing this, it is a little easier to understand some of what they did.

Hippies Made the Sixties
Hippies had a HUGE influence on the sixties. If it weren't for the hippie generation, the sixties wouldn't have been known for the crazy, rebellion stage of this century. The sixties were made of hippies, and they brought three of the major things to the decade in which it was made upon: sex, drugs, and music. Although drugs were very popular and sometimes even legal, it wasn't acceptable for kids to use them. Of course many kids still did them and that was how they got their highs to live in the psychedelic world they enjoyed. This was usually the state of mind that writers were in when they produced their best writing or music. This is partly how music became so popular among hippies. A lot of hippies wrote music of at least enjoyed listening to it. Rock-and-Roll along with psychedelic and anti-war music became very popular. Not only were drugs and music an easy way of rebellion, kids also turned to sex. All three of these things, along with friends, were at gatherings, or concerts, such as Woodstock where bands played their music, influencing rebellious kids even more. Hippies brought countless things to the sixties, none of which would be as well known without their lifestyles.

How They Came About
Some call it the counter culture. Some call it a generation gap. No matter what you call it, it was definitely there and very apparent. Growing up in the sixties kids began seeing the lies they had lived with their entire lives. While their parents were trying to protect them, they may have hurt them in the long run. There were four main issues that led to the younger generation becoming so rebellious and known as hippies. The television, automobile, education and rock-and-roll allowed teens to be "set free" from the "perfect world" their parents had raised them in and become what they were known as: Hippies.

Rock-N-Roll

Education

Automobile

Television

Rock-and-Roll affected the sixties in the most part by talking to the younger
                    generation. Hippies were known for listening to rock-and-roll which gave them a
                    rebellious feeling. This type of music was the gateway for hippies to come together,
                    stay strong and do what they believed was right. The music that hippies wrote and
                    listened to had a very big impact on and reflected the way they acted and lived.

       Education - School was also a big influence on kids becoming hippies. When the baby
                    boom generation hit school age, classes were huge. All of these kids grew up with big
                    classes which made it easier to have large groups of friends and exposure to many
                    different opinions and ideas. This allowed kids to become more street smart and utalize
                    their common sense. It also gave them many views to look at and choose from so they
                    were believing whatever they wanted. Another thing kids were being taught in school was
                    patriotism. They learned this through books that taught of famous Americans, wars, the
                    Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. They were taught that patriotism
                    was to stand up for what was right and make sure the government does their job. This
                    would have been okay except that parents were taught patriotism through WWII and
                    the Depression and were taught to protect their government. These two different views
                    on patriotism and kids forming their own ideas only made the generation gap wider.

Back to Rock 'n' Roll

    Automobile - As the U.S. came out of the depression in the fifties and families got
                    back on their feet, they were able to buy more of the things they wanted. A lot of
                    families ended up with two vehicles, which was coincidentally handy for teens when they
                    turned of age to drive. By having their own source of transportation kids were no longer
                    dependent on their families for entertainment and values were no longer being enforced
                    by the family. Instead, kids got more freedom and were able to hang out with friends
                    for fun. By being with friends more often, values were learned and reinforced in a much
                    different manner, making kids believe differently. The automobile may seem like a small
                    thing but it actually affected the hippies in a big way.

Back to Rock 'n'Roll

     Television - It doesn't see m as if the television would've helped kids form such a wide
                    generation gap but it may in fact have been one of their biggest influences. Nothing
                    has changed since then and reporters were still tell-all people, making it extremely
                    easy for kids to see what was going on in the real world. The TV was probably the
                    biggest eye-opener for kids, allowing them to see and realize the extremity of what was
                    taking place outside of their "perfect lives." There were two major things kids were
                    noticing that made them see the world around them wasn't right or fair like they had
                    been taught. Seeing the realities of the Cold War and the Civil Rights movement on TV
                    gave these kids a reason to rebel and become hippies. On TV kids saw riots and marches
                    taking place for the fight of Civil Rights. Just because people were fighting for
                    something that they should've had anyway, freedom, they were being acused. Kids
                    watched back people be beat, hosed, attacked by dogs and sometimes even killed, just
                    for fighting for their rights. Their entire lives, kids had grown up thinking that
                    everyone was treated equally and the TV was showing them differently. This upset the
                    kids because it was obvious their parents had lied to them about how life really was and
                    there was no telling what else had been lies. Sixties kids were also growing up during the
                    Cold War so they lived with the everyday threat of perhaps not seeing tomorrow. This
                    made them want to live to the highest and do everything today because they might not be
                    alive to do it tomorrow. This is where the rebellious part of hippies came from. Hippies
                    were also friendly and peaceful. This came from the fact that they wanted to make the
                    world a happy place so everyone got along and there was no longer war. Without war
                    they wouldn't live with the fear that there might not be a tomorrow. TV opened the door
                    for kids to see reality and gave them one more reason to rebel and be hippies.

What is a Hippie?
                Hippies were kids growing up in the sixties that fought in a youth protest
movement against their parents, prejudism, and war. A large percentage of hippies were from white middle-class families and were in their late teens or early twenties. Their belief of universal love and peace was what they based most of their actions upon. Hippies disagreed with U.S. involvement in Vietnam and didn't agree with minorities being treated unfairly. They rebelled against their parents because they had lived with lies and they thought parents were only concerned about money.
                   Most hippies lived together in small groups, sharing belongings and traveling to festivals together. They usually did drugs to get that "out of this world," peaceful feeling. Two of the most common drugs used were LSD and marijuana.
                    Hippies were most famous for their attitudes which reflected how they acted in everyday life. They believed people should act naturally and show, and tell, how they feel. Hippies wore what used to be consider odd. They wore bright colors, sandals or no shoes, long hair, and other different or wild items. Hippies were also called "Flower Children." Flowers were used as a symbol of love and handed to people in hopes of making the world more peaceful.
                    Some hippies even enjoyed bright posters, strange designs, and colorful light shows. Of course, hippies enjoyed the different, rebellious types of music, living freely and fighting for what they believed in.
                Hippies were very awkward people in the sixties. They went out of their way to stick out and be rebellious so they were seen and heard. After knowing why they did what they did and seeing who they were beyond the rebellion, hippies weren't the horrible kids they were thought to be.

Just a Few Pics

Group of hippies, protesting.

Hippies hanging out around their ride.

The stage at woodstock being set up.

A hippie performing at Woodstock.

Other Sixties Pages

Woodstock	Psychedelic Oasis	Hippy Ring of Peace	...More Hippies
Music	Sixties	Sixties, Etc.	More Sixties