1960S AMERICA: A DECADE OF CHANGE
THE JOURNEY OF A BOOMER
Counterculture
The counterculture movement, which exploded in the 60s, was inspired by individualism, peace and unity. Although this categorized a group of people now known as ‘hippies’, the movement also addressed civil rights, environmentalism and homophobia. The emergence of this counterculture during the 1960s owed a great deal to the large size of the baby boomer generation, who were keen to reject ‘popular opinion’ and adopt their own values; in line with a more equal society.
What’s important to remember is that, as a baby boomer living in America during this time, you were most likely entangled in the counterculture movement in some way.
Hippie vibes
Hippies were part of a subculture that branched off from the counterculture movement, during the 60s. Hippie beliefs and practices were what hundreds of thousands of young Americans adopted and felt they resonated with. Hippies favoured their own distinctive lifestyle, which ranged from psychedelic fashion to the widespread use of drugs, such as LSD. The hippie lifestyle offered an alternative to the middle-class society most hippies had grown to feel alienated in. This subculture also advocated for no violence, hence why the hippie movement heightened during the late 1960s, with the Vietnam War taking place.
Did you know the Hippie Movement actually stemmed from ‘Beat Culture', in the 1950s? it originated in San Francisco as part of the San Francisco Renaissance. Elements of the Beat Generation that Hippies took reign of included:
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The rejection of mainstream values
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Exploration of religions in the East
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The quest for spiritual healing
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Experimentation with drugs
Check out the amazing video below which immerses you into the ‘Summer of Love’ in 1967, arguably the peak of the Hippie Movement in San Francisco, America.
Chapter 1 | Summer of Love | American Experience | PBS
Make love not war
The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam; who allied with America and other countries like South Korea and the Philippines. Those who allied with South Vietnam were all in support of the Policy of Containment, which was essentially about stopping the spread of communism.
To say America’s involvement in the Vietnam War empowered the Hippie Movement, would be a huge understatement. America’s involvement began in 1965 but escalated very quickly and led the movement to its peak, in 1969. The country was certainly divided, some in support of their involvement, but many outraged by it (check out the video below). Those who were particularly angered were baby boomers. From college campus protests to mass rallies, they were not afraid to voice how much they opposed what was going on.
"Mainstream society was perceived to be the source of virtually all social, political and economic ills, ranging from racism to the Vietnam War".
With nearly 60,000 American soldier’s dead, the economy drained from military expenses and the atrocities committed by America in Vietnam all over world-wide news, people continued to turn to Hippie counterculture, which instead pledged ‘peace’ and ‘unity’. The Vietnam War certainly gave young people more reason to pursue the rejection of mainstream authority, which is what the Hippie movement was about.
