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The Hippie Counterculture
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The Hippie Counterculture
Lyndon B Johnson was
the 36th American President who served in office from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969. One of the important events during his presidency was the
emergence of the Hippie Counterculture.
The
Hippie Counterculture Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Hippie Counterculture.
What is the definition of Counterculture? The
definition of Counterculture is a group of
people whose values, beliefs, styles and
attitudes differ, or are counter to, the
prevailing, accepted culture.
What is the meaning of Hippie? The
meaning of the word 'Hippie' are from the
terms hipster and hippie and derive from the
slang word 'hip' meaning knowledgeable,
fashionable, up-to-date.
When was the Hippie Counterculture active?
The Hippie Counterculture, or Hippie
Movement was active from the 1960's -
1970's, originating on college campuses in
the United States.
What was the Hippie Counterculture?
The Hippie Counterculture, or Hippie
Movement, was a revolutionary youth movement
that rejected mainstream American life and
values, that were dominated by materialism,
consumerism and violence. The Hippie
Counterculture developed its own
distinctive, freer lifestyle based on the
Utopian ideals of Peace and Love
Hippie Counterculture
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Hippie Counterculture
for kids.
The Hippie Counterculture
Facts for kids
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 1: The end of WW2 led
to a booming postwar economy for middle class Americans
and a subsequent rise in materialism and consumerism.
The population in the U.S. exploded, and the 77 million
babies born between 1946 and 1964 were referred to as
the Baby Boomers.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
2: Many more
Americans were able to send their children to college,
leading to a boom in higher education, and saw
enrollment in colleges and universities increase from
just over 3 million in the 1950's to nearly 5 million in
the early 1960's.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 3: The new found prosperity did
not apply to all, and the
Civil
Rights Movement was gaining momentum as African Americans sought
equality with white citizens. The period also saw the rise of
Feminism in which
women sought equality with men.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 4: The nation was in the midst of
the Cold War and people were living with the constant threat of a
possible outbreak of a nuclear war.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 5: The vast number of new
students, away from the conformity, constraints and conventions of
their homes, began to enjoy the freedom and independence of college
life. Colleges and universities provided a forum to openly discuss
politics, society, inequalities, poverty, racism and their fears
about the future.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 6: The Hippie Counterculture had its
roots in the Youth Movement and other organizations such
as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Free
Speech Movement. Free Speech activist and Berkeley grad
student Jack Weinberg coins the phrase "Don't trust
anyone over 30".
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 7: Many students used
the new youth-led organizations to politically challenge
the system. Others were so disillusioned by politicians,
the threat of war and a life dictated by materialism
that they choose the option to 'drop out' and build
their own society.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 8: The new society,
based on peace, equality and Utopian ideals was called
the Hippie Counterculture. The universal calling for
youth to "Turn on, tune in, drop out" was popularized by
Timothy Leary in 1966. Other counterculture era phrases
were "Make Love, Not War".
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
9: The young people
who adhered to the Hippie Counterculture rejected
conventional lifestyles preferring a free, independent
and simpler way of life, that was closer to nature.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 10: Many young people
literally dropped out of society, choosing to live
together in communes. Others lived together in city
apartments. The most famous, and popular, for hippies
was the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
11: Living together in
unconventional groups, free from any traditional
restrictions, the Free Love movement emerged based on
the idea is that people should be free to love each
other with no commitment, such as marriage.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 12:
Second
Wave Feminism and the Women's Rights
Movement emerged to liberate women from their designated roles as
housewife and mother. The "Pill" and other forms of contraception
allowed women to have sex, without concern of unwanted pregnancies.
Continued...
Hippie Counterculture
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Hippie Counterculture for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Hippie Counterculture.
The Hippie Counterculture
Facts for kids
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 13: The
Pop Art
movement had exploded on to the scene during the late 1950's and
early 1960's. This was followed by the Psychedelic art movement
which was inspired by psychedelic experiences, and altered states of
consciousness, induced by taking drugs such as LSD during the Hippie
Counterculture era.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 14: The Psychedelic art movement
strongly influenced fashion during the Hippie Counterculture era.
Fashion and clothes during the period were dominated by bright and
highly contrasting colors, repeating motifs often accompanied with
lettering, stripes and unusual patterns using spirals and concentric
circles and, of course, flowers.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 15: Hippie clothing
was often loose and made of natural fibers like cotton
and hemp. Other materials with paisley or kaleidoscopic
designs were popular as were velvets and satins.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 16: Hand-made clothes
and fashion was popular. T-shirts were customized using
the Tie-Dye process of dying sections of clothing to
create random circular patterns and changes in colors.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 17: Hip hugging
bell-bottom jeans, adorned with flower patches and
fringes at the ankle, were worn by men and women. The
jeans were accompanied by T-shirts and waistcoats and
women wore loose peasant blouses, or skimpy halter tops.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 18: The older
generation was shocked by some of the outrageous
'anything goes' fashions, but none more so than the
adoption of the mini and even micro-mini skirts. The
mini skirt was often accompanied by suede knee-high
boots or sandals.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts - 19: Another fashion
that shocked the older generation related to hair.
Short, tidy haircuts were the norm for the men of the
older generation, many of whom had experienced the clean
shaven styles and discipline of the military. The young
men of the Hippie counterculture rebelled, grew their
hair long and often wore beards, which completed their
unkempt look. Long hair was the ultimate symbol of
defiance and popularized by rock groups such as the
Rolling Stones and the
Beatles.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
20: Flower Power:
Flowers were very emblematic of the Hippie
Counterculture. Hippies believed it was important to
display as much natural beauty as possible, in a world
that had been made ugly by materialism and the threat of
nuclear war.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
21: Flower Power: To
the hippies, flowers represented peace and love were
seen everywhere. Real flowers were worn in the hair and
flower images were painted on the face. Day-glo, a
florescent paint, was used to give a psychedelic effect.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
22: Rock music was
also important to the Hippie Counterculture and the
lyrics of the era reflected the ideals of the movement
with strong messages of peace and anti-war lyrics.
Famous folk and rock artists of the era included the
Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills
and Nash, the Who, the Grateful Dead and Joan Baez,
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
23: The term
'Happening' was used to describe many performances and
events of the era such as art and music festivals. 1967
saw the 'Summer of Love' as 30,000 hippies gathered for
the "Human Be-In" at Golden Gate Park and the Monterey
Pop Festival saw a massive attendance of between
25,000-90,000 people. The 1969 Woodstock Festival
attracted 400,000 people and changed the history of Rock
and Roll and was followed by the Altamont Music
Festival.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
24: Spirituality and
Religion: New Religious movements emerged during the
Hippie Counterculture era including the Unification
Church (the Moonies), the Transcendental Meditation (TM)
led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the
Hare Krishna movement.
Other hippies embraced unconventional beliefs such as
Hinduism, Buddhism and Native American mysticism.
Astrology was also popular, and the period of the Hippie
Counterculture was often referred to as the Age of
Aquarius.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
25: The Hippie
Counterculture shocked the world and was branded by the
older generation as immoral, revolutionary and
anarchistic.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
26: Charles Manson was
the leader of a hippie commune and, whilst exhibiting
many of the outward appearances of hippie identity, used
his twisted logic and use of hallucinogenic drugs to
manipulate his followers the 'Manson Family' to commit
nine murders.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
27: The Hippie
Counterculture began to slowly decline during the early
1970's. The Utopian ideals and the concept of peace and
love declined as the prolonged Vietnam War dragged on.
Hippie communities turned into seedy places with high
crime rates. The use of illegal drugs led to increased
drug addiction, overdoses and deaths.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts -
28: The Hippie
Counterculture collapsed as disillusioned hippies were
unable to topple the establishment or reform the
materialistic society. Hippies were unable to
create ideal communities or support themselves and
gradually returned to mainstream society.
Hippie Counterculture
Facts for kids
Hippie Counterculture
Facts for kids: Phrases and Terminology
New phrases and
terminology emerged, that reflected the ideals and
lifestyle of the Hippie Counterculture, such as
"Do Your Own Thing". "Far Out", "Flower Power",
"Uptight", "Free Love", "Groovy", "Laid Back", "Let It
All Hang Out", "Psychedelic", "Happening", "Fab" and
"Out of sight".
Hippie Counterculture for kids
●
Interesting Facts about Hippie Counterculture for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Hippie Counterculture in US history
●
The Hippie Counterculture, a major
event in US history
●
Lyndon Johnson from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969
●
Fast, fun facts about the Hippie Counterculture
●
Counterculture of Hippies
● Lyndon Johnson Presidency and
Hippie Counterculture for schools,
homework, kids and children |
