What was the Counter-Culture movement?
The Counter-Culture movement was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed and spread throughout the United States during the 1960s. It was mainly prominent among white college students. This young generation first protested against America's involvement in the Vietnam War. College students became political/anti-war activists, and drove anti-war and civil rights movements. Then, various groups going against the cultural standards formed and separated themselves from the cultural norms by changing appearances and lifestyles. Issues dealt with during this time included: free speech, environmentalism, sexuality, women's rights and drug use. Various aspects of the 1960's counter-culture movement have impacted society to this day.
Where did "Counter-culture" come from?
Theodore Roszak (1933-2011) was an author, historian and professor who is best known for his book, "The Making of a Counter Culture". This book was an explanation ofthe European and North American counterculture movement that took place during the 1960s. Roszak was the first to use the term "counterculture". This book interested Vietnam war protesters, rebels, dropouts, student radicals and hippies. It captured the attention of those who rejected corporations and technology- both of which dominated society.
|
Impact
The Counter-culture movement impacted society in many ways. First of all, it brought up important aspects of life, such as civil rights, anti-war, saving the environment, gay liberation and feminism. Freedom of speech came into the picture, as well. Groups would protest- mostly peacefully, to make a statement- and aspects of this have carried on until today. In addition to this, the "hippies" and "flower-children" of the counter-culture movement left their mark on society by demonstrating a new, care-free way to live, with music, drugs, sex... Before the counter-culture movement (with exception of the Beat Generation- which was strictly literature), sex, drugs, and LGBT were considered taboo. With this movement, these topics were talked about more freely. Finally, and most importantly, the counter-culture movement was a chance for people to express themselves, and not be conformed to culture's standards. Individuals were free to be their own person, and this continued to inspire others for many generations.
Important Movements and People
The New Left was defined as a loosely organized, white college student movement that advocated for democracy, civil rights, various types of social reforms (involving gay rights, drugs, environmentalism) and protested against the Vietnam war. This movement pretty much was the umbrella over all the counter-culture movements that took place during the 1960s. It opposed authoritative structures in society, which were dubbed as "The Establishments," and it also opposed the war efforts in Vietnam. The New Left included hippie-related groups such as the Yippies and political-oriented groups such as Students for Democratic Society. Thanks to the New Left, there was a rebirth of feminism and an invention of the modern environmentalist movement- and so much more.
Students for Democratic Society (SDS) was an American student organization that was founded in 1959 (and lasted until 1969). This organization was one of the main representations of the New Left. It was composed primarily of college students, and it advocated for participatory democracy, direct action and student power. SDS had its first meeting in 1960 at the University of Michigan, and the group elected Alan Haber as president. At its first convention, the organization adopted the Port Huron Statement, written by a man named Tom Hayden, the secretary of SDS. This statement outlined the problems of American society, and laid out a radical vision for a better future, which called for individual citizens making social decisions that would affect their lives (participatory democracy).
Anti-War This movement opposed the United States' involvement in the Vietnam war. Protests began in 1964 on college campuses, and eventually, there were large scale demonstrations all over the US. In 1967, protesters (led by a group called Spring Mobilization Committee) marched from Central Park to the United Nations, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people. That same year, another demonstration was organized- a march from Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon, where another rally would be held, followed by civil disobedience on the Pentagon's steps. (This was known as the "March on the Pentagon") There were over 70,000 participants. Around 650 people were arrested for civil disobedience, and some individuals (including Allen Ginsburg, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin) meditated in front of the Pentagon, chanting to try to get rid of the "evil" in it.
Jerry Rubin was a social activist, anti-war leader, and counterculture icon during the 1960s. He was very involved in the anti-war movement, (he helped mobilize and direct the "March on the Pentagon") and eventually became part of the Yippies. |
Yippies were members of the Youth International Party, who were counter-cultural revolutionaries involved with free speech and anti-war movements. This group was founded on December 31, 1967. They were very anti-authoritarian, theatrical and symbolic- especially when they nominated a 145-pound pig, named Pigasus the Immortal, as a candidate for President in 1968. (pictured left) Their campaign pledge was, "They nominate a president and he eats the people. We nominate a president and the people eat him." They Yippies were involved with the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley, among many others.
Abbie and Anita Hoffman were husband and wife, who founded the Youth International Party. They were political and social activists, advocating for participatory democracy, no war and free speech. |
Free Speech
The Free Speech Movement was a student protest that took place in 1964 at Berkley in California. Students protested a ban on on-campus political activities; they also demanded their right to free speech and academic freedom. The Free Speech Movement sparked a huge wave of student activism and involvement. |
Feminism- The role of women as full-time homemakers was challenged again during the counter-culture movement in the 1960s. Betty Friedan, a feminist, published The Feminine Mystique, which influenced the second-wave feminism. Many other activists influenced and educated younger generation women, which expanded feminist thought. More and more women participated in movements, such as the Students for a Democratic Society, so they were seen as stronger human beings.
Betty Friedan was a leading figure in the women's movement. Her book, The Feminine Mystique was a spark that ignited the feminism movement in the 60s. Before writing this book, she first conducted a survey of her college classmates about their lives. When looking at the results, she found out that many of them weren't satisfied with their lives as housewives. This led to her writing about this topic, which she called "the problem that has no name"- which defined the widespread unhappiness of women being subordinate to men during the 50s and 60s. Friedan founded and was the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), whose main purpose was to bring women into American society and be equal with men.
Betty Friedan was a leading figure in the women's movement. Her book, The Feminine Mystique was a spark that ignited the feminism movement in the 60s. Before writing this book, she first conducted a survey of her college classmates about their lives. When looking at the results, she found out that many of them weren't satisfied with their lives as housewives. This led to her writing about this topic, which she called "the problem that has no name"- which defined the widespread unhappiness of women being subordinate to men during the 50s and 60s. Friedan founded and was the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), whose main purpose was to bring women into American society and be equal with men.
Environmentalism- During the 1960s, books such as The Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, and The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich influenced people to become more aware about how they were hurting the environment, and how they could preserve it. General concerns of this time included pollution, litter, environmental effects of the war and car dependent lifestyles. Those participating in the environmentalist movement started recycling and organic farming before they were mainstream aspects of society.
Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and conservationist who wrote The Silent Spring, which documented how pollution, chemicals and pesticides affected the environment- especially birds. It led to a nation-wide ban on use of DDT for agricultural uses.
Paul Ehrlich was a physician and scientists who's book, The Population Bomb, warned humans about overpopulation and its effects (especially mass starvation).
Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and conservationist who wrote The Silent Spring, which documented how pollution, chemicals and pesticides affected the environment- especially birds. It led to a nation-wide ban on use of DDT for agricultural uses.
Paul Ehrlich was a physician and scientists who's book, The Population Bomb, warned humans about overpopulation and its effects (especially mass starvation).
Gay Liberation The gay liberation movement of the 1960s encouraged those who were gay or lesbian to come out publicly as a form of political activism, and to demonstrate gay pride. Lesbian and gay communities grew, and are still growing to this day. Gay liberationists of the 60s wanted to transform traditional institutions of society, such as gender and the family. In order to achieve this kind of freedom, they were very bold and upfront about this movement.
|
Hippies- drugs, music, and sex (oh my)
A new group of people, inspired by the Beat Generation, arose during the Counter-Culture movement. These people practiced free sex, did psychedelic drugs, listened to music, and lived a care-free life. They were called hippies, or flower children, and they are the people who we associate most with when talking about the 60s. The hippies wanted to get back to nature and didn't want to conform to society's norms. They didn't believe in politics and hoped to change society by dropping out of it. People expressed themselves by dressing differently, by experiencing different aspects of life (drugs/sex) and by promoting peace. The hippies left a lasting impact on philosophy, music, art, lifestyle and fashion.
|
DRUGS
During the 60s, those who experimented with drugs (marijuana and LSD- just to name a few) claimed that these drugs could be used to raise one's consciousness.
Music
A new style of music, called psychedelic rock, was introduced during the 1960s' counter-culture movement. This style attempted to replicate and enhance the experience of psychedelic drug use. Musicians such as the Beatles, and the Byrds started this, and many other bands such as the Grateful Dead, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Pink Floyd followed.
The Woodstock Music Festival was organized during this time by four men- John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Mike Lang. At first, these men wanted to build a recording studio and retreat for rock musicians up in Woodstock, New York, but to raise money for this, they decided to have an outdoor arts and music festival, at the site, for over 50,000 people. They sold over 186,000 tickets ($18 each). Roberts wanted to build the venue in Woodstock, New York, but residents shot that idea down because they didn't want hippies in their town. They eventually decided to use Max Yasgur's 600 acre dairy farm. It was held from August 15-17, 1969. 500,000 came to listen to psychedelic music, do drugs, have sex and enjoy life. Woodstock was one of the biggest rock festivals and cultural icons for the 60s. |
|
Sex
The hippies experimented with this idea of sexual liberation- challenging traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and relationships. During the 60s, with the counterculture movement, many experimented with same-sex relationships, contraception, public nudity and premarital sex. Although still considered taboo, much more people talked about it and were very open about it. The legalization of abortion was a topic that was brought up often. These ideas have carried on until today.