A unique set of factors came together in 1964 to nurture a modern renaissance that transformed society for the better.  Many changes took place simultaneously, including the civil rights, anti-war, and women's movements.  Although these social movements have been widely studied and celebrated over the last 40 years, many accomplishments and visions of the hip counterculture are forgotten these days.

The term “hippies” initially referred to young people who wanted freedom to do their own thing. Many were white and from higher income families. They wanted to break free of rigid conformity. They questioned authority and protested over the Vietnam war. We saw a better world waiting if we could all live together. 

Forces Giving Rise to Hippies:

• Young college students went south to help register African-Americans to vote after the passage of the Civil Rights Act (Freedom Summer).
  
  

• Booming numbers of young people had time and money to travel and attend college.
  
  

• The Free Speech Movement began at UC-Berkeley over student rights to protes -- led to much campus dissent.
  
  

• Escalating war in Vietnam and draft prompted protest.
  
  

• Psychedelic sounds (e.g., The Beatles, Grateful Dead) inspired peace, love and youthful rebellion.
  
  

• Marijuana and LSD enabled people to experience different states of consciousness that enhanced creativity.
  
  

• Underground press and radio, along with rock concerts, spread the word about the new counterculture.
  
  

• Intellectual leadership and inspiration provided by Beatniks, civil rights leaders, and the murdered Kennedy Brothers.

We now realize that the sixties counterculture led to many important innovations that we take for granted today.  You will learn a lot more about the hippie legacy and what it means for our future.  Historians who study the sixties recognized the following hippie contributions: 

• Helped end the Vietnam war and promoting other social causes.
  
  
• Promoting interest in environmental preservation and pollution control.
  
  
• Sparking interest in natural food and alternative medicines.
  
  
• Integrating eastern spirituality and practices into the US culture.
  
  
• Providing visions of a new society based on peace and love.
  
  
• Helping spur development of personal computers and the Internet?