Economic and Political Reform of the Hippie Era

By: Lori Thomas
The penniless band of wandering hippies were rebelling against the materialism of the culture they abandoned. They gave up the comforts of their parents homes, laundry, money, and abandoned the work ethics their parents pushed. They bartered and traded many of their necessities in a communal effort to sustain their lifestyles. They protested, en masse, in Washington D.C. to end the war in Vietnam. This with other rallies spread their message through the media. Eventually their message would be reflected in the presidential declaration that ended the war in Vietnam1969. With each protest and rally, the Hippie movement gained momentum. They wanted to reform the racial boundries and free women and children from oppression. The world was beginning to realize that many small voices joined together could blare a message and evoke change.

By: Rebekah Sorrells
What started in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s with issues like prohibition, racism, and women’s suffrage led to the movement during the 50’s through 70’s. People in the 1950’s began protesting government actions they didn’t agree with, from war to racism. What started with a small number of beatniks protesting in the 1950’s snow-balled into masses of people protesting on college campuses and even in Washington. Government inevitably had to transform to encompass the masses of people demanding change. With the changing government came drastic changes to society. The conservative World War II generation produced the sexual/drug experimenting generation.

Protesting contributed a great amount of influence on the war.