Who were the hippies?
The hippies were a social group that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s during a period of political unrest in the United States. Most were white, middle-class young people who advocated peace, love, and beauty. They withdrew from traditional modern society and “tuned in” to their deeper spiritual feelings. Hippies were most famous for their controversial alternative lifestyle, such as group living (called communes) and for their opposition to the Vietnam War (1957–75). They also claimed to be against the mainstream capitalist (an economic system based on private or corporate ownership and free enterprise), industrial society, advocating a simple way of life that involved owning few possessions and taking as little personal responsibility as possible. They wore tie-dyed clothes, braided beads, and went barefoot. The hippies were followers of a new generation of rock-and-roll artists that included the Beatles,…
