Essay Contest #3
What was the most important Hippy event and why?
Thanks to everyone who wrote in!

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And the Winner is .....Andromeda Sunshine!
You win an autographed copy of Skip Stone's new book, Hippies From A to Z! 
Congratulations! 

    The American protest against the war in Vietnam began and was sustained 
by American citizens who believed that in a representative democracy, 
individuals could make themselves heard and more, could affect public 
policy.  The antiwar movement during the Vietnam era is still important 
today, because it is reminder to Americans that there were times, and there 
will still be times where Americans must stand up and challenge their 
government's authority.  The Vietnam antiwar movement was so unique, because 
never before had so many Americans stood up and told their government that 
war must stop.  During this movement there were many violent protests, but 
most of  the protests of this time did not have bad intentions.  Things just 
got out of hand.
    Chicago had some of the worst riots and protests in 1968.  The police 
received many threats such as: LSD was going to be slipped into the water 
system, the sewers were going to be flooded with gas from service stations, 
and the city was going to be burnt to the ground, the natural gas lines were 
going to be blown up, and so on. 
    But the biggest was the threats against the Democratic Convention.  The 
hippie/Yippie delegation and the Mobilization announced for massive 
demonstrations both at the delegates' hotels and at the convention center. 
In Chicago there were thousands ready to protest, including communists, 
anarchists, peace advocates, revolutionaries, New Leftists, bizarre flower 
folk, draft resisters, radical militants, professional agitators, moderate 
but discontented liberals, disaffected straights, housewives opposed to war, 
and black power militants.  They all had their own motivations and 
objections. In an attempt to forestall disaster, the police force was
doubled, and the Secret Service was bought in for protection of the 
Democratic Convention.
    The first protest was somewhat peaceful, it occurred on the twenty-fourth 
of August 1968.  Crowds had gathered in Lincoln Park around a bonfire and 
were chanting "om" with poet Allen Ginsberg.  Then they left, and the police 
moved in at eleven o' clock clearing the remaining two hundred protesters. 
About eleven people were arrested for refusing to leave.  This occurred even 
after Yippie leaders had issued a statement earlier that day that asked 
protesters to follow the city's curfew of eleven o' clock at night.
    The Festival of Life started the next day, Sunday the twenty-fifth of 
August 1968.  The masses fornicated in the city's parks and on Lake 
Michigan's beaches; they slashed tires along the freeway; floated down the 
lake nude; tried to seduce and drug delegates; and about one hundred thousand 
people burned their draft cards with the fires spelling out "BEAT ARMY."  A 
lone rock band played at the festival as thousands watched.  Late that 
afternoon a flatbed truck was driven in to be used as a stage for the band. 
The police refused to allow the truck to stay.  The crowd then turned nasty 
shouting insults at the police.  The police responded by knocking heads, and 
they arrested some people.  After awhile things calmed down. 
As night came upon the city, things got bad again.  The police announced the 
curfew over a loudspeaker.  Mobilization marshals urged compliance, most of 
the Yippies listened and left to march downtown.  But they returned later to 
join those who had stayed.  The police charged and scattered the crowd; the 
crowd regrouped itself and shouted insults at the police.  The police used tear gas, and the crowd 
cleared out of the park and into the streets.  But the police were now as mad 
as the crowd was, they shouted insults back, and some even broke their ranks 
and began clubbing the crowd.  Nearby reporters and photographers took notes 
and photographs.  The angry police turned on the reporters and attacked at 
least a half a dozen of them.  Eventually the crowd faded away.
    On the following Wednesday the twenty-eighth of August 1968, the protests 
got a little too far out of control.  The worst happened that night.  Sidney 
Peck, the leader of the protesters was attempting to lead his people away 
from the Hilton Hotel, out of danger, and to another safer delegate hotel. 
He and his protesters were met head on by a line of police.  They tried to 
back away, but this was an impossible thing to do with an enormous crowd 
behind them and blocked by more police from behind.  Peck equipped with a 
bullhorn, shouted to his people to sit down and to chant, "No violence. no 
violence."  He then directed his bullhorn to the police and shouted: "We are 
not violent . we are sitting down."  But this did not stop the police; they 
just kept coming, faster now.  Witnesses said they heard the police shouting, 
Kill, kill, kill, kill!"   A violent street battle took place at the corner 
of the Hilton Hotel under the television camera lights.  In the public's mind 
this was a police riot.  Police began to beat anyone in their way; there was 
no escape for the protesters.  The plate glass window in the Hilton broke, 
and terrified, bleeding men and women rushed into the hotel with the police 
right on their heels. 
Sidney Peck was not able to escape the police's wrath.  He tried to speak 
with the Deputy Superintendent, but he was chased off.  Peck ran to get back 
with the crowd, but it was too late, the police pushed him to the ground and 
began to beat him. They jammed a nightstick between his legs, pounded his 
kidneys in, and dragged him a couple blocks.   He was taken to the police 
station and then to Chicago City hospital.  He had to have twenty-two 
stitches in his head and surgery on his finger.  He was released at eight the 
next morning.
    Those were only a couple of the Chicago protests, they were mostly all 
violent.  Tom Wicker said a year after the Chicago riots, "Chicago, I think, 
was the place where all America was radicalized.  The miracle of television 
made it visible to all-pierced, at last, the isolation of one American from 
the other, exposed to each the power it faced.  Everything since Chicago has 
had a new intensity-that of polarization, of confrontation, of antagonism, 
and fear."
    Most of the protests against the Vietnam War got out of hand when the 
police were brought in to break things up.  The protesters eventually left on 
their own, but the police always seemed to get the people stirred up and out 
of control.  Protests had good intentions; they mostly wanted peace and for 
the war to stop.  Though the sixties were a very controversial time period in 
the history of the United States, many good things did happen.  One scholar 
once said "that the peace movement made a difference on the conduct of the 
war."  The right to demonstrate is protected under the Constitution's First 
Amendment, but since the protests against the Vietnam War were so heated, 
emotions ran high on both sides causing destruction to property and injury to 
those involved. Those protests were the most important hippy events to me. 
 
 

This is by Andromeda Sunshine:)

         I've done a lot of thinking about the hippie movement and what
it means to society and culture.  My thoughts have led me to some very
tightly held beliefs about what a hippie stands for and why I consider
myself to be one.  One belief I hold very tightly has to do with the
"meaning of life".  Many people, (I would say too many) think of the
"meaning of life" having to do with  the "progress" of humanity and the
individual. This idea of "progress" is an illusion one gets when one
thinks one is moving forward, when one is actually moving in a circle.
This "progress" illusion is one of trying to dominate Nature and improve
it so that we can enjoy all the "goodness" and none of the
"unpleasantness" in life.  The idea is that eventually we will get rid
of all that we label as "bad" and have only the "good" left over.  It is
this type of thinking that kills the planet in attempting to improve
it.  It is this type of thinking that kills the human spirit also in an
attempt to improve it.
         The "meaning of life" for me is variety, diversity.  This is
what Nature seems to be trying to create, and express, and I do not see
myself as separate from Nature or the Universe, so I do not go along
with the "progress" idea.  That is why I consider myself a Taoist.  It's
also why I consider myself a hippie.  Hippies, like Taoists, hold Nature
and the Universe as sacred and oppose this "progress" idea.  It is this
that I consider the most important aspect of the hippie movement.
          One may define "hippie event" as a historically documented
occurrence such as Woodstock, and I may be crossing lines by defining it
another way, but I feel that history does not always document the most
important events and my feeling is that the most important hippie event
is one of those that was never documented (at least in any official sort
of way).  But something happened at some point that resulted in people
coming together (before Woodstock) and finding a group
identity-----hippies.  Perhaps they were not called that originally.
Basically though, here is what happened:
            A society began to create rules for itself in the pursuit of
"progress".  People were expected to dress and behave in ways deemed
"acceptable" and those who deviated from these expectations were
oppressed by society. It might have been having long hair, it might have
been having short hair. It might have been wearing bright colors or
walking on the grass with bare feet. Whatever it was that was considered
unacceptable, there were still people doing it because that's who they
were and they were not about to change who they were because a large
group of people told them to. Then at some point something very powerful
happened:

They united. They became a society unto themselves.

            This was the most important event, when ever and where ever
it may have taken place. Why?  Because that's when we hippies went from
being isolated outcasts to being a community. When that happened, it
became harder for the establishment to control us and take away our
individuality.  That is very important. It's not just very important as
something that happened but as something that needs to continue to
happen.
             The earliest pioneers of the hippie movement, whoever they
may have been, who dared to be hippies before there were hippies should
be remembered with the greatest reverence, even though it may be few of
them that have a place in documented history.  It is their courage in
struggling against the isolation and oppression of the establishment and
in forming alliances and organizing that the whole world needed then,
and may need now more than ever!

Doug Thompson

I would think the most important hippie event would have to be the famous 
Woodstock. Three days of peace love and music. Three days away from 
everything that bothers, a place where everyone and everything there lived in 
harmony. It was exactly what hippies were and still are trying to achieve. 
And most importantly it showed others what we going for, it showed the world 
from our outlook. Our only let down was the sad realization that it wouldn't 
last, but we will still try and live it everyday of our lives, and try again 
to make it last. It was a day were you can strip yourself naked of your 
clothes and the shackles of society and walk and dance freely, without being 
ridiculed and criticized. And everyone was welcome, man and beast alike. 
there were no restrictions. I would say the limit was the sky but they went 
beyond that for those three days. and at some point the concert, became free 
(of money). At that point people felt even more welcome (if possible). 

    Woodstock was so amazing that people have tried to relive it but it's 
just not working. Instead we go Woodstock 94 a sad let down, and Woodstock 99 
and I am sure we've all heard of the raping and the violence. But I do 
applaud the effort. The only thing that was wrong with the two latest 
Woodstocks was that people tried to restrict it, and you can recreate such a 
wonderful happening with limitations. The unrestricted environment was what 
made it so incredible. Woodstock can only be recreated with the same love 
that went into it in the first place. It would only work again if the same 
type of people planned it, if the same type of music was played. To put it 
simply we'd have to achieve the positive vibrations that was felt in the 
first one.

    The only regret I have is that I was not alive to live it. I have based 
all of the above on stories that I've heard from the men and women that made 
me what I am today. I am of the generation that attempted and only got chaos. 
I am of the corrupted generation that kills and rapes and steals more that 
the generations before us. I am of an evil generation. But I am proud to 
stand out, I am an outcast even among outcasts. I am proud to wear bright 
clothing and look forward with a positive attitude and dance and talk about 
peace and love. I am proud to be call a hippy. 
Much love to you all.

    Love and light,
          Emma

Quintessential Comments of an Outlandish Race

As we gaze at star swept planes many uninhibited thoughts enter through the
indecorous minds of city dwelling aristocrats.  Hence forth we must do what
we can to keep the wild vagabonds from taking what we hold docile in our
daily beliefs.  We must stop those who try to form this outside race,  the
practice of witchcraft will not be tolerated.  The acrid melodrama will be
seen as a destruction of capitalism rather than a significant part our
society.
We must put the lucid ways of society behind us and push forth as we see
tomorrow as a chance to rid our society of the wastes and chemicals that
continue to pollute the watershed of tomorrow.  The location of timber in
this era is in the large homes of wealthy by products of the American
society, rather than the vast forests of impeccable mountain ranges of the
northern hemisphere.
How do we preach to the forefathers of tomorrow that the confluence of the
two social mainstreams is nothing more than the physiology of the modern
world.  How will we explain that the gravitational pull from the moon and
celestial bodies of our solar system are the infiltration of the
inconceivable beauty around us.  The ways of the times are changing, we
should remember how we used to wrap the babe in scarlet colors and call it
our own, but now it is nothing more than a mirage.  There is something in
the way she moves yet insensibility of those who do not understand our ways
are trying to oppress all beauty that leaks forth.
And when the line breaks?, we will all sink like extra baggage tossed off a
hot- air balloon crossing the mid Atlantic.  We will desperately try to shed
our clothes  and stay afloat but the world is moving in the wrong direction.
  We won't float but sink through the crystal haze  into a harmless and
motionless state.  They will dance above us and sing as we hopelessly try to
navigate our way through the endless coral maze.  And everyone around  you
laugh and laugh and...fall apart?

Peace
kind kiel

There were a ton of Hippy events that are important. Personally, I think Woodstock 69' was the most important Hippy event. This can't sound sane coming from some one who is 14 years old and probably has absolutely no idea what she's talking about, but anyway. Woodstock 69' was very important because it showed a sense of happiness, peace and trust amoung a very large group of people. It wasn't chaotic, it wasn't "oh let's catch everything in sight on fire!" it was "let's have peace throughout the world and keep it that way forever." It was a way for Hippy musicians to express themselves through none other than music. This event was a way of keeping 'us' together'. Because if we didn't have each other, we had nobody because nobody believed in us, they never thought that a bunch of people who like to be mellow 24/7 could make any kind of difference in the world. We made a lot of difference in this world. I think that there should be a Hippy revival month for Hippies. We have Black History month, Women's History month, why not Hippy History month?!? 

Sincerely, 
Missy M. Csokuly

What Was The Most Important Hippy Event And Why?

    The most important Hippy Event to ever happen was most definitely Woodstock.  What can beat 3 Days of Peace, Love and Music.  Although most who attended Woodstock can't vividly remember those 3 days, all who were there - and all who weren't - remember what Woodstock was about. 

    If you were to ask anybody today - Young or Old - to name just one Hippy Event, almost everyone would say Woodstock. And if you were to ask those people what Woodstock was about, almost all of them would say one thing - Peace, Love and Music.

    Woodstock was an extremely influential and important event in not only Hippy history - but world history.  It made papers world wide.  Thousands upon thousands of people came, tore down and jumped over fences to get in, and enjoyed those three days. 
People from all over North America traveled miles and miles to attend Woodstock.  It made newspapers all over the World.  Everybody knew that the youth of the 60s wanted more then just Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll - They wanted Peace. 

    Woodstock was such an influential event, that after the original Woodstock in 1969, there have been 2 more.  25 years later in 1994, and 30 years later in 1999.  Unfortunately, Woodstock 1999 - which was supposed to be another festival of Peace, Love and Music, turned out to be a disaster.  On the 3rd night of Woodstock 1999, flames were everywhere and riots broke out.  This only goes to show, that unlike the 60s and 70s, during the 90s, among many youth - the idea of Peace is far-fetched.  I only hope that one day my generation will come face to face with reality and realize that violence indeed is not the answer, but to love one another, and celebrate peace is - much like the youth of the 60s and 70s - the Hippies.

Kim

 Many people would jump to say that Woodstock, or the Monterey Pop Festival are the most important hippy events, but are they?  They were gatherings, exchange of ideas, ideals, and music. However, there were many other events that, in effect, defined the hippy culture.
 One such event would be Vietnam War. This evil monster, as hated as it was, brought many together, hippy and straight, in one unified cause. Unity is what the very hippy spirit is about. This war created unity among the tides of activists, and created a universal mind.
 Another event would have to be the enlightenment of the guru Timothy Leary. This man left his prosperous position as a college at a famous college in order to preach what he truly believed, that LSD and other mind expanding drugs were the remedies to man's many spiritual and physical ailments. The truth of this is up to the reader, but right or wrong, he headed a large hippy movement, and also promoted love and peace, essential to hippies.
 Another event, or series of events, was the opression of African Americans, and other minorities. The late Martin Luther King Jr. was a visionary in his time, and he promoted the hippy activism of peaceful protest. That also united many against the fascist, white power leaders of this country.
 Another important event would have to be the advent of the psychadelic music scene. Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead. All these great musicians and more provided a backdrop, some piece of sanity in the hectic, chaotic, violent world. The music saved them, Man!
The most important Hippy event was definitely Woodstock in '69.  When people 
think of hippies, the event that they mostly associate them with is three 
days of peace, love and music.  This is what really brought hippes into the 
public eye and in recognition with the rest of the world. It was the largest 
concert ever. People came from all over the country to attend and because of 
this, it became a free concert.  Thousands among thousands of people traveled 
to New York to be part of the festivities.  I don't think it ever occurred 
to anyone how big it was going to be until they got there. 
    All throughout the 60's hippies were around but not well liked by 
society.  They were known for their rebellious behavior and turn against the 
government.  People commented on their long hair and "slack" way of living. 
During Woodstock, people all around the town of Socrates, NY began to help 
out with the food shortage and bathroom problem.  This town did not want this 
music festival to take place and faught to keep it out of their community. 
But while it was going on, they helped in any way they could. They did 
whatever was humanly possible for them. 
    Most people think that hippies evolved from Woodstock, but don't realize 
that they were around long before then.  I think it is the most important 
event  because it brought everyone together happily. There may have been 
problems overdoses and such, but overall it was a great time.  All the 
hippies from around the country came together. To me, that is a beautiful 
thing! It is the most significant event in history in the music industry. 
Just the fact that Woodstock '94 and Woodstock '99 took place is a sign on 
how important it was. They celebrated tweny five and thirty years from then. 
It MUST have been important. Also, because Woodstock took place during the 
Vietnam war. All hippies chanted "make love, not war!" They consistently 
projected their feelings outward to the public about their dislike with the 
war and wanted American soldiers to come home. Woodstock created a loving 
environment for them where they could forget about the war for a short period 
of time. It was by far the most significant and influential event for 
hippies. Rock on!

submitted by : Vanessa Franciscovic 

     The question has been asked: What was the most
important hippy event and why? Can you really answer
that? There are many that people would say:Woodstock,
Peace demonstrations, whatever. But in my mind, none
of those are the most important. You can't really ask
what the most important one is because there was no
SINGLE event that defined hippies. It was an attitude
that some people were cool enough and liberal enough
to have. 
     I think every day in the life of a hippy is an
important, defining event. You never know if you'll
see tomorrow. My favorite things to do are just simply
walking in the woods or going out in the morning for
that first breath of crisp, fresh air and watching the
sun come up. Non-material things, ya know? We have an
amphitheatre in St Louis, about 65 miles away from
where I live. I saw Phish in 97 or 98 (can't remember)
and that was the most beautiful day of my life!!! The
vibe there was so awesome! You could feel it radiating
through you, that happy love feeling. There were very
very few rude people there. Everyone was either
dancing like crazy or chillin out talkin to other
people, sharing pipes, food, soda, whatever they had.
I had an offer to go with some people that were
following but I couldn't because work wouldn't permit.
It would've killer to get to, though.
     So back to my point... there was no important
event. Everyone has their own personal event that
reflects upon them, and that is whats so damn cool
about it. Peace.....
Raynbow
There isn't one defining event of the "Hippy".  Is it a music event such 
as Woodstock or the Monterey International Pop festival?  Sure those things 
allowed the hippies to be themselves and to gather in their utopian ideology. 
 Is it a place such as  Haight/Asbury or Humbolt?  Sure minds were a little 
more open and words a little more free there.  But,  I don't think so.  I 
don't think that there is one defining hippy event.  There can't be.  The 
idea of one defining event contradicts the entire theory of hippyness.
    Each and every one of us has an important hippy event.  For one woman it 
could be the summer she learned to make candles with her mom at bumbershoot. 
For another, it could be the first time she experienced HempFest, with all 
the different types of hippies there, sharing their ideas and love of their 
way of life.  For yet another it could be the summer when her and her three 
best friends stole their Father's Dodge Van, not your typical hippy vehicle, 
but it got them from Seattle to San Francisco, and served as the perfect 
transporter for their hippy event. 
    My hippy event and the event that might be considered the most important 
are invariably different, however since I have first-hand knowledge of my 
event, that is what I'm choosing to share.  I was born at the end of the 
hippy movement, yet I still consider myself a hippy at heart.  It was the 
summer of 1999, I sold everything of value except my car and my camera and 
moved from my home of 26 years, Seattle, and drove to Los Angeles.  It took 
me a week to complete the trip, and in that time I have never felt so 
connected to myself or the planet before.    It was a very powerful 
experience that caused me to look in and seek my own fulfillment, instead of 
relying on the outside world.  This is the most powerful event of my life so 
far, and I believe the significance of it could apply to many.  All too often 
in this life we forget to look in, and center with our self, and ignore the 
outside world and all it's never ending input.  I believe, without a doubt, 
if we all had these types of events more often, the world would be more 
hippy-like.  I know this isn't what the question sought to explore, but is 
what the question evoked for me. 
    Peace… 

(Swg1202@aol.com)

I think it was Woodstok 69, This is what I wrote about woodstok, I hope that can explain well why I think is the most important hippie event.

It was planned as a 3-day outdoor festival of "peace and music" featuring a few of the new, hard rock bands. The four organizers wanted it to be the largest rock concert in history. (Prior to Woodstock, the largest was about 20,000.) By early August, 1969, the organizers knew that more than 200,000 would likely show up. Publicly, they claimed there would be only about 100,000. They didn't want to scare anybody. 
At the time, Bob Dylan lived in a town called Woodstock. Festival organizers decided that would be a good name for their event.
People parked their cars as far as 20 miles away. Once you arrived, you had to stay; there was nowhere to go. There was no place to sleep, no place to bathe, no place to eat... Just  peace and love. 
There were no motels, no restaurants... none of the creature comforts we "deserve" today. But that didn't matter; nobody had any money, either.
 

The organizers did not expect 200,000 people to arrive by Friday morning. They had exactly three ticket booths in place. In a matter of minutes, the festival became a free event. Not one cent was ever collected at the gate. In fact, after noon on Friday, there was no gate. People parked their cars as far as 20 miles away. Once you arrived, you had to stay; there was nowhere to go. There was no place to sleep, no place to bathe, no place to eat... no place to nothin'. It was indeed music... and mostly it was peaceful, too. Some were there for the music; some for the "atmosphere"; and some just to be there. There is no way you could have had a sound system for an audience of 400,000. But it was probably just as well. To be honest, the music was often... terrible. But nobody cared. The music was secondary... it was the event that mattered.... All together in the same place. Woodstock lives on, 30 years later, more myth than reality, in the memories of those who attended, and those who wish they had. But it was... something else. They tried to revive it 25 years later... it didn't work. They tried it again this summer... But "you can't go back," even at 150 bucks a pop. It was a moment in time... a wonderful moment... gone forever.

Peace & Love.
Albert

    The most important Hippy event was Woodstock '69 because this 3 day 
peacefulness was an atmosphere that all Hippy's could enjoy.  They could 
unite there.  They could go with the flow and be taken away by the music. 
The music could penetrate into their absorbing souls.  They could experience 
more free love.  They could be themselves and be inspired to love each other 
and respect each other.  They could gain freedom and find friends.  They 
could express themselves wholly by their body, thoughts, affections, and 
musically.  Woodstock '69 was an event that I would've liked to see, but 
never had the chance because I wasn't born yet.
I would have to choose woodstock 69.  It tought over 500,000 young citizens who were left on their own and discovered that the words Sharing, Helping, Consideration, and Respect to be very very powerful. And through it all the bands kept on playing the drugs kept on coming yet only 2 people died and 2 people were born thousands of people left woodstock with a completely different outlook opon life. It has become a historic symbol with different meanings to thousands of people. That is why I would choose woodstock 69 as the best event.
A group of people were against race issues and war.  How were they able to express their feeling without being trapped at home or being afraid.  Well, music extremely important to the people during the 1960´s.  Woodstock, in 1969 was definitely the most influential hippy event.  It was a three day concert which gathered half a million people from everywhere and any race.  It was no place for segregation, it was the place for peace and love.  I believe the purpose of Woodstock was to bring together a moment where there were no barriers.
 Thousands of teens who went to the event were escaping from their parents, who at that time, kept them inside their homes and did not let them mix with the chaos going on.  These rebels had a new identity, they were known as the Baby Boomers. The Woodstock concert was the glorious moment which everyone was waiting for.  It was the place where they could protest, share their revolutionary ideas, and comfort themselves with music.  Music that touched their hearts and made them believe, “I am not the only one who think this way”, in fact about 30 bands and singers performed to them and had songs with meanings behind the lyrics.
 The crowd in Woodstock represented the total unity of a nation.  They were standing up together against issues that bothered them and that is why I consider it the most important event in the hippies era.  Being alone caused people not to speak out, but when they were together, sharing something in common, nothing could stop them.  This was the valuable moment of the 1960´s, an event no one should forget and everyone should learn about it.  Music has history and it began with Woodstock and all the hippies who participated.