这篇文章主要描述了60年代所面临的种种社会问题，英语论文，作者主要围绕音乐与和平讲述了一些音乐人“嬉皮士”想通过音乐来表达人们对种族歧视，英语毕业论文，社会地位不平等，渴望自由与和平。反对“越南战争”，渴望战争结束，回归和平的愿望。 Jimi Hendrix asks in his song Purple Haze, "Am I happy or in misery'" This theme broadly defined the political and social unrest throughout the nation in 1969. The baby boomers in the late 1960s adopted a "hippie" culture which personified the music of the time and the concept of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll." This disposition helped to alleviate the pressures inflicted by the war culture embraced on Americas home front. Each era in American history has factors that distinctively define the attitudes and emotions of that particular period. In August 1969, thousands of young adults gathered in White Lake, NY, for what would come to be known as "Woodstock." Gene Ira Katz asserted, "The woefully understaffed and poorly planned extravaganza may be remembered as the most successful fiasco in the history of entertainment" ("14850 Magazine" 7). The Woodstock Festival of Music and Art was advertised as "3 days of peace and music" and soon enough underground radio personalities were publicizing this as a "free concert" ("14850 Magazine" 7). The white dove, illustrating the overwhelming emergence of peace in home front affairs, as well as international affairs and the guitar, representing free expression for what many Americans longed for, were symbols that came to represent Woodstock. The white doves symbolism reflects the thoughts of those who participated in the extravagant festival of Woodstock. Signifying peace, the dove was posted on many flyers and advertisements to promote this unforgettable event. The hippies and many other Americans were fighting for equal rights and an integrated society. The realization that our society was separate and not equal was captivating the minds of the young activists. In 1969, African Americans were still not being treated equal and there was still very strong hate among Americans. Along with African Americans, many other minority groups were not receiving the equality that they deserved. Among these groups were Native and Chicano Americans, women, and homosexuals. With a few exceptions, these groups protested peacefully by participating in sit-ins, picketing, and other non-violent means of rallying. For example, the Chicano Americans formulated an idea that was known as "Brown Power." This was a struggle f! or their land and it focused mostly on improving the lives of migrant farm workers. Struggles like these transpired in the fifties and sixties and escalated when many Americans wanted peace and equality. Events like these had been building up for decades and through Woodstock, these youthful hippies assembled in New York to proclaim peace and liberation. Many liberation movements arose in American Society in 1969 and 1970. For example, women were beginning to discuss the issues of the "patriarchal society" in which they lived. A major advancement for women in the late sixties and early seventies was "consciousness raising groups." All over the country women congregated to discuss significant obstacles that impeded there path to an equal society. The issues included abortion and reproductive rights, rape and sexual violence, and job access. In 1973, there was an advancement for women in the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court Case. This made abortion legal up until the second trimester. Many minorities inched closer to the realm of unity, but even today our society is not fully diversified. While many at home were desperately searching for liberation and equal rights, the trauma of the Vietnam War was consuming Americans hearts and examining their minds. The hippies disapproved of the belligerent battles overseas and the effects it was having on American society and the soldiers, who were soon to experience psychological damage and the Vietnamese people. In 1969, eighty percent of Americans wanted the war to be over. Due to the lashes of outrage by the American people, President Richard Nixon launched "Vietnamization." This was an effort to decrease the number of American soldiers and intensify the air campaign. The casualties decreased and the "American boys" were coming home. It still was not enough for the hippie culture. They wanted peace and finally in 1975 all troops came home with damage psychologically and physically. Damage that will never parish from their minds. 58,000 American deaths, 200,000 Americans wounded, and 1 million Vietnamese deaths are some facts that are instilled in the minds of so many Americans from that period. Because of the major psychological effects that burdened these soldiers, 62,000 of them commit suicide (class notes). The catastrophic events in the Vietnam War and the distinctive behavior of activists both young and old convinced many Americans that the government fabricated ideas about the great American society. These people removed themselves from the ideas and expectations of society and became known as the hippies. The hippies expressed their ideas through music and the influence of drugs. The phrase "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" was coined during this time period which depicted the hippie culture. The hippie culture believed in free expression of mind, body, and music. |
