The Counterculture
Hippies, SDS, and The Weathermen
The Counterculture
 The values and norms of behavior of a group
that run counter to those of mainstream
culture.
 Refers to many groups throughout history,
but most people think of the 60’s and 70’s
Counterculture beliefs
 Civil rights
 Women’s rights and
Gay rights
 Rejection of war
 Race relations
 Sex Practices
 Recreational drug use
Branches of the Counterculture
 The Hippie Movement
 The New Left
 The Civil Rights Movement
Hippie movement
 Began in the 60’s
 Youth Movement
 Human Be-in (1967)

Popularized the
movement
 Woodstock (1969)

Height of the movement
History of Hippies
 Hippies were traditionally groups of people
who started their own communities where
recreational drugs and free sex practices were
imbraced
 Hippies opposed nuclear weapons, the
Vietnam war, and established institutions
 They were eco-friendly, and supported sexual
liberation
Influences
 The counterculture was supported by many
popular bands of the time, such as The
Beatles and Grateful Dead.
 Used folk music, street theater, and
phychadelic rock to portray their ideas of
freedom.
The New Left
 Began with SDS
(Students for a
Democratic Society)
 More radical than
hippies
 Began with large-scale
peaceful protests
SDS
 Began in the early 60’s
 Advocated non-violent
civil disobedience
 Student activists
 Wanted radical change
in the government
 Broke up in 1969 at
their last convention
SDS Ideals
 Criticized racial discrimination, economic
equality, big business, trade unions and
political parties
 Promoted better representation of the
citizens, additional welfare to deal with
poverty, and more involvement of workers in
business management
SDS break-up
 SDS melt down created several individual
groups led by various members of the
original organization.
 One group kept the ideas of SDS, non-violent
civil disobedience
 The other wanted direct action against the
government
The Weather Under-Ground
 Created a bomb factory
in New York and led
bombings against
police stations,
government buildings,
and businesses.
The Weather Underground
 Led by William Ayers
 Currently a professor
 Led bombings against
the Chicago and New
York police
departments and the
Pentagon
Civil Rights Movement
 Wanted racial equality, women’s rights, and
gay rights
 Martin Luther King Jr. vs. Malcolm X
 Non-violent vs. Direct Action
Accomplishments
 Changed the traditional
values of the “old”
generation
 Began the work
towards social and
racial equality
 Popularized drug use
INSTRUCTIONAL ARTIFACTS
Description: This powerpoint was created by two US History students.
How Technology Was/Is Used: Students used a desktop loaded with Microsoft
Powerpoint to create this presentation.
Various Software and Hardware Used: Microsoft Powerpoint.
Maine Learning Result(s): History A1.
Identify and analyze major events and people that characterize each of the
significant eras in US History.
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Creating