The 1960s were a time of rebellion.   People between the ages of twelve and thirty-five were bonding together and breaking away from traditional values and norms of American society.  The Vietnam War, Woodstock, peace marches, the assassination of Kennedy, the first moon landing, gay and women's liberation, the idea of "free" love, and the presence of rock and roll all greatly influenced and helped shape a new culture.  The people who started this new culture were termed hippies.

    A Hippie is someone who does not  conform to societies standards and advocates a liberal attitude and lifestyle.   The government and traditional American society tried to suppress the hippies, but almost all attempts were in vain the movement was too large and powerful.   Underground newspapers proclaiming the ideas and attitudes of the movement spread like wildfire.

    Music provided a culmination of Hippie beliefs.   Bands such as the following:  Peter, Paul, and Mary, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Credence Clearwater Revival, and The Who were popular among the new culture.  Woodstock was called the capstone of the era.  It  provided an opportunity for three days of peace and music.  Over five hundred thousand bead covered, long haired, "free loving" fans showed up for the great cultural event.   Songs like "Do You Believe in Magic" by Lovin Spoonful filled the air while the fans celebrated their freedom from the norms of society.  The festival ended up costing a grand total of 2.4 million dollars.

    Music from all over the world especially England was said to have provoked all sorts of actions including influencing people like Charles Manson.  The police and DA in charge of Manson's case argue that Manson found sections within The Beatles' song "Helter Skelter" and within the last book in the Christian Bible, Revelation which he felt referred to a devastating future race war between blacks and whites. He expected to take over control of the surviving Afro-Americans after they had exterminated the whites. By murdering some high-profile people, he expected to trigger the "final days" conflict. Although Manson is not believed to have killed anyone directly, he ordered his followers to commit the famous Tate, LaBianca, and other murders.

    Vietnam was a motivational and inspirational tool for the hippies to express themselves through peace marches and demonstrations that sometimes ended in sit-downs.  The Vietnam War went against the movement's idea of freedom.   Students across the country, especially at Berkeley, openly showed their great disapproval of the Vietnam War.  The solider train that passed through Berkeley was the target of many anti-Vietnam rebellions.  The VDC along with at least one thousand demonstrators made plans to "Stop the War Machine" (Rubin 33).  On first day the hippies stood on the tracks and tried to  force the train to stop.  The train did not even slow down.  The following day when the train came, the demonstrators were ready.  They sat down on the tracks.  Again, the train didn't even slow down.   The hippies realized that the government would rather kill them, than stop the trains.  The demonstrators were outraged.  On the third day, the hippies ran on the tracks to meet the train.  The engineer sprayed a stream of smoke twenty feet in front of the train to warn the demonstrators, but the train did not slow down.  Someone jumped aboard the train and pulled the airbrake.  The demonstration was a success.  This demonstration along with many others helped to define the movement and the  ideals of the new culture.