A Time When Love was Truly Free
1967 marked the gathering of over 100,000 individuals committed to changing society for the better and living in harmony with their fellow man. Converging in the neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, hippies from all around the state gathered for a political and cultural rebellion. The melting pot of sexual freedom, psychoactive drugs, music, politics, and creative expression became a defining moment of the 1960s and the counterculture revolution.
The unexpected gathering of individuals created a society that reflected values unlike any other. The alternative lifestyles of inhabitants of Haight-Ashbury included communal living, free and often shared resources between total strangers, and free love. The experiment also had the ironic effect of inducing riots in such areas as Detroit and Newark as a result of race riots and insurrections.
Inspired by beats of the 1950s who declared themselves free of the grip of authoritarian order, the Haight-Ashbury community was built on rejection of American commercialism. The society largely hinged on the use of drugs in order to find and establish a new sense of reality. Preceded by the Human Be-In held in Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967, the Summer of Love was announced by Haight-Ashbury’s own paper titled the San Francisco Oracle.
Authorities in the area were instructed to keep the hippies away as high school and college students funneled into Haight-Ashbury during spring break of 1967. The event was covered daily by media, including Hunter S. Thompson of the New York Times and the music of the era that was originally designed to promote the Monterey Pop Festival.
The result of the Summer of Love marked a huge event in how people viewed living together in society. Free love, free drugs, a store that gave away basic necessities to anyone who needed them, and a free clinic that is still in operation today was just some of the impact that the Summer of Love had on 1960s society.
Many of the college students left the Haight-Ashbury community to resume their studies after spring break, and brought back ideas and experiences which would forever change the history of the country.
It can be argued that without the Summer of Love, that there would be no Woodstock 1969. Celebrations of the event have taken place all over the world, specifically in the San Francisco area. The second Summer of Love is celebrated particularly in the UK and represents the rise of Acid House music and the rave culture. The most current anniversary of the Summer of Love is Boots Hughston’s West Fest, which will be held on October 25th in Golden Gate Park; the same location as the first Human Be-In.
The Summer of Love has left behind a rich legacy of celebrating alternative lifestyle and showing that individuals can live free of societal norms and the idea that love really can be free.
Loading ...