Woodstock

WoodstockDenisse McKoy

4th Period

"Three days of peace, love, and music."

Background

Woodstock had a lasting impact on the peace movement of the late 60s. In August 1969, on a farm about 50 miles from Woodstock, New York, half a million hippies (the largest concert audience ever) gathered to celebrate and hear the music of their time. News that some of the biggest Rock and Folk singers of the 60s would be headlining brought in hippies from across the country to the small town of Bethel, New York; to a farm owned by a man named Max Yasgur. Because the festival was rumored to be the largest gathering of people in one place at one time, the four organizers of the event did not even want to announce the large amount of tickets that had been sold, for fear that the locals might change their minds about letting them use their town for the venue.

Who was Behind WoodstockThe organizers of the Woodstock Festival were four young men, by the names of John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Mike Lang. The oldest of the four was only 27 years old at the time of the Woodstock Festival.

John Roberts was an heir to a pharmaceutical fortune. He and his friend Joel Rosenman were looking for a way to use Roberts' money to invest in an idea that would make them even more money.

They put an ad up in The New York Times that read, "Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions." That’s when they met Artie Kornfeld and Mike Lang, who responded to the ad.

How Woodstock affected the Peace Movement

Woodstock's stated mission was to provide people with three days of peace, love and music, while the country was involved in the Vietnam War. Their beliefs did not match with the country's mood at the time. Peace was an act that was rarely seen in the late '60s. There were student protests, political assassinations, racial conflict, and riots that took place in the country constantly during that time. Hippies and youths across the country, protested and pleaded for peace for the entire decade. When many gathered together at Woodstock, they actually felt the impact of their work and beliefs. They were surrounded by many other people who believed in the same things that they did.

How they planned to spread the message of peace

During the 1950's, America had become less liberal and set on the idea of what the perfect life of the American should be. The youth of the 60s (or the Baby Boomers of the 50s) believed in self expression, and rebelled against what they called the "conformist society". Whether it was by growing out their hair, which was looked down upon, dressing in wild and colorful clothes and even experimenting with drugs. They weren't afraid to voice their anti-war views, and protested for equality for all. Woodstock was a liberation in itself, through music, emotions, sex, and other forms of expression. It helped the personal revolution that occurred in this decade the others that followed.

“The music is still the highlight, but even more was the community, the friendships, the exhilaration, the fatigue.”- Karen F, Woodstock attendee

Music was the peacekeeper at Woodstock. The weekend of August the 15th through the 18th of 1969 marked a milestone in American history, where almost 500,000 people joined together in peace for the sake of music. Even though some tickets for the event had been pre-sold, the directors of Woodstock had announced it as a free event on the same day that it started. There were already about 50,000 people camping near the stage due to an unfinished gate and un-built ticket booths that allowed thousands of Woodstock goers enter without paying. News spread that Woodstock had become a free concert and thousands more showed up. Because the event was planned last minute, there were poorly working bathrooms, not enough food, and a lack of supplies for health and safety. Despite all of these challenges, it only seemed to have brought everyone even closer together. People helped each other find any food to last them for the event.

The town of Bethel, usually a quiet town, had never seen so many people. No one had planned for over half a million people to show up. The highways in the area became over crowded and tight; used as parking spaces because their was no room to drive around other cars. People abandoned their cars in the middle of the street and walked the rest of the way to the festival.

On August 16, in a Woodstock Coverage in the 1969 Washington Post, The Woodstock traffic jam was described as the most patient traffic jam that had ever been seen. It also quotes that there wasn't even any honking of horns.

“There was nothing to do about it, except park and walk, so everyone broke out guitars

and drums and tambourines, sat on the hoods, trunks, and roofs of cars and tried to

make the best of it.” -BJ PhillipsAside from the unauthorized parking, the police did not think the traffic was as much of a problem due to the fact that not one act of violence took place during the traffic jam. The hippies showed the world that even peace could come out of a difficult situation.

What Message

did it send? Music was more than enjoyment for the fans that attended the crowded Woodstock festival, it was life and it was what they stood for. For the hippies, the music was a way to talk to the world in a language that everyone could understand. Even the musicians used their music to voice their opinions on the state of the country during this time. Woodstock was not divided based on gender or race. Everyone was an equal, and there for the same reasons as everybody else. Whatever personal troubles people were facing were forgotten during these four days of 'freedom'.

Pros and Cons of its impact on society

How it affected the culture and people of that era

How it continues to

affect us today

The impact, good and bad, of the 1960’s hippie movement cannot be denied. The movement influenced popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts. The music industry, particularly the rock music segment, experienced an explosion in sales that has continued to this day. In subsequent years, unmarried couples no longer felt persecuted for living together. Frankness regarding sexual matters was common. Religious and cultural diversity gained greater acceptance. Even fashion was impacted as the popularity of the necktie and other business apparel declined and was replaced by more casual dress standards.

The End of an Era

Works Cited Page• Rosenberg, Jennifer. “The Woodstock Festival of 1969”. About.Com. 4 May 2012. <

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/p/woodstock.htm>

• Cammorata, Nicole. “Remembering Woodstock, 40 years later”. Boston.com. Boston Globe. 4 May 2012. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/gallery/woodstock/

• “How Did Woodstock Affect Society for the Better?”. Your Dictionary.com. LoveToKnow, Corp. 4 May 2012. http://answers.yourdictionary.com/answers/entertainment-arts/how-did-woodstock-affect-society-for-better.html

• Evans, Mike. Kingsbury, Paul. Scorsese, Martin. Woodstock, Three Days That Rocked the World. Sterling, 2009.

• Keyser, Tom. “Does Woodstock mean anything after 40 years?” Chron.com. 13 Aug 2009. Hearst Communications Inc. 4 May 2012. <http://www.chron.com/entertainment/music/article/Does-Woodstock-mean-anything-after-40-years-1622906.php>