How Did The Woodstock Impact The 1960s

The Era of Woodstock and its Effects on the Late Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Centuries

The 1960s was a period of rising idealism full of radical doctrines that the United States itself had never seen previously (Weiner 3). These set attitudes regarding, politics, social issues, and even music, created a way of life that opposed conformity with society’s norms and encouraged individualism (Unger 162). Outward symbols of Rock n’ Roll, politics, drugs, and unity diffused through adults and the working-class youth and became essential in the period of time that is now known as the counterculture. On August 15, 1969 nearly half a million people flocked a town in New York for “three days of peace and music”, known as the Woodstock festival of

Although the new rock music was already a commodity before Woodstock, the festival itself accelerated commercialism by showing corporate executives and big businesses how they could receive profits of rock music and the youth of the time (Echols 47). For example, Joshua White, a light produces who started his own video projection business, states that many musicians felt guilty playing large shows, as it was less intimate for their fans, so they would hire White for around fourteen-thousand dollars to project them on a giant screen, creating huge profit for corporations, independent contractors, and arenas (Echols 47). This was made possible by an “I have to have it” attitude that was present in many minds of the fans and the rising popularity of the artists. Before Woodstock, rock musicians were considered to be the bottom of the food chain of all musicians and were paid extremely low wages. Only big acts like the Doors and The Rolling Stones had played big arenas while the rest just carried a presence in coffee-shops and small venues (Echols 40-47). Woodstock demonstrated to managers in musicians alike that the money and popularity was not in playing several smaller shows, it was in playing one big gig somewhere that would attract large masses of fans. It was once stated that everybody who

Woodstock epitomized at the height of many social movements and political turmoil that occurred in the late nineteenth century. From the Civil Rights movement, to the student power conflict, to the Vietnam anti-war protest, to the women’s right movement, the United States was experiencing huge social and political turmoil. This turmoil created a drive to promote equality and the first major instances of social activists and those fighting for social justice were seen (Weiner 135). Woodstock became known as a place where many activists could express their radical views and many banded together to discuss their wants and needs. By creating this safe and inclusive space, Woodstock created the drive, resources, and basis of knowledge for many future movements, such as the feminist and LGBTQI movements of the twentieth century (Weiner 132). The Woodstock festival in itself was a direct protest of the Vietnam War, which led to many political movements (Unger 32). Through the impact Woodstock had on Vietnam anti-war protests, many people realized that they could change government policy and events directly, therefore minorities such as women and the LGBT community no longer allowed societal norms to dictate their rights (Weiner 132). It brought together people of all different