Rallies, Rebellion and Revolution
It was all about rebellion and revolution: communal living, political decentralization, environmental awareness, and “dropping out.” During that rally, Jefferson Airplane played as LSD was being handed out to the crowd of about 20,000 youth. Then, suddenly, there was a power failure and a break in the music.
Photo by Peter Larsen/Shutterstock
The Haight-Ashbury district was the place where disenchanted students would congregate. It became the mecca of the hippy counterculture. Around 100,000 people came to the district over that summer. It was supposedly the local council that came up with the title “Summer of Love,” which was their way of putting a positive spin on the drug-filled, denim-wearingcrowds of hippies that were portrayed negatively by the media.