Woodstock: The Legacy

On August 15, 1969, the arts fair that almost didn’t happen come to light in a small town called Bethel, New York. Originally planned for the town of Wallkill, New York, the citizens of the town protested against the event which gave the four young organizers less than two months to find another venue and get the word out. They submitted several permits, which were declined. Finally, a young 27 year old pig farmer offered up his 600 acre pig farm to hold the festival, and despite the protest of the citizens of Bethel the permit was granted and history was about to be made, although no one realized it at the time.

We have all heard stories about Woodstock and terms that were coined like, “Sex, Drugs and Rock-N- Roll” or “Make love, not War”. But what was Woodstock really about. The 1960’s were a very tumultuous time period. The Vietnam War was raging and America’s youth were being drafted and sent off to war, many of then never to return. The arts fair came to represent their emotional decry, more than their rebellion. One writer said,” Woodstock was as much a state of mind and a snapshot of history as it was a rock festival”. Hettley, Woodstock, 101

Woodstock was a far more success due to the massive turnout of nearly 500,000 young people of that time period, who came because the festival epitomized the youth rebellion. It symbolized breaking free from their parent’s traditional values and beliefs. The more the adults and parents protested, the more youths were determined to attend. It became a symbol of peace and free love to the thousands in attendance, but even more so a symbol of rebellion against the establishment almost to the point of anarchy.

Woodstock was the largest peaceful gathering of people in our history and it opened up the door to drastic changes to the American way of life. If you think about it, many of our present day lawmakers are from that time period and kept that same state of mind even to present day. They have made rules and laws that have fundamentally and drastically changed America. Their beliefs are becoming more prevalent here in our modern times, such as moral fabric that once held our country together prior to the 1960’s, has all but disappeared. Our leaders now embrace the Robin Hood Syndrome and continue to push for the legalization of marijuana and other drugs. The institute of marriage is no longer sacred and has led to basically the elimination of any traditional role models, as well as the decline for any type of authority.

Woodstock remains by far one of the greatest phenomenons in U.S. history. For the hippies, college students, and young people of that time it was a symbol of the changing of the tides. Although the actual festival did not change anything, the culture of Woodstock still lives on today.

Works cited Woodstock 101 by Tim Hettley Http://classicrock.about.com/od/history/awoodstock_101_2htm

Contributed by Deotta Edwards