Literature Review
There is strong evidence that the Woodstock festival of 1969 was symbolic of the counterculture growing in the sixties. For example, anti-militarism was all the rage. The young adults of the sixties had grown tired of war and violence. Woodstock was a time of peace. There were no fights or injuries apart from those due to substance abuse. Even still, there were only 800 accounts of injury, a diminutive amount considering that 500,000 people attended. This information supports the claim that Woodstock's primary belief was peace and love because there was no intentional violence.
Another trend in research is that Woodstock was a personified example of human sharing and caring for one another. The 500,000 people who attended the three day festival shared food, water, shelter, drugs, sex, and most importantly, company. These 500,000 people got by with very limited sources and became connected on a spiritual and emotional level. Because of all the fighting, both in and out of America, they believed that people should group together and love each other. Those who attended became a part of a family and understood that they were not alone.
And finally, numerous authors support the claim that Woodstock was a peaceful and joyful rebellion against the conservative restraints put on society by older generations. They fought against beliefs such as "children were to not speak until spoken to." Those who attended created their own rules and explored what they believed was right and wrong by listening to rock music and participating in drug use and sexual activities. Performers such as Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater, and Jimi Hendrix spoke of love and peace in between songs and had a controversial style that promoted artistic exploration.