(MUSIC)

The Beatles' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" went on sale in the United States at the end of nineteen sixty-three. Within five weeks, it was the biggest-selling record in America.

(MUSIC)

Other songs, including some by the Beatles, sounded more revolutionary.

(MUSIC: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")

They spoke about drugs and sex, although not always openly.

In the nineteen sixties, "Do your own thing" became a common expression. It meant to do whatever you wanted, without feeling guilty.

(MUSIC: Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock)

Five hundred thousand young Americans did their own thing at the Woodstock music festival in nineteen sixty-nine. They gathered at a farm in New York state. They listened to musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez, and to groups like The Who and Jefferson Airplane.

(MUSIC: "Volunteers"/Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock)

Woodstock became a symbol of the young peoples' rebellion against traditional values. Many young people called themselves "hippies." Hippies believed there should be more love and personal freedom in America.

In nineteen sixty-seven, poet Allen Ginsberg helped lead a gathering of hippies in San Francisco. No one knows exactly how many people considered themselves hippies. But twenty thousand attended the gathering.

Another leader of the event was Timothy Leary.