1969 Time Capsule: Artifacts of America's Counterculture

Opening the Time Capsule

After brushing off all the debris, the team of archaeologists lifted the time capsule with a great sense of satisfaction and placed it on the research table. Inside we found five items that will enhance our understanding of life in the United States of America, circa 1969. The first two items we unearthed from the time capsule were bundled together using a piece of rough twine. The larger of the two objects was a disk encased in a paper sheath, about one foot in diameter. The sheath bore colorful artwork on it. The disk inside was black and etched with rings that resembled those found on a tree trunk when it has been cut. Attached to the paper sheath with the piece of twine was a small envelope. Inside the envelope were two pieces of paper, which appeared to be tickets to an event. On closer inspection, I confirmed that they were indeed tickets to the Woodstock Festival.

From my expertise in the area, I instantly identified the black disk. One member of the team asked, "Is that an LP?" Another member, a graduate student, asked, "What's an LP?" I informed the team that "LP" was the name given to "long play" record albums from the era when musical recordings were pressed into vinyl disks. These vinyl disks were played on turntable devices, which used a needle to pick up the sound waves and play them through a speaker. The disks, also called "records," were extremely popular during this period.

This particular record was by an artist named Jimi Hendrix. The name sounded vaguely familiar, and after a quick search I immediately understood why. Jimi Hendrix was a groundbreaking musician from Seattle, Washington. He was one of the foremost guitar players of the 1960s (Henderson, 1996). Scholars and historians of music refer to Hendrix as "legendary" (Brattin, 2010). One of the ways Hendrix reached the mainstream was through his performance of an instrumental version of the American national anthem at the Woodstock Festival, which took place in 1969 during what was called the Summer of Love.

Jimi Hendrix, the Woodstock Festival, and the Vinyl Record

During the Woodstock Festival, Jimi Hendrix took the stage with a temporary band and played "an uninterrupted set lasting nearly two hours — one of the longest performances of his career" (Brattin, 2010). This concert came at a crucial moment in Hendrix's career: he was transitioning away from his famous Experience Band and moving toward new bands, new styles, and fresh talent. As Brattin (2010) notes, Jimi's performance at Woodstock marked a significant period of transition, as he had previously played only with white British musicians. After Woodstock, Hendrix began collaborating more with African-American musicians.

After discussing Hendrix's performance of the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, one of the students asked why Hendrix was so important and what his role was in the history of rock music. I responded that Jimi was a radical innovator with the electric guitar — an instrument that has survived various incarnations from 1969 to today. Whereas now we have titanium-neck guitars, those musicians played Gibsons and Stratocasters. In the Archaeology of Music Museum, where I once spent a summer working, there are several specimens of ancient guitars from the rock era, including a Stratocaster reported to have been played by Hendrix at Woodstock, though some archaeologists dispute that designation.

Regardless, Hendrix was critical to the history of rock music because he played his guitar differently than his peers. He relied heavily on the "wah" pedal, which created psychedelic sounds and effects. Hendrix also favored a heavy sound, which was becoming increasingly popular toward the late 1960s.

A graduate student reached into the time capsule and pulled out another item, pulling me out of my reverie about classic rock musicians. With the guitar riff from "Have You Ever Been Experienced" still running through my head, it seemed all the more fitting that my student should pull out this particular piece of paper. It was a major discovery — I had never before excavated a sheet of blotter acid; I had only read about them.

The student handed the piece of paper to me. It was small, roughly eight inches long by five inches wide. Looking closely, one could see faded color designs printed on the paper — what appeared to be a bright yellow and orange solar motif, though I could not be certain. The paper was perforated so that it could be divided into approximately 80 individual "tabs," each about the size of a woman's pinky nail. "It's a sheet of blotter acid!" I exclaimed. The student beside me grinned. "You mean LSD?"

LSD and the Psychedelic Experience

When I confirmed the astute student's knowledge, another intern asked, "What's LSD?" I described it first in purely academic terms: LSD stands for "lysergic acid diethylamide." It was discovered in 1938 by a man named Albert Hofmann, who was later venerated by those who viewed LSD as a sacrament (Becker, 1967, p. 163). This one drug practically defined a generation. Drawing on a source written in 1967 that functions almost as a primary source, I noted that "the number of people who have used or continue to use" LSD was "very large" (Becker, 1967, p. 163). Moreover, a prominent historical advocate of LSD and a superstar of the hippie movement was Timothy Leary. Leary considered LSD not merely benign but "beneficial" to personal and public consciousness (Becker, 1967, p. 163). According to my sources, Leary founded a religion based on LSD, "in which it is the major sacrament" (Becker, 1967, p. 163).

Why was this small piece of paper considered a sacrament? As Becker (1967) points out, LSD induced an altered state of consciousness that was profound and sometimes life-changing. This was no ordinary drug. The problem was that using LSD could carry serious risks. While Becker (1967) presents a balanced approach and argues that LSD is not the public menace some believed it to be, he acknowledges that the drug could cause symptoms of "psychosis" if abused (Becker, 1967). It is fortunate that technology has advanced to the point where altered states of consciousness no longer require substances like LSD.

The counterculture movement of the 1960s was no stranger to drugs. I was about to continue my commentary when the next item was pulled from the time capsule. "What's this?" a student asked. I took the item. It was a perfectly preserved satchel made of colorful crocheted yarn with something soft inside. I gently untied the strings and emptied a small amount of the contents into my palm. It appeared to be some kind of organic substance.

"What is it?" another intern asked. I held the substance to my nose. While I would not be certain until I ran laboratory tests, I was fairly confident it was cannabis. When I told the intern, she was unsurprised. "Oh yeah! The hippies used to smoke a lot of marijuana!"

Conclusion: Patterns of American Counterculture in 1969

The five items located in the time capsule — a Jimi Hendrix vinyl album, tickets to Woodstock, a sheet of blotter acid, a bag of cannabis, and a lava lamp — all reveal important patterns visible in the study of American culture. American culture in the 1960s was changing rapidly, more rapidly than the globules moved inside the lava lamp. A counterculture movement, also known as the hippie movement, shaped American society by embracing alternative lifestyles, music, and art forms. Self-expression became free and liberated, in direct opposition to the more conformist era of the 1950s.