My Topic is Abbie Hoffman

Abbie Hoffman was a leader of the Youth International Party. At trial, Hoffman described himself as "an orphan of America" and "a child of Woodstock Nation." He was, perhaps, the most intriguing figure in Judge Hoffman's courtroom. Hoffman believed that identity is defined by myth propagated through the media.

Born on 30 November 1936, Abbott Hoffman became one of the most well known U.S. political activists of the middle 20th century. Gaining national attention after the confrontations that took place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Hoffman remained politically active until his death at the age of 52. However, the political career of Abbie Hoffman was already well underway before the days of the Chicago Seven.

During the late 1950's and early 1960's, Abbie Hoffman was involved in earning an education. At Brandeis University, Hoffman earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1959. This was followed with a Master's degree in psychology earned from the University of California at Berkeley. It was during his years that Hoffman began to become politically active, and took his first steps toward becoming a well-known anti-war organizer.

While Abbie Hoffman is well known as the organizer for the Youth International Party, this was not his first effort at mobilizing youth into a viable political voice. Hoffman helped to found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which helped to raise money for the Civil Rights movement that was gaining ground in the southern United States. As his concepts of equality and peaceful resolution continued to expand, Abbie Hoffman began to be involved in the anti-war movement as well.

For Hoffman, gaining control of the political machine was the way effect change.

This mindset was behind his motivation for the organized protests that caused the disruption of the Democratic National Convention in 1968. During the trial that ...