Make Love, Not War

"Make Love, Not War" emerged as one of the most iconic anti-war slogans of the 1960s American counterculture, embodying the values of the anti-Vietnam War movement and the broader philosophy of nonviolence and free love. The slogan was used primarily by those who were opposed to the Vietnam War, but has been invoked in other anti-war contexts since, around the world (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025).

The exact origins of the phrase remain disputed, with multiple individuals claiming authorship. The earliest uses in print appear to have been in anti-war protests in Berkeley, California earlier in 1965 than the April and May uses cited by Penelope Rosemont and Diane Newell Meyer. Articles mentioning signs and bumper stickers with the phrase were reported in the Daily Californian in February and the Oakland Tribune in March (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025).

Among the most credible claims for the slogan's creation are those from the Chicago Surrealist Group. Radical activists Penelope and Franklin Rosemont and Tor Faegre helped to popularize the phrase by printing thousands of "Make Love, Not War" buttons at the Solidarity Bookshop in Chicago, Illinois and distributing them at the Mother's Day Peace March in 1965 (Rosemont, 2015). According to Penelope Rosemont, "In March 1965, we wanted to do a button. The slogan we thought of first was the old Fellowship of Reconciliation slogan 'Make Peace, Not War' but it seemed too tame for the 60s. Several of us together at the Solidarity Bookshop – myself, Franklin, Bernard Marszalek and Tor Faegre – thought about this and what we came up with finally was 'Make Love Not War'" (Creative Review, 2018).

A competing claim comes from Diane Newell Meyer, a University of Oregon student who asserts she independently created the phrase. Meyer says she wrote 'Let's make love not war' on an envelope and pinned it to her sweater before attending a rally in April 1965. "It just popped into my head – I remember I started giggling when I wrote it," Meyer said. "I know I hadn't read it anywhere before" (Creative Review, 2018). Meyer's slogan was photographed and distributed nationally by Associated Press, contributing significantly to its spread.

The "Make love" part of the slogan often referred to the practice of free love that was growing among the American youth who denounced marriage as a tool for those who supported war and favored the traditional capitalist culture (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025). The phrase's rhetorical power came from its binary rejection of violence in favor of human connection, operating both as a political message and as a cultural identity marker for the hippie and peace movements.

The slogan gained widespread recognition during the height of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s, appearing on protest signs, buttons, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and graffiti. Its influence extended into popular culture, being featured in two 1973 songs: John Lennon's "Mind Games" and Bob Marley's "No More Trouble" (Wikipedia Contributors, 2025).

"Make Love, Not War" has continued to resonate across generations, maintaining its relevance as an anti-war statement in subsequent conflicts and serving as a symbol of the enduring human desire to choose compassion over conflict.