John Lennon provided inspiration to a movement that existed without him, but gained strength and purpose from him

Before his tragic murder, John Lennon had become the face of the peace movement; a warrior-poet that transcended his status of ‘Rock Star’ to become a cultural icon that embodied an ideal and inspired a generation.

Thrust into the center of the American culture-war by the stubborn determination of his own ideals and principles, Lennon emboldened an army of young people against a corrupt military-industrial complex and political establishment waging brutal and unjust wars cloaked in lies and secrecy. 

The clarity and profound simplicity of his message, coupled with the impact of his celebrity, not only proved greater than any governmental retaliation but allowed politicians, bureaucrats, and captains of industry, to expose themselves as desperate, authoritarian liars, willing to go to any extent necessary to silence dissent.