Terry Becker Jr., a former college newspaper editor and reporter for the Newhouse News Service, was the main instigator in the founding group of antiwar activists.

A 1970 article in the Pittsburgh Press described Quicksilver Times as being put out every 10 days by a staff collective, with Terry Becker the first among equals.

Quicksilver Times was a member of the Underground Press Syndicate, and subscribed to the Liberation News Service.

Along with opposition to the Vietnam War, the paper was outspoken in its support for the Black Panthers, feminism, gay rights, and other movements of the period, while embracing the aesthetics and ethos of the hippie/drug culture.

The design of the tabloid paper was simple but lively, making liberal use of drawings, photographs, and underground comix.