VietnamAnitWar

Reasons why people began to protest:

1. Many Americans throughout the war believed that the United States should not get involved in the civil war of a foreign country. They felt that America should concentrate on it's own society. 2. People challenged the draft saying that it was unfair; many men and boys could avoid it by enrolling in college Most of the men drafted were poor. Upper and middle classes could employ lawyers and counselors to help them avoid being drafted. 3. Many did not like the way that they were fighting in Vietnam and felt it was immoral. "Hippies" are especially noted for their anti-violence beliefs. 4. Violence at home just created more angry protestors. Americans did not like the violence of the campus shootings in response to open protest. In response to the shooting, more Americans joined the anti-war movement.

Methods of Protest:

1. Teach-ins were modelled after the famous Greensboro sit-ins during the civil rights movement. Groups of teacher and students alike protested and learned about the Vietnam war on campus. 2. Marches were a popular form of protest. During the March Against Death, "involved some 45,000 participants, each with a placard bearing the name of a soldier who had died in Vietnam." 3. Open protest was another very popular form of protest in America during the Vietnam War years. Some students were even killed by the National Guard during a protest.

Groups that protested:

1. Hippies had a strong antiwar sentiment. They joined forces at events such as Woodstock. The Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco was famous for their "hippie" culture. 2. Many Black Americans supported antiwar ideals. Martin Luther King Jr. was an avid supporter of ending the war. His assassination made the black community feel even stronger about ending the war. 3. Male college aged students often were antiwar because of the draft that they claimed to be unfair. It was easy to prevent being drafted by going to college for middle and upper classes. Poor men had no way of avoiding the war.

Song Excerpts:

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1. "Tin Soldiers And Nixon's Bombing, We're Finally On Our Own, This Summer I Hear The Drumming, Four Dead In Ohio" -lyrics from the group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's song "Ohio." 2. "you can be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box" -lyrics from Joe MacDonald in his song, "I feel like I'm fixing to die rag" picture from www.loc.gov  picture from www.nyu.edu    ====== picture used from www.ohiohistory.org

picture used from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Vietnam_War_protesters.jpg



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