Antiwar Movement Research Paper

The antiwar movement against Vietnam was the most significant movement of its kind in the United States history. It had such a strong impact that people acknowledge the antiwar movement to be the reason the Vietnam War was shortened. The main purpose of the antiwar movement was to keep the issue known to the public. The activist constantly made the public aware of the events of the Vietnam War and wanted them to question whether the United States should be involved. National and local groups attracted the greatest publicity, but most of these efforts took place at the locally. Each groups motives for opposing the war varied but they all had a similar purpose, to get the public involved in opposing the Vietnam War.

As causalities of the Vietnam War steadily increased, many citizens back in the United States became infuriated

It was a protest against the Vietnam War and an early May 1971 upwards of twenty-five thousand young radicals set out to do something that has never been done before. They wanted to shut down the federal government through non-violent direct action. This plan detailed 21 key bridges and traffic circles for protestors to block non-violently with stalled vehicles, jerry-rigged barricades, or their bodies. The immediate goal was to slow down traffic so government employees could not get to their jobs. The larger objective was to create the specter of social chaos while maintain the support or toleration of the broad masses of the American people. Opinions vary whether the action was successful. Most of the planned blockades held only briefly if at all because most of the protestors were arrested before they got into position. More than 14,000 police were mobilized to remove the radicals from the streets and staggered 13,500 people were placed under arrest. Even if the protestors failed, they still made a large impact on the outlook of the Vietnam