Antiwar Movement Research Paper

In the eyes of many folks the U.S. began a pointless war that claimed many innocent lives. Though the goal was to contain communism, the U.S. exerted far too much effort and resources for such a disappointing result. Before the anti-war movement picked up steam, artists would use their music to spread a message, in fact “Some of the first organized activities against the Vietnam War centered on the singing of songs at concerts, in clubs, and on campuses,” (Franklin 204). This trend would only grow as the war progressed and soon enough a full-fledge movement had emerged. One of the earlier protest songs of the era, Tom Paxton’s “Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation” directly targeted both Lyndon B. Johnson as well as the action going on overseas.

The Vietnam anti-war movement is arguably the largest and most effective to date. It began with students on university campuses, but soon expanded to include minority groups, like civil rights activists. It divided the country for a time, but united it after certain events during the war. These included the Kent State shootings and war crimes in Vietnam. The protestors of the war had a massive impact on society at the time; they brought different races, genders, and classes all across the country together to protest the government and its choices.

Marshals protecting the building, hundreds of demonstrators were arrested. The anti war movements were also supported and sometimes received direct involvement from many highly influential figures. The civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. went public with his opposing views to the war on moral grounds, as well as Boxer Muhammad Ali who resisted his conscription into service during the Vietnam War. Ali, declared himself a "conscientious objector," earning a prison sentence and a ban from

Some Attica prisoners began to identify themselves as political prisoners rather than convicted criminals. These events were the perfect concoction to create a four-day mass riot. The Monroe Fordham Regional History Center’s “Attica NOW!” collection contains interviews of Attica inmates who recount daily mistreatment from guards and rules that were abused by guards to punish inmates. These interviews also talk about the lack of educational opportunities and the fact that they were forced to perform slave labor (Slade). During the 1960’s and 1970’s President Nixon declared a war on drugs causing the demographic of criminals to shift as Attica was now a dumping ground for African Americans and Hispanics facing drug charges, causing Attica to become overcrowded, and increased the already poisonous racial atmosphere in the prison.

Thousands of newspapers and television displayed the horrors of the war causing protests in the US. Most importantly My Lai massacre which killed approximately 504 innocent women, children, and men who were allegedly Viet Congs. This revelation shocked the whole world especially the US. Additionally, Viet Congs were supported by other countries such as China, Russia, as well as neighboring countries near Vietnam that helped them transport supplies through the Ho Chi Minh trail, unlike the US who also lost the support of its own people and

The police shooting of Michael Brown and the unrest in Ferguson that followed was the first major protest that I followed closely on the news. I watched as police officers that looked like soldiers violently interrupted marches in Ferguson, and around the country. Then, I watched the collapse of Ferguson, Missouri’s unjust system of policing. At the time, I remember thinking that the voice of those that refused to remain silent against a racist institution invoked a progressive movement into the future. From that point forward, I understood that it was the voice of the people that would change unjust governmental practices.

As it is discussed in discussion part, the view on the war drastically altered in American public after visualization of real combat conditions by TV and newspaper coverage. It also influenced veterans’ financial and medical status in a negative way which eventually increased social tensions in the society. However, its greatest impact was the fact that it had given significant momentum to the civil rights movement. The study focused on only abovementioned aspects. Apparently, it would be beneficial to investigate from other perspectives as

Kaepernicks’ choice to protest during the national Anthem has alarmed Americans about the injustice of police brutality. Again, his protest has shown that respecting our soldier goes far beyond honoring our flag for 60 seconds, but that it takes us, the people to implement and use our constitutional rights that were fought for. Also, Colin Kaepernicks’ protest highlighted societal flaws, and encouraged the American people to push for justice on the issue of police

The media censorship during the Vietnam War affected the perception of many U.S. citizens, because the Vietnam War was “the first war that issued full freedom of press”, this meant giving the media the freedom to show the whole world how they saw war (par.1). A lot of the media showed lack of the truth in their showings. The media made also made a big impact on the U.S. citizens because most of them were against the war. The media that was most known were the more dramatic ones because they were the ones that drawled attention audience, which were Americans and the enemy. The technology during this time was much better so things could be transferred to television much quicker grasping the attention of American citizens.

The police expected the charges to drop after dismissing charges against some of the arrested protesters, but that didn’t happen, the lawsuit is still ongoing. The people who were arrested and let go now have permanent criminal arrest records, widely affecting their future employment, education, reputations, and professional careers, all because officers felt the need to be violent and threatened by a peaceful protest. Over the past couple of years,white police officers have grown more and more violent towards black people. Police have a civic duty to protect and serve, but large amounts of power and authority are sometimes abused. Black Lives Matter is a movement that was created for that very reason.

Although both peaceful protests and violent riots took place, the riots were what caught attention and led to the larger discussion of black rights (MSNBC). An article that came out in response to the riots, as well as arguments that violence was not the proper response, states that “in a number of cases, crisis caused by riots and property destruction has had a significant role in forcing authorities to respond to demands for political change” (Aljazeera). Word for word this argues the exact point Douglass does in his speech. The riots may have occurred over a year ago, but they are still actively brought up in many controversial racial events to date. Because of the drastic, violent action the rioters pursued, they made their wishes prevalent which in turn was able to start a nationwide discussion of what needs to be done to improve rights for all people.