Vietnam Protests: Dissatisfaction, Counterculture, and Media Impact

1. Vietnam- Pt 3 Protests and Counterculture

2. JFK’s presidency LBJ’s presidency

3. Anti-War • Anti-War Movement – movement calling for end of Vietnam War • Protests against and dissatisfaction with the war increased over time

5. For what reasons do you think people protested the Vietnam War?

6. Reasons for Protests • Many thought the war was not vital (important) to U.S. and was none of our business • It didn’t concern the US, so why were we involved? • Some people argued that we should focus on fixing America’s problems first (racism, economic inequality, etc.)

7. The Draft –25% of military composed of draftees; many people thought it was wrong to draft for a war that wasn’t a necessity for the US • College students could postpone draft, so people thought the draft unfairly targeted poor Americans, especially minorities • People burned draft cards to protest- was illegal • Over 100,000 Americans left the country to avoid being drafted (Muhammad Ali) • Higher % of black soldiers and casualties- played a role in the Civil Rights movement

9. Reasons for Protests • Media coverage –1st war to have uncensored footage broadcast • Reporters had full access to frontlines • Most families had TV to see graphic images • People alarmed by # of Americans killed – ESPECIALLY AFTER TET OFFENSIVE • Made people feel disillusioned- things weren’t as good as they thought in the war, so they were disappointed • Proved that the opinions of Americans can impact government policy

10. Atrocities (violence), including the My Lai Massacre • Over 400 Vietnamese civilians were killed by U.S. during an operation at village of My Lai • People thought the Army participated in a cover-up • Lots of very gruesome deaths (combined with the media coverage. . .) • Concerns about the effects of war on soldiers (PTSD, depression)

12. How did the media affect American’s views of the Vietnam War?

13. Credibility Gap • “Credibility Gap”- growing distrust and suspicion of the government because of the Vietnam War. • Reasons for distrust: • Body counts – military used body counts of enemy to determine if we were winning; wasn’t accurate- would lie to make it seem like we were winning • Pentagon Papers – classified documents leaked in ‘71 confirmed that LBJ had misled Americans about the Gulf of Tonkin (finally found out that he lied) (kinda like Wikileaks but before the internet. . .) • Nixon pledged to end the war, but escalated bombing in N Vietnam (and Cambodia & Laos) • Silent Majority- Nixon said most Americans were worried by protests and not opposed to war • But weren’t as vocal about it- too busy “working”

14. Why did many Americans come to distrust the government during the Vietnam War?

15. Major Demonstrations • Several major protests took place in the 1970s, especially on college campuses • Kent State – Ohio national guardsmen fired on student demonstrators, killed 4 people (2 of whom were bystanders); 9 injured, 1 paralyzed • Jackson State – 2 students at a black college were killed when police fired upon student demonstrators • Led to over 450 schools closing during a student strike to continue protests

16. 4 Dead in Ohio • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68g76j9VBvM

21. Changes to Rights • 26th Amendment (1971)- lowered federal voting age to 18 • In response to Vietnam War- old enough to serve in the military; old enough to vote

22. Changes to Rights • Tinker v. Des Moines- major supreme court case • John and Mary Beth Tinker protested Vietnam War by wearing black armbands to school; were suspended • Went to court to see if it qualified as free speech • Court ruled in favor of Tinker, saying students keep their freedom of speech AS LONG AS it does not cause a “material and substantial disruption”

23. How did Tinker v Des Moines compare with Schenck v US in regards to freedom of speech?

24. Counterculture Movement • Counterculture – protest movement against political conservatism, social repression, and conformist culture of 50s and 60s- also called “youth culture” • Emphasized peace, love, and freedom, sexual liberation, and recreational drug use • Challenged the “establishment”- leaders of society • Lead many of the war protests • Generation Gap –cultural differences between the youth of 60s and their parents • Hippies – subgroup of the counterculture movement in the U.S., late 60’s- 70’s • Sometimes lived in communal settings with other hippies

25. How did the counterculture movement connect with the Vietnam War protests?

30. Art and Music • Art – Pop Art satirized the mass-produced consumer culture of 50s. Psychedelic Art used vivid colors to recreate or facilitate drug-use • Music – counterculture embraced by many 60s musicians, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, the Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds, Jimi Hendrix • spread counterculture fashions • Woodstock Music Festival- August ‘69 in rural New York • 3 day festival; over 400,000 people, sleeping in fields • Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Sly and the Family Stone

33. STAAR Practice Question

34. STAAR Practice Question

35. Big Idea How did public opinion of the Vietnam War influence government policy?