Anti-War Movement

1. Anti-War Movement By Amber Ullman and Courtney Reigert

2. Over view • From 1965 to 1973, the United States fought in the Vietnam war. It was the longest war the US ever fought in. The Vietnam war gave rise to the largest and most successful antiwar movement in US history. The Vietnam war was fought on two fronts, the ‘war at home’ that was fought on the streets of the US and US college campuses and the war in Vietnam with guns, tanks, and bombs. Millions of Americans took to the streets and college campuses in large and small groups, protesting the war, discussing the moralities of the war and demanded the United States to withdraw troops from Vietnam.

3. Over view cont. • In the early 1960s, student radicalisms protested political repression on college campuses. The antiwar movement is considered a direct outgrowth of the Free Speech Movement led by people like Mario Savio at U.C. Berkeley. During the outbreak of the Vietnam war, radicalism inspired by the Free Speech Movement later grew to a national voice protesting the US involvement in the war. Americans started questioning the relevance of the US presence in a conflict half way around the world.

4. Protest at capital. Demonstrators march along Pennsylvania Avenue in an anti-war protest in Washington, on Moratorium Day, November 5th, 1969.

5. US bombing of North Vietnam • in 1965 the U.S. launched the bombing of Northern Vietnam. • North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh refused to listen to American demands so bombing continued. • Increase of American fatalities in Vietnam sparked a growth in the antiwar movement. • The public’s opinion on bombing intensified and a bombing pause was announced, from May 12th-17th, 1965.

6. Boys in Vietnam • Along the front lines in Vietnam, the antiwar movement was spreading. • Combat troops began wearing antiwar symbols and showed their disagreement with the war by peace signs, movement salutes, and demonstrations.

7. Hawks and Doves • In mid-1976, more Americans opposed the United States involvement in Vietnam war. • By 1968, only slightly more than 25% of Americans agreed with Johnson’s military decisions. • The Hawks supported the war, but believed Johnson was not giving his generals enough freedom. They wanted to continue the bombings in Northern Vietnam. • The doves wanted Johnson to end American involvement in Vietnam. The doves were usually blue-collar workers and Democrats. They were more noticeable than the Hawks and did more demonstrations and protests.

8. March on the Pentagon. • On 1967, the public support for the war decreased even more. • On October 1967, March on the Pentagon, became one of the most important events in the antiwar movement. • Marchers were unable the of Johnson’s presidency. move the overwhelmed Pentagon. • Their demonstrations had a big influence on the redirection of the war in Vietnam and contributed to the destruction

9. Capital protests • The protest at the Pentagon was the beginning of the end of American support in Vietnam. • Johnson’s administration was overwhelmed by civil disobedience and protests, and arrests were made. • Many protesters went to government grounds and surrounded things like the Lincoln Memorial. • Public reaction to protests were mixed, but most Americans did not approve of the protests. • For most Americans, protests were symbolized by TV images of disobedient hippies taunting courageous US soldiers.

10. Video Sir No Sir was a document on the antiwar movement in the 1960s during the Vietnam war. YouTube - Sir No Sir! 12 Minute Trailer

11. 5th Avenue Peace Parade Committee March 26, 1966. 5th Avenue Peace Parade Committee marched in New York City against the war in Vietnam.

12. Kent State Massacre • May 1970, Nixon endeavored to buy time for an attack on Cambodia. • For Nixon, this attack provoked a series of passionate antiwar protests across the nation.

13. Kent State Massacre Cont. • On May 4th, 1970 a protest at Kent State University ended tragically when Ohio National Guardsmen killed four students. • This tragedy ignited a wave of college campus demonstrations that crippled America’s universities. • Between May 4th and 8th there were on average 100 demonstrations a day, 350 campus strikes, 536 college shut-downs and 73 reports of violent campus protests. • By May 12th, 150 colleges were on strike.

14. Nixon withdrawals troops • With the overwhelming response to the Kent State Massacre became too much for Nixon. • On December 15, Nixon announced he was going to withdrawal 50 thousand troops from Vietnam in 1970.

15. Movement declines • American witnessed a dramatic decline with the closing of many of America’s colleges. • College demonstrations and dove rallies witnessed a decline in attendees as well during the spring of 1970. • In August of 1970 a young researcher was killed at the University of Wisconsin. The building he was in was fire bombed by antiwar activists.

16. End of the War • Nixon’s administration was paralyzed by the Watergate scandal. He resigned August of 1974. • During this, Nixon was too weak to argue with Congress over renewing American military commitment in Vietnam. • New President Gerald Ford wanted to increase military aid to faltering Saigon in 1974, heavy casualties endured by the nation made Congress refuse.

17. Works cited • Info-"Radical Times:Flash Detection In Progress." Oracle ThinkQuest Library. Web. 03 June 2010. <http://library.thinkquest.org/27942/>. • Peace Picture and Caption-Photograph. Web. <people.howstuffworks.com/protest8.htm>. • End Vietnam Picture-Photograph. Web. <http://www.boomerslife.org/anti-war_vietnam_war_protest_rally.jpg>. • 5th Avenue Peace Protest-Photograph. Web. <www.redandgreen.org/War_and_Peace/AntiWar.htm>. • Kent State Picture- • Photograph. Web. <http://digitalrhetor.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/kent-famousphoto.jpg>. • Nixon Picture- • Photograph. Web. <http://www.olive-drab.com/images/nixon_vietnam_375.jpg>. • Sir No Sir Video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDk6Qal2DCI