The War at Home

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The War at Home

• Section 20.3

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• Abraham, Martin And John
• Recorded by "Dion (1968)
• Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?Can
  you tell me where he's gone?He freed a lot of
  people, But it seems the good they die
  young.You know, I just looked around and he's
  gone.Anybody here seen my old friend John?Can
  you tell me where he's gone?He freed a lot of
  people, But it seems the good they die young.I
  just looked around and he's gone. Anybody here
  seen my old friend Martin?Can you tell me where
  he's gone?He freed a lot of people, But it
  seems the good they die young. I just looked
  'round and he's gone.Didn't you love the things
  that they stood for?Didn't they try to find some
  good for you and me?And we'll be free Anybody
  here seen my old friend Bobby?Can you tell me
  where he's gone?I thought I saw him walk up over
  the hill, With Abraham, Martin and John.

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Abraham, Martin And John
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Agenda for TodayMay 15, 2009

• 20.3 slide show
• Presentations
• Homework
• Think of a good question to ask the Vietnam
  Veterans Panel coming here Monday
• Vietnam Test next Thursday

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Love it or Leave it?
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Is it disloyal or unpatriotic to protest a war?
Do protesters weaken America/morale? What does it
mean to support the troops?
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Campus Unrest Presentation
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Describe colleges in the 1960s.

• Attendance skyrocketed
• 1950- 1 million
• 1969- 8 million
• Students
• White-upper middle class background
• Affluent
• Idealistic
• Joined Peace Corps, Civil Rights movement
• Minority formed New Left
• Radical liberals who opposed Established
  authority
• Admired Ho Chi Mihn, Fidel Castro, Black
  Panthers, Che Guevara

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Campus Unrest
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What is the SDS?

• Student for a Democratic Society
• Core of radical New Left from University of
  Michigan
• Port Huron Statement
• Known as an Agenda for a Generation
• Co written by Tom Hayden
• Said US was controlled by governmental,
  corporate, and educational machine that attempted
  to program the individual
• Called for
• Participatory democracy, free speech on college
  campuses, end of Vietnam War
• Methods
• Peace resistance (at first)

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What issue made the membership of SDS skyrocket?

• Vietnam!!!
• Rooted in Civil Rights Movement
• 1965 large scale bombing and first combat troops
  sent to Vietnam
• 10 thousand new members
• 150 Chapters
• Led Antiwar protest
• Organized Teach-ins

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Weather Underground Presentation
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Weather Underground
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Draft Presentation
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Who was subject to the draft and what problems
arose from it?

• Draft- mandatory military service
• 18 to 25 chosen according to lottery
• Deferment postponement of service
• Full time college student, Children, Health
• Working class
• poor twice as likely to see combat
• Blacks
• 10 of population
• Made up 18 of draftees
• Conscientious objectors
• Refused to fight for moral reasons
• Draft dodgers
• Used political influence to avoid Vietnam
• Draft resisters
• Went underground, to Canada

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FORTUNATE SON Credence Clearwater Revival Some
folks are born made to wave the flag,Ooh,
they're red, white and blue.And when the band
plays "Hail to the chief",Ooh, they point the
cannon at you, Lord,It ain't me, it ain't me, I
ain't no senator's son, son.It ain't me, it
ain't me I ain't no fortunate one,
no,Yeah! Some folks are born silver spoon in
hand,Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.But
when the taxman comes to the door,Lord, the
house looks like a rummage sale, yes,It ain't
me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son,
no.It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no
fortunate one, no. Some folks inherit star
spangled eyes,Ooh, they send you down to war,
Lord,And when you ask them, "How much should we
give?"Ooh, they only answer More! more! more!
yoh,It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no
military son, son.It ain't me, it ain't me I
ain't no fortunate one, one.It ain't me, it
ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,It
ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son,
no no no,
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Describe Antiwar protests in the late 60s. .

• Growing!
• March on the Pentagon 10/21/67
• 10 thousand protesters marched at the Pentagon
• Placed flowers in barrels of troops
• Women Strike for Peace
• Pounded on McNamaras door
• SDS 4/23/68
• Protested Columbia Universitys ties to military
  research

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What were the results of antiwar protests?

• Nation divided between hawks and doves
• 70 of America viewed protestors as disloyal
• This changed after Tet

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What role did the media play in the Vietnam war?

• Molded public opinion by what they reported/did
  not report
• Not censored by military
• 1968- over 800 reporters in Vietnam
• Generally supported war until Tet
• Questioned
• reliability of Government reports
• Whether we should be there in 1st place
• Showed graphic images of war

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Napalm Attack
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My Lai Massacre Presentation
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What happened at My Lai in November of 1969?

• US soldiers massacred 350 civilians
• Village had been used as VC sniper base
• Revealed brutality of war
• Lieutenant Calley
• Became the scapegoat for military
• Said he was following orders
• Sentenced to life in prison
• Paroled by Nixon

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My Lai Massacre
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Click photo for clip
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What was the Silent Majority?

• Nixon's label for his supporters
• Hard working, tax paying Americans who quietly
  supported their government
• Divided America into we and they
• We silent majority
• They radical counterculture protesters
• Result
• Turned some peaceful protesters into violent
  revolutionaries
• Ex. The Weathermen

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Nixon and the Silent Majority
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So what would you do? Is it justified to protest
a war you view as unjust? How far should
protesters go?
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Kent State Presentation
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What happened at Kent State (Ohio) 5/3/70?

• Nixon announced that US soldiers invaded Cambodia
  to attack VC bases
• Perceived expansion of war outraged college
  students
• National guardsmen called to Kent State
  University to stop student rioting, arson
• Jeering students nervous guardsmen chaos
• 4 dead, 9 injured
• Public opinion divided
• Some blamed government, others students

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Kent State and Public Reaction
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• You know, you see these bums,
• you know, blowin' up the campuses.
• Listen, the boys that are on the college
• campuses today are the luckiest people in the
  world,
• going to the greatest universities, and here they
  are,
• burnin' up the books, I mean, stormin' around
• about this issue, I mean, you name it - get rid
  of
• the war, there'll be another one.
• -- Richard Nixon, New York Times, May 2, 1970

Click to play clip
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Are there limits to the 1st Amendment?
Clip to play clip
Clip to play clip