...Protest music helps people realize they aren’t alone. Many folk musicians wrote about their disapproval to America’s involvement during the Vietnam War. A highly influential folk musician was Bob Dylan. He wrote the song “The Times They Are A-Changin.” In this song, he says “there’s a battle outside, and it’s ragin’, it’ll soon shake your windows, rattle your walls.” One can argue that these lyrics were an obvious reference to the Vietnam War. “Edwin Starr’s Motown anthem “War” convinced many listeners of the complex horrors of the Vietnam War through an instantly-recognizable melody. The song, written in 1969, is perhaps the most direct anti-war protest song ever recorded” (Hopkins, 2012). Hopkins and many other musicians from the era made music to attract audiences against...
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...independence in what is known as the “First Vietnam War”. France was supported by the United States, who paid 80% of their war costs in hopes of containing communism. France wanted all of Vietnam to be democratic but Ho Chi Minh wanted a communist country. The eight year war ended with the signing of the Geneva Accords of 1954, stating that Vietnam would be split into a northern communist country and a southern democratic country. The new leader of South Vietnam was Ngo Dinh Diem. Nearly 600 american advisors were sent by President Dwight Eisenhower, to South Vietnam to help patrol the land and train the South vietnamese military. John F. Kennedy sent 16,500 advisors or Green Beret by 1963. He witnessed 200 of his men killed in action....
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...Vietnam Protest: Government Against Civilians Brian Garcia Introduction to Comparative Politics Midterm March 19, 2015 Political violence has been experienced in every country throughout history, whether the government in place has been a democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, or a hybrid regime. Political violence, or collective political struggles, includes events such as riots, civil wars, revolutions, and peaceful protest movements (Neil, 2013). In 1965 the Vietnam War sparked one of the largest protests, in the United States, the world has ever seen. The United States citizens rose against their government in a public forum, in order to convey their message against the casualties that had resulted due to the war in Vietnam. After World War I, Vietnam created the nationalist movement, which formed separate states for each nation. During World War II, Japan invaded Vietnam, causing the Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh, to liberate his people. Minh used guerilla warfare, private non-state affiliated men to attack the Japanese (Neil). Upon Minh’s win, he attained the territories once belonging to France and created a new nation under the communist government, a political system that “eliminates individual freedom to achieve equality” (Neil). Because of Vietnam’s government as a form of communism, the United States was not able to help finance them after the revolutionary, instead, President Truman helped fund France and provided them with militarily aid. Eventually after the...
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...Part One: How was the American public’s opinion affected by events such as the Vietnam War or Watergate? Part Two: What search engine did you use? Google What words did you type into the search engine to get your results? “american public opinion on watergate scandal” “american public opinion on vietnam war” What sources did you choose? Provide the web address and title of each source. Watergate Scandal: Nixon Resigns http://ropercenter.cornell.edu/the-american-publics-attitudes-about-nixon-post-watergate/ The American Public’s Attitudes about Richard Nixon Post-Watergate http://ropercenter.cornell.edu/the-american-publics-attitudes-about-nixon-post-watergate/ Vietnam War Protests http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests/...
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...Throughout the course of the Vietnam war, there were many Americans taken as Prisoners of War(POW). There were many camps for Americans in North Vietnam that ranged from high security camps to smaller camps that didn’t have a lot of security. There is not an exact count for how many American soldiers were taken as POW because they are counted in with soldiers that were MIA. There is also a confusing with the MIA soldiers, the POW, and confirmed dead soldiers whose bodies were never found. As of March 29th, The National League of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, most commonly known as, The National League of POW-MIA Families, found that there were 1621 Missing or unaccounted Americans, some of which could have been POW that...
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...The Vietnam War by Robin Davis The Vietnam War sparked a major antiwar movement in the United States-- not only among students who were eligible to be drafted after graduation, but also among civilians protesting in the streets and even soldiers in the military. Following the lead of the recent civil rights movement, which proved that social protest could be effective, the antiwar movement used the same tactics of civil disobedience. College students, while not the only ones to protest, played the biggest part in popularizing antiwar ideas to the nation. One popular national student organization-- the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)-- had been formed in 1960, and by 1966 they were focused almost entirely on the antiwar movement. This was mainly due to the fact that the Vietnam War had brought about a major change in public sentiment towards the government and its officials. While most everyone seemed to know why America was involved in World War II and heavily supported that involvement, questions abounded as to why they were ever involved in Vietnam. As more and more Americans fought and died in this war, and the costs of the war escalated, the student protests not only multiplied, but they also reflected the sentiment of a large percentage of Americans. Then, as the war expanded across Vietnamese borders into Cambodia, the student protests escalated even more. (Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff, 2005) The protests came to a head on May 4, 1970...
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... The Vietnam War left many scars on the people of the United States and had an even greater effect on the country. The reputation of our country changed as people began to have different views on the government, people’s constitutional rights, and the proper role of the media. The changing of perspectives of the people led to the country being split and angry. The Vietnam War was a fight over the government’s power, the war itself, and the draft for the war. The Truman doctrine was created to make sure the South Vietnamese did not become communist. America began to send in massive amounts of money to Vietnam in hopes that it would not become communist. Vietnam was previously property of the French empire. During World War II the Japanese seized control of Vietnam. The communism of the Vietnamese was meant to be an opposition to the Japanese. France then later tried to take Vietnam back but failed. The United States had sent in money to France but when the Japanese defeated France the United States was forced to send money and military advisors to South Vietnam. By 1960, America sent in troops to Vietnam to fight in a war that eventually led to fifty-eight thousand Americans losing their lives. The subsequent loss on the Vietnamese side was even greater than that. The long standing war ended up costing $150 billion dollars. American intervention began in 1955 when the first military advisors came into power. Many of the government’s agencies became involved in the war at home...
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...of the war because the American strategy from the start would have inevitably caused the loss of the war anyway; the U.S media just helped to speed up that defeat. The Vietnam War was the first televised war. According to the now retired Lt. Gen. Phillip B. Davidson "The war was literally piped into the living room, bedroom, and kitchen of most Americans”. Furthermore the former U.S. Commander in South Vietnam, General William C. Westmoreland noted that Modern technology "provided the press a means of indirectly involving the American public with the war on an almost hourly basis." Despite initially positive media coverage of the war, it soon became increasingly negative, in some cases falsely so. It has been suggested that the media coverage of the Tet Offensive was an exaggeration of the true course of events that helped shock the American Public. But did the media coverage of this major battle really change public perception leading to America withdrawing from the Vietnam War? With the outbreak of the Tet Offensive the Vietnam War had hit the urban areas and had subsequently become more reported on than at any other point previous in the war. Many of the Journalists had not experienced war at first hand to such a scale and were shocked by what they were seeing and the ferocity of the attacks. The surprise nature of the attack coupled with the warfare inexperience of many journalists present in Vietnam saw many of them change their verdict on this war in Vietnam. They...
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...The Vietnam War was one of the main focuses of the 1960’s. It created much hype and controversy throughout the entire country and brought rise to some of the most tragic and memorable protests in the history of the United States. During the time of the Vietnam War, our country had a military draft in place. The draft entailed that every boy in the United States, once he turned 18, was thrown into a pool of eligible people to be chosen at random and sent to war. This aspect alone caused much discomfort throughout the country. Although it was a time of war, there weren’t too many willing participants who were ready to fight for what was right. Those in opposition of the draft did just about anything they could in order to avoid it. Some moved away to different countries and others rioted in major cities around the country. Some, in protest, would openly tear and burn their draft papers. One of the most well known people to do this was heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali. (Historylearningsite) For those with the money and credentials, going to college was another option. Former President George W. Bush was actually one of the men to dodge the draft by being accepted into a prestigious college. The biggest protest groups during this time period were teenagers and young adults, mostly college students. They believed that the draft was unfair and brought much stress to the country. They also firmly believed that the war was unnecessary and the fighting should cease immediately. No...
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...The Vietnam War was unlike anything that the United States had ever been involved in before. Many were unsure what exactly this war was all about. Since the draft was reinstated, many men were trying to find a way to escape being forced into war. The soldiers were treated like enemies rather than as the brave heroes they surely were. The Vietnam War happened during the “hippie era” of the United States, and in turn there were hundreds of protests on college campuses all across the country. Once the war ended, it was not truly over. The social and political outcomes that followed were not something anyone could have been prepared for. The catalyst to one of the most notorious protests was after President Nixon had recently “…expanded the war beyond Vietnam into Cambodia…” (Davidson, 2005). Students at Kent State University decided to protest this decision on May 4, 1970. About 300 student protestors gathered, and after burning the pages of a the Constitution form a text book, were returning back to campus to “…burn down an old army ROTC building.” (Davidson, 2005). Word of this got back to Governor James Rhodes who in turn ordered the National Guard to the campus. The National Guard had ordered the crowd of protestors to leave immediately, and while a few did, most did not. In fact, some of the protestors began throwing rocks and stood their ground. “The guardsmen suddenly fired into the crowd, many of whom were students passing back and forth from classes.” (Davidson...
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...April 17th, 2013 Music of the 1960s Thesis: The music of the 1960s had a significant effect on the public opinions of the time on topics such as the Vietnam War and the subsequent draft, the civil rights movement, and the Cold War. I. Introduction a. Thesis Statement II. The Vietnam War and the draft a. Prominent Artists 1. Simon & Garfunkel 2. The Rolling Stones 3. Creedence Clearwater Revival b. Public Opinion 1. Anti-War 2. Anti-Draft 3. Protests III. The Civil Rights Movement a. Gospel 1. Martin Luther King Jr. 2. Church Gatherings 3. Protests b. African American Music 1. Jazz 2. Freedom Singers 3. Folk, Rock 'n' Roll, Blues, Soul c. Prominent Songs/Hymns 1. “We Shall Overcome” 2. “Oh Freedom” 3. “Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around” IV. The Cold War a. Themes 1. Potential Nuclear Attack 2. American/Soviet Nationalism 3. Symbolism b. Prominent Artists 1. Bob Dylan 2. Simon & Garfunkel 3. Joan Baez c. Influence V. Conclusion a. Thesis Statement The 1960s was, historically, a significant decade in America. The country underwent many changes both politically and culturally. From the presidential assassinations, to the social revolutions by the younger generations, to the war raging across half way around the world, the 1960s were a time of both societal advancement and regression for the American people. The culture of America went through many changes...
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...1. Blah 2 Vietnam- Part of Indochina -France gains control in 1885 and all of Indochina under French control by 1893. -Japan controlled Indochina during WW2. - Ho Chi Minh fought against Japan - Ho Minh advocated for Viatnamese independence all of his life. Wanted to talk to Pres. Wilson at the Versailles Conference about Vietnamese independence. He was a communist who was educated in communist universities in the Soviet Union. Much stronger nationalist (wanted Vietnam free from France. - Ho formed a government in North Vietnam due to his successful guerilla attacks that drove ou the Japanese. -Guerilla attack means you hit and run an enemy and live off the land. -French attempted to reassert control- At the end of ww2, France attempted to reassert control over its colonial holdings. America tried to negotiate with Ho to form a provisional gov. The French refused and Ho returned fighting for Vietnamese independence. - America assists with funds- America helped the French with Marshall plan funds. The French used funds to rebuild their nation to fight Ho. -Dien Bien Phu- French Defeated- Ho’s forces surrounded them (Indochina- fall of military) causing them to surrender. France realized they couldn’t keep the area in their empire 3.Geneva Conference - Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam formed- (from Indochina) -Vietnam divided into North and South Ho and communists in the north -Ngo Diem in...
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...Vietnam War Notes · The U.S got involved in Vietnam becuase Vietnam had become communist and at the time the U.S was fighting a war against the spread of communist. The domino theory. · Vietnam had been colonized by France before WW2, but was defeated when they tried to come back after WW2. Vietnam was under going a civle war to decided to be a communist country or not. The civle war divied the country into south and north. The U.S in fear of the domino theory step in and supported the south in the fight against communist. · In the Gulf of Tokin a few U.S ship claimed to be fired apon by the Viet Cong. Once this happened the Prisendent decided to start bombing raids on the north. Not long after we invaded. · Some of the most horriable weapons were used during the Vietnam War, weapons like napom, white phospagen and agent orange, these weapons had huge lasting impact not only on the people but the ecosystem in Vietnam was destroyed and by pisioning the ecosystem and messing with water that people drank, many kids were born with birth defects. · Nixon was eleted President in 1968, his slogan was "Peace in honor." Nixon increase bombing raids and also invaded Cambodian. · The CIA were doing operation like operation Phonix which was designed for soldiers to go into villages in Vienam and kill the silvians in the village because the CIA thought they were helping the Viet Cong. The orders were to kill anything that moved. · The Tet Offensive was a huge operation run by the...
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...Canadian Involvement in the Vietnam War; Playing Both Sides. Although Canada “officially non-belligerent” in the war against Vietnam they were active and played a huge role for and against the war. It is a common belief that Canada’s position during the Vietnam War was strictly neutral but the government was more involved than many Canadians realize. The Canadian government aided the U.S by sending Medical equipment, providing technical assistance as well as diplomatic aid. In 1981, it was discovered that Canada had been secretly involved in testing U.S chemical warfare agents for Vietnam. The Canadian government also welcomed about 30,000 American war resisters and draft-dodgers who did not support the war across the Canadian borders; at the same time about 30,000 Canadians crossed the border to volunteer to help the U.S soldiers fight in Vietnam. Scholars like Jessica Squires spoke on The Canadian Anti-Draft Movement, which “was a network of groups in Canadian cities that actively supported the immigration of War resisters”. This Network was active from 1966-1973 and its activities were seen as a sort of resistance to the American War on Vietnam. At this time in the early 1970s there had been protests and demonstrations in Canada and various parts of the world, which denounced the war on Vietnam and the actions if the U.S Government and this Anti-Draft Movement was one of the ways Canadians were able to influence or oppose the Vietnam War. In 1966, Hans Sinn...
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...The Vietnam War “I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service.” This quote from John. F Kerry shows the reality of the Vietnam War. This war persisted for almost 20 years, and it ended in stalemate. Many Americans were protesting the war at home. Protests occurred all throughout the war, but many of the people in the United States were not aware what the war was like until the media covered Hamburger Hill. Even after ten days of bloody battle, the UN forces decided to abandon the hill, and it was later reclaimed by North Vietnam. Many American citizens thought of the war as pointless, as the troops had no place in this civil war between North and...
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