Ben Harvey
Ms. O’Brien
English 11X
4 May 2014
Advancing the Peace Movement: Music during the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War: the most dismal and disputed war that the United States has fought. A war plagued by fatalities and extreme costs. It began as a political war, when North Vietnam tried to overrun and impose communism on South Vietnam. Americans, at the outset, felt the war was justified and worthwhile. Opinion started to change, at least among young people, as the war lingered and the death toll rose. Peace protesters emerged, and along with the peace movement came music. Unlike any other war in history, the artists of the Vietnam era used their music to influence political beliefs and to unite the protesters. During the Vietnam War, the music became integral to the peace movement.
The peace movement arose from opposition from the young adults in the nation. According to the history.com staff, early in the Vietnam War, college campuses were the main site of protests. Local college students would hold peaceful protests to enlighten others to what was really going on (history.com staff). Early in the war, very few people were concerned, and protesters were ignored. As the Vietnam War wore on, questions began to be asked. The government’s response was that they feared the “Domino Effect,” where if one nation falls to communism, other nations will follow. But as the years went by, and death tolls rose with scarce meaningful military accomplishments, the peace movement grew. In the United States, passionate young people began to gather, questioning whether the war was only a political move with no real benefits to our country’s security and power.
In 1967, about 100,000 protestors gathered at the Lincoln Memorial ...
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... War ended. The protesters wanted it to happen, but by amplifying the protesters' voices, the music made it happen. Works Consulted
Barriger, Mark. The Anti-War Movement in the United States. Modern American Poetry, n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
Harvey, Nancy. Personal interview. 4 May 2014.
History.com Staff. Vietnam War Protests. History.com, 2010. Web. 3 May 2014.
Lennon, John. Give Peace A Chance Lyrics. Metrolyrics, n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. The Woodstock Festival of 1969. about.com, n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
The Beatles. Revolution Lyrics. Metrolyrics, n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
Tulli, Jasmine. The Great Influence of The Beatles: The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones. Mtholyoke, 28 April 2003.
N.A. Music And The Anti-war Movement. The Vietnam War, n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
N.A. Why Woodstock Was Important. Woodstock Memories, 10 July 2009. Web. 3 May 2014.
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