Jimi Hendrix & The Vietnam War
VIETNAM WAR 1955-1975 part of the Cold War: U.S. fighting against Communist takeover of South Vietnam by North Vietnam combat troops begin in 1965; popular resistance to war escalates in late 1960s 58,000 U.S. troops died
VIETNAM WAR 1955-1975 The Vietnam War was American’s first racially integrated conflict. The height of the Vietnam War (1968-1969) coincided with the rise of the Black Power movement in America. Of the 246,000 men recruited under Pres. Johnson’s Project 100,000 between Oct.1966-June 1969, 41% were black (black Americans represented only 11% of the population) “[African-Americans] are asked to die for the system in Vietnam, in Watts they are killed by it.” – Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther leader
VIETNAM WAR 1955-1975 “If blacks can account for up to 22% of the dying, they should at least have 22% of the jukebox or the music on Armed Forces Radio.” – Wallace Terry, Vietnam War Correspondent, TIME Magazine 40% of black veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (compared to 20% of white veterans)
JIMI HENDRIX ON THE VIETNAM WAR “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock (1969)
Recommended Resources VIETNAM WAR 1955-1975 Recommended Resources