By: Masen McCane

 During the 60’s, the U.S. thought it was crucial to have involvement in Vietnam to contain the spread of communism, and so did most of the American public.  As the war dragged on however, popular opinion began to change drastically. A new generation sought, peace not war.  Massive peace rallies, school riots, protests, and music festivals stood against the American involvement overseas.

 A new wave of Americans were on the rise, who rejected their parents ideas and the social norms. These young adults were the students who rallied and Colleges and pushed the movement to the its farthest extent. The reason they had so much afluence was because this group was so large, as all were part of the baby boomer generation.  The credibility gap caused by public broadcasting of the war caused distrust toward the President Johnson. This was the first time people had really seen war on screen.  The draft struck disdain into the hearts of young men as they refused to fight a war they didn’t believe in. This led to the first burning of a draft card on Oct. 15, 1965.

 The Kent state shootings set the public against the U.S. indefinitely. On May, 4 th 1970, The guardsmen fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis. Some of the students who were shot had been protesting the Cambodian Campaign, which President Richard Nixon announced during a television address on April 30. Other students who were shot had been walking nearby or observing the protest from a distance. This caused nearly 4 million students to go on strike, forcing many colleges to close.  The Kent state shootings would directly lead to a march on D.C., with demands from the public to end the war.  Though Woodstock was not necessarily an anti-war movement, it brought many together with the same ideals, working as a cry for peace from many.

 Muhammed Ali, famous heavyweight championship boxer, was known for attesting the war, and refusing the draft. He was suspended from boxing for 3 years because of this.  Though Martin Luther King was more known for his roles in the Civil Rights movement, he also stood for the anti-war movement.  The SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), an organization created by college students, and other groups protested the war through non-violence.

 1: what college fueled protest that ended in a tragedy with 4 dead students?  2: name a cause for the anti-war movement.  3: what was the name of the massive music festival in 1969?  4: who was president during the Cambodian Campaign?  5: when was the first time a draft card was burned?

 Wikipedia  dept.kent.edu/sociology/lewis/lewihen.htm  Google images