7.2 Anti-War Movement and Counterculture

The anti-war movement and counterculture of the 1960s rocked American society. From campus teach-ins to massive protests, activists challenged U.S. involvement in Vietnam and traditional social norms.

Key events like the Gulf of Tonkin incident and methods like draft card burnings shaped the movement. The counterculture overlapped with anti-war efforts, using music and art to express youth rebellion against the establishment.

The Anti-War Movement

Key events of anti-war movement

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• Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964) sparked escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam based on controversial and disputed reports of North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. ships
• Teach-ins organized by professors and students educated the public about the war, with the first held at the University of Michigan in March 1965
• Draft protests opposed the selective service system and conscription, with anti-draft groups like The Resistance forming in 1967
• Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Beyond Vietnam" speech (1967) publicly denounced the war, connecting it to issues of poverty and racism
• Student organizations like Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led campus protests and demonstrations against the war

Methods of anti-war activism

• Protests and marches, including the March on Washington (1965), Pentagon protests (1967), and Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam (1969), drew large crowds and garnered media attention
• Draft card burnings publicly destroyed draft cards as a symbolic act of resistance to the selective service system
• Campus demonstrations, such as sit-ins, teach-ins, and rallies, spread anti-war sentiment at universities across the country
  • Kent State shootings (1970) resulted in the deaths of four students and sparked a nationwide student strike
• Underground press, including alternative media outlets like The Los Angeles Free Press, The Berkeley Barb, and The East Village Other, disseminated anti-war messages and counterculture ideas

The Counterculture

Anti-war movement vs counterculture

• Shared values and ideals, including rejection of traditional societal norms, emphasis on peace, love, and personal freedom
• Overlapping participants, with many anti-war activists also being part of the counterculture and hippies participating in anti-war protests
• Music and art, such as the Woodstock festival (1969), protest songs, and politically charged artwork, served as symbols of the counterculture and anti-war sentiment
• Generational divide between baby boomers and their parents, with the counterculture and anti-war movement expressing youth rebellion against the establishment

Impact of anti-war protests

• Shifting public opinion gradually eroded support for the war as the conflict dragged on and media coverage of protests and war atrocities influenced public perception
• Political consequences included Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to seek re-election in 1968 and Richard Nixon's "Vietnamization" policy and gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops
• Paris Peace Accords (1973) formally ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, with the anti-war movement pressuring the government to end the conflict
• Legacy and lessons of the anti-war movement had a lasting impact on American foreign policy, public skepticism of military interventions, and increased public scrutiny of government actions and the role of the media in wartime