Vietnam Antiwar Movements

5 Pages 1263 Words

Vietnam Antiwar Movements
The antiwar movement against Vietnam in the United States from 1965- 1971 was
the most significant movement of its kind in the nation’s history. Prominent senators had
already begun criticizing American involvement in Vietnam during the summer of 1964,
which led to the mass antiwar movement that was to come in the summer of 1965
(DeBenedetti, 106). This antiwar movement had a great impact on policy and practically
forced the US out of Vietnam.
One antiwar tactic that often took place were teach- ins. They started
during the spring of 1965 when the massive antiwar efforts centered on the colleges.
These teach- ins were mass public demonstrations, usually held in the spring and fall
seasons on college campuses (Wells, 24). The first one began at the University of
Michigan on March 24, 1965, and rapidly spread to other campuses (Wells, 24). These
protests at some of America’s finest universities captured public attention.
The scattered teach- ins had become more of a problem for President Johnson
when their organizers joined an unofficial group called the Inter- University Committee
for a Public Hearing on Vietnam. The new committee began planning a nationwide teach-
in to be conducted on television and radio between protesters and administrators of the
government (Wells, 30- 31). This contributed to the resignations of many government
officials, including McGeorge Bundy in 1966 (Wells, 71). The teach- in movement was at
first, a gentle approach to the antiwar activity. Although it faded when the college
students went home during the summer of 1965, other types of protests grew through
1971 and replaced it.
All of these movements captured the attention of the White House, especially
when 25,000 people marched on Washington Avenue (Wells, 25). The march was
organized by a group called the New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam.
It was a broad coaliti...