Vietnam and the Antiwar Movement
Leo Rocha and Sriya Reddy
Thesis
Although Americans were fighting against communism and for the preservation of democracy, the antiwar movement depicted the consequences and unjust ideas the war followed, which ultimately had a positive impact on the war.
Supporting
Classism
Social status played a prominent role in the Anti-War Movement; while the “rich man” decided the purpose of the war, it was the lower and middle class who suffered through the torments and brutality of the war itself.
Loss of Lives
The Vietnam War destroyed and diminished the lives of numerous young American men for a cause that many found ambiguous.
Other concerns
During the sixties era, many African Americans were protesting for the civil rights; however, alongside having concern for their own rights, African Americans had to take a stance against the war, highlighting its atrocities and immorality.
Refuting
Although communism was a threat to the American institution of democracy and used as the main reason to fight the Vietnam War, the United States was completely unrelated to the Vietnamese struggle and its involvement was unnecessary. The United States simply hijacked a cause and made it about themselves, advancing it for a selfish cause to prove that communism strips away the rights of people.
Stoned Love by The Supremes
Stoned Love (7" Version) by Diana Ross & The Supremes
Stoned Love (1970) was a top ten hit single by The Supremes. The song argues that the Vietnam War destroys the interconnection of humanity and calls for both sides of the war to cease fire and make peace, showing how a side effect of the war was turmoil and disunity.