Some Questions from John J. Fitzgerald (August, 2004)

Category: The war at home
  1. Many have suggested that the anti-war movement grew out of the civil rights movement. Do you agree or disagree? What evidence is there to support one side or the other in this debate?

  2. To what extent was the United States home-front a strong supporter of the war? Public opinion polls changed dramatically over time. Why? Why did people support the war overwhelmingly at the beginning?

  3. Some have argued that in the elections of 1964 and 1968 the American public voted for the voice of peace in each election. How would you evaluate that argument? How would that argument square with the public opinion information?

  4. Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were both early opponents of the escalating war in Vietnam. Why did these two civil rights leaders voice their opposition to the Vietnam War? How did their messages get received? Why was it harder for King to oppose the war in the beginning than it was for Malcolm X?

  5. S.D.S. Those were the three initials of what came to be seen as the most radical student group in America. They were the Students for a Democratic Society. Read the opening section of their manifesto, The Port Huron Statement. How did they identify themselves? What were they emphasizing? What did they think about their country? What were their dreams for their country? What challenges did they pose to the status quo?

  6. How did the war affect different social classes? Who served in the war? Who managed to avoid serving? What was the racial breakdown of the troops? Did this change over time? Was the army in 1965 and 1966 the same as the army in 1970 and 1971?

  7. Did the anti-war protesters change over time? Who protested in 1965? 1970? 1972?

  8. Did the antiwar movement affect the war policy of the United States?

  9. Who were the dominant pro-war groups? How did they express support for the war?

  10. Why did the American flag become such a divisive symbol?

  11. Who were the dominant anti-war groups? Were there any dissenters within these groups?

  12. Who were the major anti-war personalities within American society? Did they all dissent in the same manner? What were the differences between them? What were the similarities?

  13. Was all of the music of the period anti-war? Did some musicians support the war? How do you explain the differences?

  14. How did the press report the war in Vietnam? Some claimed that the press just followed the government line? Others argued that the press undermined support for the war? Is either view true? Both? Neither? How would you evaluate it?
What was the anti-war movement and what role did protest movements play? Was the anti-war movement unpatriotic, what precedents did it have? What was the inmpact of the antiwar movement on troops? How were they influenced, how did they influence the movement? What was the relationship of the antiwar movement to other movements: civil rights, women's liberation, Black Power? Was there an anti-war movement in Vietnam and what was it?