The Center for the Teaching of American History -- Protesting Vietnam

Lesson Plans -- Student

Protesting Vietnam
A Document Based Question by Amber Lovell
Hist 530B Spring 2004

Historical Context: The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in American history. Direct American involvement began in 1955 with the arrival of the first advisors. Combat troops arrived in 1965 and the war continued until the cease-fire of January 1973. The conflicts during this period however, were not contained to the battle fields of Vietnam. On the home front many different groups were opposed to the war. Their opposition reflected not only their aversion to war but also their disagreement with domestic and foreign policies. The many protests that occurred helped to alter, or at least shed light on, U.S. foreign and domestic policies.

Directions/Task: The questions below are based on the accompanying documents. The questions are designed to test your ability to analyze and interpret historical documents. Some documents have been edited for length; however, each question can be answered based on the document given. Using the documents provided, identify the different groups that protested (or at least disagreed with) the Vietnam War. Discuss the domestic and foreign policies which lead them to do so. As you examine each document pay attention to its source, take into consideration how some sources can help you answer the question(s) that accompany it.

Part A - Short Answer Questions

The following questions revolve around the different groups that protested the Vietnam War. These documents will help you identify the varied reasons for opposing the war. Read and examine each document and answer the question or questions that accompany it in approximately two to four sentences.

Document 1 What We Want What We Believe: Black Panther Party Platform and Program, October 1966

6. We want all black men to be exempt from military service. We believe that Black people should not be forced to fight in the military service to defend a racist government that does not protect us. We will not fight and kill other people of color in the world who, like black people, are being victimized by the white racist government of America. ...

Question 1: What domestic and foreign policies compel this group to oppose the Vietnam War?

Document 2: political cartoon by Herblock, Washington Post, 1967

Question 2: What does this political cartoon say about economic objections to US involvement in Vietnam?

Document 3: Poster, "The Great Society."

Question 3: What does this anti-war poster tell its viewer about the contradictions in domestic and foreign policy?

Document 4: Petition of the Voting Age Coalition, September 30, 1969

We urge the voters of New Jersey to VOTE YES on the November 4th referendum concerning the granting of the voting privileges to 18 year old citizens. Below are reasons we feel justify an affirmative vote.

6. Service to Country - Eighteen year old people are a country which denies them the right to vote. This is morally and politically unjust. 1,000 New Jersey boys have given their lives for a country in which they are not even voting citizens.

Question 4: Why do the authors of this document feel that it is unjust to send men under the age of 21 to fight in Vietnam - keeping in mind that the majority of men fighting were under 21?

Document 5: Song, "Fortunate Son," Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, lord,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house look like a rummage sale, yes.

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, lord,
And when you and them, "how much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer more! more! more! yoh,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate son, no no no.

Question 5: What does this popular song tell the reader about those who advocated the war vs. those who fought the war?

Question 6: Why would this be a problem for young men facing the draft?

Document 6: GIs United Against the War in Vietnam: Statement of Aims

Fellow GI's:

[The Vietnam War] is the most unpopular war in our history. Yet the government's policy threatens to continue this tragedy for many years to come. Meanwhile, our country suffers while the slaughter goes on. The vast resources and sums of money the government squanders in support of a corrupt dictatorship in Saigon belong to the American people. .. Many of us were drafted into the Army against our will - nearly all of us are kept in its grasp against out will - all in order to carry out this illegal, immoral and unjust war. We are forced to fight and die in a war we did not create and in which we don't believe. ... The Army wants to take away out right, to keep us from exercising them so they can make us fight a war we don't want any part of. But the Constitution says they can't do that.

Question 7: How does this document use the concept of democracy (both domestic and foreign) to challenge the war in Vietnam?

Document 7: Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Statement by John Kerry to the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations, April 23, 1971

I would like to talk on behalf of all those veterans and say that several months ago in Detroit we had an investigation at which over 150 honorable discharged... veterans testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia. ... They told stories that at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads... randomly shot at civilians... and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war. ... We fought using weapons against those people which I do not believe this country would dream of using were we fighting in the European theater. ... We wish that a merciful God could wipe away our own memories of that service as easily as this administration has wiped away their memories of us.

Question 8: What does this document tell the reader about the violence perpetrated in Vietnam and the objections to it?

Question 9: How do GI's feel they were treated by the administration and how would this lead them to speak out against the war?

Document 8: Poster, "Help End Demonstrations"

Question 10: This poster highlights many of the objections to the Vietnam War - briefly list these objections and the groups behind them.

Part B - Essay Question

Using the documents above (at least 5) and your knowledge of history, identify the issues that caused various groups to disagree with U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Make sure to address the foreign and domestic policies that lead these groups to oppose the war in Vietnam.

Grading Rubric

Document 1 An appropriate answer would address the issue of racism is the US. The student should link this documents anti-war stance to the authors' feelings of alienation and discrimination within American society - a society that did not protect the rights of African-Americans. Some mention of the Black Panther Party would also be warranted

Document 2 An appropriate answer would include an assessment of the economic issues that caused people to disagree with the Vietnam War. Mainly, they should talk about how money was being poured into Vietnam while those at home (particularly the urban poor) were suffering.

Document 3 With this document students should address LBJ's notion of the "Great Society." Hopefully they would identify two different things; the way in which domestic ideals are ignored abroad and also the way in which US involvement (ideological and militarily) in Vietnam was the cause of suffering.

Document 4 From this document students should identify that people under 21 were protesting a government action (the Vietnam War) in which they had no legal say. They believed that if the country expected them to go off and fight (and possibly die) that young people should also have the right to vote against such actions.

Document 5 From this document students should identify how the issues of class and power caused many to resent the war. Students should mention that those who faced the draft resented the fact that the very same people who ordered them to go often spared their families from combat situations.

Document 6 With this document students should identify how soldiers used the ideal of democracy to protest the war. They did this is two ways; by pointing out that they were forced into service and that they were sent to protect a corrupt dictatorship.

Document 7 There are a couple of issues I hope the students address. They should identify the indiscriminant and racist violence which was perpetrated in Vietnam. They should also talk about the soldiers' sense of disillusionment with both the war and the government. I would hope that the students would mention that this is a statement by honored soldiers and delivered by John Kerry.

Document 8 This document is meant to help with the other documents by addressing many issues at once and more simply than in the other documents. Because these issues have been raised before, students would only be required to briefly mention the issues of peace, racism, innocent Vietnamese victims and aversion to the draft.

Explanation of Documents

Document 1: Black Panther Platform and Program
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Resources/Primary/Manifestos/Pan ther_platform.html
I choose this document because it comes from a well known African-American group (which I hope students would mention) and succinctly addresses why African-Americans would not which to serve a country that does not protect their rights.

Document 2: Political Cartoon by Herblock
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/images/herblock/8_1_67.gif
I choose this political cartoon because it very simply addresses the issues of government spending and how many resented the fact that money was being poured into Vietnam while those at home continued to want.

Document 3: Poster, "The Great Society"
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/Graphics/Track16/great_society.gif
I choose this poster because I think it illustrates the differences between foreign and domestic policies while questioning (or rather attacking) the validity of governmental actions in Vietnam. I think it conveys so much in one picture, this message would be hard to narrow down in a small excerpt of text.

Document 4: Voting Age Coalition
http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/images/sixties/mimeo.gif
I choose this document because it clearly and briefly outlines younger peoples objection to fighting a war when they have no voice in government.

Document 5: "Fortunate Son," Creedence Clearwater Revival
http://display.lyrics.astraweb.com:2000/display.cgi?creedence_clearwarter_revivial
I choose this document because it is a popular song which students may be familiar with. It addresses the issues of class and power which played out in Vietnam and caused many young men and women to resent the war.

Document 6: GIs United Against the War in Vietnam: Statement of Aims
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Resources/Primary/Manifestos/GIs _United_aims.html
This document is useful because it address the larger question of democracy. The Vets were forced to fight a war they disagreed with and in the name of democracy the U.S. supported a corrupted and undemocratic government.

Document 7: Vietnam Veterans Against Vietnam, Statement of John Kerry
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Resources/Primary/Manifestos/VVA W_Kerry_Senate.html
I choose this document for a couple of reasons. One, it addresses the indiscriminant and racist violence that occurred in Vietnam. It also addressed the soldiers' feelings of betrayal by the U.S. government. I think it is especially powerful and pertinent because it comes from veterans and is delivered by a person who is now a public figure.

Document 8: Poster, "Help End Demonstrations"
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/Graphics/Track16/help_end_demos.gif
I put this document at the end because it addresses many of the issues in the previous documents and could possibly help students isolate the arguments of previous, and perhaps more complicated documents.