The Moratorium March

763 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Vietnam War’s controversy spurred a great many sources of protest

I. Introduction and Historical Context On November 15, 1969, the Moratorium March against the Vietnam War commenced in Washington D.C. Pacifists and peace administrators carried banners which stated, ”A Calvinist for peace, No more war, We want peace now,” and some carried placards bearing the name of soldiers that had died during the war (Leen). The placards that had names of fallen soldiers were first used on November 13, 1969 during the protest called “March against Death.” Two days after this protest, the “Moratorium March” began. This was a massive march that consisted of over 500,000 demonstrators including pacifists, activists, college students and other organizations that were also against the war (March Against Death). The Moratorium March was an effective form of protest because even though the march did not change the U.S. administrator’s official Vietnam War policy, it was still seen as a success, with about two million people participating all over the world (War Protests). This march had effectively united people to protest against the Vietnam War and the violation of human rights. Civil disobedience is a refusal to follow certain rules and is usually shown through a peaceful form of protest. The Moratorium March was somewhat a civil disobedience event because although it started as a peaceful anti- war movement, violence was unavoidable. The vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful; however, a conflict broke out at the Justice Department when demonstrator’s started throwing rocks and bottles, which the police responded to with tear gas canisters (Leen). According to Henry David Thoreau’s statement in his essay “Civil Disobedience,” “If the machine of government…is of such a nature that it requires yo... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Krishon, John. “Vietnam Anti-war Movement makes History in Washington.” Suite N.p.,nd. 20 Apr. 2014 Leen, Jeff. "The Vietnam Protests: When Worlds Collided." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. March Against Death" Commences in Washington, D.C." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. "My Lai Massacre Takes Place in Vietnam." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. "The Antiwar Movement." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. "The Wars Consequences." Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” Handout. American Literature (Mrs.Gleason). Port of Los Angeles High School. 7 May 2014. Print. “War Protests.” UPI. N.p., 1969. Web. 24 Apr. 2014

Show More
Related

  • the distinctive views of the sharon statement and port huron satement

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1960’s, there was a rising tide of protests that were taking place. College students began to stand up for their rights and protest for a stronger voice in society. The United States was going through a tough period marked by the Cold War against communism and also the war in Vietnam. From Truman to Nixon the United States government involved the country more and more in Vietnam. Nixon announced a new policy in 1968 called Vietnamization. (Foner, 4th edition, pg.1028) This policy would bring American troops back home, but it neither limited the war nor ended the antiwar movements.

    Read More

  • Research Paper on the Year 1969

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the most important political issues of 1969 was the Vietnam War. Throughout this year many demonstrations took place to protest the war. For example, in...

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    Vietnam was a highly debated war among citizens of the United States. This war was like no other with regards to how it affected people on the home front. In past war’s, the population of the United States mainly supported the war and admired soldiers for their courage. During the Vietnam War, citizens of the U.S. had a contradictory view than in the past. This dilemma of not having the support of the people originates from the culture and the time period.

    Read More

  • The Vietnam Counter-Culture

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Due to the volatile conditions of the Vietnam War, the protestors believed that they should not be involved in a war that they cared so little about. Public opinion heavily swayed during the war as only one senator dissented from the overwhelming opinion to fight the war (Amter 45). However, as President Johnson escalated the war and the Draft increased by 25% in 1968, those youths being conscripted were infuriated (Dougan 118). Not only this, the North Vietnamese began a ruthless offensive on American soldiers by merciless attacking our bases. This resulted in US victories, but also US casualties (Dougan 116). Also, the marines stationed at the bases began to use offensive attacks to deter Viet Cong assault against the wishes of General Taylor (Karnov 443). With these new less defensive strategy, Nixon announced plans to start operations in Cambodia, and to increase the bombings overall in Southeast Asia (Dougan 180). Some missions even began t...

    Read More

  • Why Is Civil Disobedience Bad

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    Civil Disobedience, as stated in the prompt, is the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences. Many people believe this has a negative impact on the free society because they believe civil disobedience can be dangerous or harmful. Civil disobedience does not negatively affect the free society in a dangerous manner because it is peaceful and once it becomes harmful to the free society then it is not civil disobedience. Thoreau believed civil disobedience is an effective way of changing laws that are unjust or changing things that as a society and to the people does not seem correct. This peaceful act of resistance positively impacts a free society. Some examples are Muhammad Ali peacefully denying the draft and getting arrested. These men believed that what they saw was wrong and they did something about it but they did it peacefully.

    Read More

  • Thoreau’s Act of Civil Disobedience

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    For acts of civil disobedience to be justified, those acts need to be acts of protest. Thoreau desired a change ...

    Read More

  • The Rhetorical Analysis Of Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Civil Disobedience makes governments more accountable for their actions and has been an important catalyst for overcoming unpopular government policies. To voice his disgust with slavery, in 1849 Henry David Thoreau published his essay, Civil Disobedience, arguing that citizens must not allow their government to override their principles and have a civic duty to prevent their government from using unjust means to ends. The basis for Thoreau’s monumental essay was his refusal to pay a poll tax, which subsequently landed him a night in county jail. In his passage: “If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth—certainly the machine will wear out. If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine...

    Read More

  • Civil Obedience And Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    Civil Disobedience occurs when an individual or group of people are in violation of the law rather than a refusal of the system as a whole. There is evidence of civil disobedience dating back to the era after Jesus was born. Jesus followers broke the laws that went against their faith. An example of this is in Acts 4:19-20,”God told the church to preach the gospel, so they defied orders to keep quiet about Jesus,” In my opinion civil disobedience will always be needed in the world. The ability to identify with yourself and knowing right from wrong helps to explain my opinion. Often in society when civil

    Read More

  • Role of the Majority in a Society

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1849, transcendentalist philosopher and writer, Henry David Thoreau, wrote a treatise originally entitled “Resistance to Civil Government.” This piece is however, now more commonly known as “Civil Disobedience.” Thoreau was staunchly opposed to the two major issues that were prominent in his lifetime: slavery and the Mexican-American War. These issues shaped his political views and led him to write “Civil Disobedience” (SparkNotes Editors).

    Read More

  • Rawls and King on Civil Disobedience

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Theory of Justice by John Rawls, he defines civil disobedience,” I shall begin by defining civil disobedience as a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government”.

    Read More

  • Breaking the Law or Civil Desobedience

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    Civil Disobedience is when one breaks the law to prove a point or bring about a potential moral change. This can include just changing the way society thinks about a certain subject. Throughout history, Civil Disobedience has been effectively used to bring about drastic change in not only the way people think, but also their actions. It was Henry David Thoreau who coined the term in the 1848 because he did not believe he should pay taxes that went to the war against Mexico or supporting the Fugitive Slave Law, both of which he saw as immoral. A key factor in Civil Disobedience is that the offender should generally be willing to accept the punishment for it, as it shows how they still have respect for the authority; the priority is simply change (“Civil Disobedience”).

    Read More

  • Thoreau and King, Jr.

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thoreau wrote "Civil Disobedience" in 1849 after spending a night in the Walden town jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that supported the Mexican War. He recommended passive resistance as a form of tension that could lead to reform of unjust laws practiced by the government. He voiced civil disobedience as "An expression of the individual's liberty to create change" (Thoreau 530). Thoreau felt that the government had established order that resisted reform and change. "Action from principle, the perception and the performance of right, changes things and relations; it is essentially revolutionary" (Thoreau 531).

    Read More

  • Theme Of Civil Disobedience In Antigone

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the internet civil disobedience is the failure or refusal to obey certain laws, commands, or demands of the government, or even of the international powers, questions from many people are constantly asked when they have to face many hard challenges. The play “Antigone” was a good example of one civil disobedience. Many cases throughout the world of civil disobedience would include Abortion, Gay and Lesbian marriage, and the Arrest on Keystone. These four listed above are all an example of civil disobedience in some way.

    Read More

  • Protests Against the Vietnam War

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    James A. Baldwin once said, “The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose” (BrainyQuote.com). In the 1960s, “the man” was youth across the country. The Vietnam war was in full force, and students across the country were in an outrage. Society needed an excuse to rebel against the boring and safe way of life they were used to; Vietnam gave them the excuse they needed. Teenagers from different universities came together and formed various organizations that protested the Vietnam war for many reasons. These reasons included protesting weapons and different tactics used in the war, and the reason the U.S. entered the war in the first place. These get-togethers had such a monumental impact on their way of life that it was famously named the Anti-War Movement. When the Vietnam War ended, The United States did not have a real concrete reason why; there were a bunch of theories about why the war ended. Through negative media attention and rebellious youth culture, the Anti-War Movement made a monumental impact in the ending of the Vietnam War.

    Read More

  • The Meaning of Freedom

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wendy, M. (2005, July 30). Henry David Thoreau and 'civil disobedience'. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from LewRockwell.com website: http://archive.lewrockwell.com/mcelroy/mcelroy86.html

    Read More

More about The Moratorium March

Open Document