Music During the Vietnam War

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Recommended: American protests during the Vietnam War

In the nineteen sixties almost half of the American population were young adults. Because of this, the sixties were an age of youth and there was a generation gap that America had never seen before. Many of the baby boomers were at risk of being drafted into the Vietnam War. This war brought on revolutionary and innovative ways of thinking. The young people of this decade wanted change and this brought a huge difference in culture from the conservative fifties. Inspiration for many of the songs and lyrics of the time came from the Vietnam War. The war caused many people to protest and speak out about it. The main genres people used to show their attitudes about the current war were folk and rock.

Hippies used music to express themselves spiritually, emotionally, and politically. The hippie movement came around about the same time as the Vietnam War. It was a celebration of youth, love, peace, and individuality. So naturally, hippies would disagree with the Vietnam War. They adopted the slogan “make love not war,” which summed up their beliefs on peace. During the hippy movement, draft cards and American flags were burned as a presentation of their discontent with the American government and its ideals. They also showed their rebellion to the war by protesting and singing anti-war songs at the rallies.

Students, along with hippies, had anti-war rallies at many colleges across America. The large numbers of baby boomers currently in college reinforced the student activism. The anti-war movement is often said to have been a major factor affecting America's involvement in the war. These antiwar rallies most always had musicians performing songs to backup their antiwar message. Joan Baez is a noted antiwar non-violent singer/songwri...

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...ale U.S. History In Context. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.

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Folk Music." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 7: 1960-1969. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 25 Feb. 2011.

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