People want to participate in protests to be united, defend their opinions, make society better for all citizens. Protests are most effective when they don’t discriminate and stand up for themselves.
First off, Citizens decided to protest to be united. Nixon believed that the only way to end the war and stop the fighting was for the American people to be united. He thought the protesters were unpatriotic, and stopping Americans from uniting themselves. Nixon wanted the support of the American people so he could make a plan to end the Vietnam War. In his speech he said, “ I recognize that some of my fellow citizens disagree with the plan of peace I have chosen, honest and patriotic Americans have reached different conclusions as to how peace should be achieved.”
Secondly, Citizens want to participate in protests to defend their opinions, to fight against something they personally don't like or agree with. People could disagree with a laws, politics or decisions that the government makes. People opposed the Vietnam War because more and more people died everyday for a useless war, that the government knew they were not going to win. John Kerry said himself, “ We believe the will of the people says that we should be out of Vietnam war now.” Americans protested the Vietnam War
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Citizens wanted to protest because they thought that Society wasn’t equal. They wanted everyone to be equal, whatever their gender, race, how wealthy or their other beliefs are. Martin Luther King Jr. blamed the U.S. government because only poor people were fighting in the Vietnam War, and less wealthy people are paying double the price of smashed hopes and homes. MLK Jr. thought that they needed to protest. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Vietnam Speech” he said, “ I cannot be silent.” and “ We need to protest.” MlK Jr. had very strong beliefs about having an better and more equal society for
In the United States, the protest has always been an important tool of democracy, a way for the minority to let itself be heard. Take the Civil Rights movement. Today's race relations are better than they were fifty years ago because a relatively small group of people convinced enough of the country that racism was a disease that would kill everything that made America special.
Anarchic, civil, radical, militant, and rebellions people is what police officers have to face on a regular basis. Both Vietnam protest and protest today are rebelling against the government. During the Vietnam War, citizens were protesting against the U.S government to stop the war and send American soldiers back home. Today people still manage to go out into the streets to protest for the government to stop discriminating certain groups like Muslims and immigrants. Is protesting a productive, patriotic act or is protesting a counter-productive, productive subversive act? Even though people think that protesting is a counterproductive, subversive act, protesting is a productive, patriotic act and people should be able to do it.
To start with responding to the widespread protests, Nixon outlined his new Vietnam War policy in this speech; Called “Vietnamization”, Nixon’s war policy called for contraction in American troops but continued fighting. Nixon contrasted his international strategy of political realism with the idealism of a vocal minority. He ended his speech with the famous words that his speech became known by: “So tonight, to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans, I ask for your support;”
According to Jeff Hay, Nixon “like the protestors, he wanted to stop the war, end the draft, and stop the killing.” When Nixon changed his mind and realized we had to be involved many people around the country got very upset that he did something he said he was going to do the opposite of. When Nixon declared that the U.S. would be staying in Vietnam to fight in the War these students go very upset. This action caused a lot of protesting in Washington D.C., Kent State and many other places (Hay). The anger of the students led to protesting, which led to violence, which ultimately lead to the national guard firing on a group of about 1,000 young students (Kifner). In “The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy” “The decision to bring the Ohio National Guard onto the Kent State University campus was directly related to decisions regarding American involvement in the Vietnam War” (Lewis). Without the announcement from President Nixon, of the involvement in the Vietnam war, the Shooting at Kent State would have not taken place. The shooting was not Nixon’s fault, but I think that it made students really mad that they had been told something different than what he was really going to do. It sparked a lot of fire in these people and led to a violent
The Nixon administration was forced to de-escalate the war in Vietnam. The antiwar movement fueled US troop withdraws from Vietnam. Through his ‘Vietnamization' program, President Nixon entailed withdrawing American troops and strengthening the South Vietnam's army. Nixon hoped to calm domestic opposition to the conflict and thereby buy time for his effort to a force favorable outcome to the war. The antiwar movement accomplished congressional legislation that cut off U.S. funds for the war. Wells,
The anti-war protests of the 1960s was a response of resentment by minorities and young educated college students against the nation’s desire to participate in war against Communism in Vietnam and conduct a military draft. The protests, originally began with peaceful public demonstrations by activists, who were nonviolent; however, the peaceful demonstrators were frequently attacked and victimized by the police and other citizens, who did not share their same opinion. Throughout the peaceful protests the activists suffered many beatings in the hands of the police and as a result, many of the activists claimed the right of self-defense and turned to taking offensive actions against their oppressors including the police and other citizens. Later, the scene of violence and mayhem quickly shifted to college campuses, to which college students began protesting the draft (Gurr, 1989, pp. 183-185). At the time the average age of an American soldier serving in Vietnam was 19 and students quickly rebelled after realizing that young Americans were legally old enough to be drafted to fight and die, but were not yet legally allowed to vote or drink alcohol (UShistory, nd.).
We want to forget about politics, personal problems, and we look forward to sports, music, art and any other forms of entertainments. Everyone has a different view, opinion, ideas and that’s why we have the men and women in uniform who fought for us and are currently fighting. However, we have the first amendment and other amendment in the constitution which applies when unfairness cause a disruption of a population. In addition, the amendment is a book of rules, and for me as long as we are following the rules and not physical and emotional harming others, we deserve to protest in a safe way. We can interpret opinions in different forms, however, if we stop and reflect on that particular message we can find different interpretation and meaningful hidden messages.
In a nation divided by war in 1969, Richard Nixon delivered a speech with the hope that it would bring Americans together. At this time the American people stood divided on their views on the war. Many people wanted to withdraw from the war and many people supported the war in the quest for peace. The Vietnam War had already been going on for quite some time when Nixon came into office. Nixon was the second youngest president; he came to office in 1969 as the 37th president of the United States. (Sheppard) The goal of his speech was to unite the nation as he pursued the war and to try to win peace. Americans were divided among going to war and ending the war for peace. The tone
All of the antiwar protests fed a widespread spirit of rebellion. Due to this young people of the 1960's and 1970's did not follow the traditional American culture and values. They changed the way they dress, the music they listen to and ways of life that surprised their parents. They also did try using illegal drugs. This started a drug abuse in the United
In the long history of the world, various forms of protest arise and these include marching, striking, boycotting, and etc. To everyone understanding, a protest will usually occur when individuals receive injustices or realize others are oppressing them. In America, protests are normal because Americans have protested since segregation existed between the whites and the blacks and after Donald Trump became the president. Although the reasons behind different demonstrations vary, they actually exhibit some similarities. For example, all demonstrators demand a change because they are unsatisfied to their current conditions, and hope to inspire more people to join them.
Under President Nixon, a new policy was formed known as Vietnamization. This policy slowly begun the removal of American troops in Vietnam, and increased the rate of bombardment by artillery and planes, all the while giving the South Vietnamese control over ground forces. Although it was a step in the right direction, protesters were still not satisfied. Through continuous peaceful protesting, in various locations, President Nixon gave the people what they wanted. In 1972, draft calls were a thing of the past, and an all-volunteer army was all that was left. After numerous sacrifices and extreme dedication, in January of 1973, the U.S.and North Korea negotiated and issued a final peace agreement. Protestors had ultimately shaped major decisions on the war and through consistency and tenacity made their goal of resisting a federal decision a reality. In conclusion, the Vietnam War protests display that through the power of the people and democracy, the government can not limit what Americans want for their
After countless protests, anti-war movements, and “battles” on the home front, President Richard M. Nixon made the decision to withdrawal American troops from Vietnam. As a Marine, being stronger, faster, and smarter than your enemy is only half the battle. What keeps troops going is the support they receive from those who are back home waiting for them. Unfortunately for our soldiers in Vietnam, they lacked the support from America that was essential to us staying victorious in
People stand in the streets chanting and holding signs. They’re here because of some injustice they face. They will not comply with the laws that obstruct their natural rights, and they desire change. Some believe that resistance to laws could be harmful to the unity of a society however, it is absolutely imperative to the success of Republican government. Protest is empowering to underrepresented groups and brings attention to issues that need it, which could never be corrected without some form of resistance. When the inherent rights of the people are threatened by a government system, peaceful resistance to laws is necessary and will positively impact a free society.
Peaceful protests are part of the foundation of democracy: the right to voice your own opinion and thought. When peaceful protests turn into riots they no longer become simple protests defended by free speech, but become mobs that break laws because they are frustrated or angry. Another form of protest is civil disobedience. Civil disobedience occurs when citizens feel that laws are incorrect, and refuse to abide by those laws as a form of protest while accepting the consequences of breaking those laws. Civil disobedience is only necessary when the laws being broken and protested are unjust, immoral and unconstitutional. Peaceful protests, an example of civil disobedience, are a benefit to a free society as they can spur change to unjust laws. Those who have used this form of protest successfully, like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Edward Snowden, were willing to both accept the consequences of their actions and remain peaceful in the face of violence or arrests.
A protest is a formal declaration of opposition. Not only do protests catch the media's eye, they can stir revolutionary movements and halt the government's actions. Peaceful protesting is very beneficial. Protesting draws attention to the public as well as the media, calls for a change in the government, and unites people of common interests and beliefs.