The USA during the Vietnam War
The Black Civil Rights Movement
 In 1954, the United States supreme Court stated that racial segregation in schools was
wrong (i.e. Blacks couldn’t attend White schools)
 When Blacks tried to enter White schools, they were met with violence and hatred
 In 1955, a Black woman named Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a segregated
bus and was arrested
 This actions soon sparked massive protests and is considered the start of the Black Civil
Rights movement
 Leaders of this movement (Martin Luther King, Malcolm X etc.) inspired blacks all over
the nations to protest and stand up for their rights
 Also, this movement protested against the Vietnam war because a unfair amount of
Blacks were sent to war and Blacks were dying for a country which denied them rights
and freedoms
Counter-Culture
 In the 1960s, young people all over the US became politically aware and started to
demand changes
 These youth, called HIPPIES rejected the traditions and values of their parents in favor
of peace, rock music, and mind-altering drugs
 Also, these young people embraced new attitudes about black and women’s rights and
refused to accept social injustice
The effect of the Vietnam War
 The war in Vietnam didn’t start the 60’s movements but it made them popular
 People all over the US protested against the war and refused to join the army when
drafted
 At Kent State university a student protest against the war was fired upon by government
troops – four students were killed
 At the same time, there were racial protests and riots in several major cities
 It seemed that the US was tearing itself apart
 Popular pressure, more than anything forced the US out of Vietnam
 Also, the US changed its policy and started peaceful talks with the USSR for the first
time since the end of WW2