Nov. 15, 1969: Second Anti-War Moratorium

Teaching Activity. By the Zinn Education Project. 100 pages.
Eight lessons about the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon Papers, and whistleblowing.

Article. By Bill Bigelow. 2013. If We Knew Our History Series.
While new U.S. history textbooks mention the Pentagon Papers, none grapples with the actual import of the Pentagon Papers.

On June 30, 1966, dozens of people assembled in the basement auditorium of the Community Church for a big announcement. All of them gathered to hear the words of three soldiers, Privates David Samas and Dennis Mora, and Private First Class James A. Johnson. The G.I.’s convened the press conference to perform a bold act: they intended to refuse their orders to go fight.

Film clip. Voices of a People’s History.
Dramatic reading of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Beyond Vietnam” (1967) speech by Michael Ealy.

One of the largest anti-war protest was held in Washington, D.C.

A group of students wore black armbands to school to protest the war in Vietnam. The school board got wind of the protest and passed a preemptive ban.

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech in opposition to the Vietnam War, calling for a “revolution of values.”

Amidst growing opposition to the U.S. war in Vietnam, large-scale anti-war protests were held in New York, San Francisco, and many other cities.

Students for a Democratic Society, Student Afro-American Society and others began a nonviolent occupation of campus buildings at Columbia University.

Lifelong gay rights and anti-war activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya held a demonstration while in college against the use of napalm in Vietnam by announcing that a dog would be burned alive with napalm in front of the university library.

A group of students were suspended at Southwest Texas State University for peacefully protesting the Vietnam War.

During an anti-war protest at Kent State University, the Ohio National Guard shot unarmed college students, killing four. Students were also killed at Jackson State (May 15, 1970), and Orangeburg (February 8, 1968).

College student Phillip Lafayette Gibbs (21) and high school student James Earl Green (17) were killed by the police during an anti-war protest at Jackson State College.

The National Chicano Moratorium March was held to protest the Vietnam War and Latino journalist Ruben Salazar was killed.

500,000 people demonstrated against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C.

Twenty anti-war protesters were arrested for breaking into selective service offices and destroying draft records.