Materials

• Music from the 1960s and ’70s (See Activity 3, below.)

Instructional Activities

1. Write the following two slogans on the board:
   
   “My Country Right or Wrong”
   
   “What if they gave a war and nobody came?”
   
   Ask students what these slogans mean, and who would have used them during the Vietnam War. A follow-up question might be about current slogans with a protest message for today.
   
   
2. Explain to students that as the Vietnam War continued, people in the U.S. began to question the reasons we were engaged there. The mounting tensions in the U.S. over the war in Vietnam caused a sizable and vocal minority to protest the war. Protests took the forms of marches, sit-ins, and burning of draft cards. Sometimes the protests turned violent, as in the case of Kent State in Ohio. Most protesters belonged to the younger generation, but as veterans returned home, they too questioned the war. Emphasize to students that people in the U.S. witnessed the Vietnam War nightly on their televisions, and this persistent immediacy fueled their alarm.
   
   
3. Have the students listen to some music from the Vietnam era. Distribute lyrics so they can follow along as they listen. Explain that music played an important role in expressing people’s concerns about the war. Song lyrics are easily found on the Internet. Some possible songs are
   •  “The Ballad of the Green Berets,” Barry Sadler and Robin Moore
   • “Fortunate Son,” Credence Clearwater Revival/John Fogarty
   • “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” Peter Paul and Mary
   • “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” Country Joe McDonald
   • “What’s Going On,” Marvin Gaye
   • “For What It’s Worth,” Buffalo Springfield
   
   As they listen to the music, ask students specific questions related to a particular song and/or the following general questions:
   • What is the tone or mood of the song?
   • What was the target audience for the song?
   • What does the song tell you about life in the United States during this time?
   
   
4. Optional: As an extension of this activity, ask students to bring in protest music (appropriate for classroom listening) of their era. Have students introduce their song and explain what message it is trying to convey.