1970 Washington DC
1970, an iconic year, marked the escalation of the Vietnam War as thousands of American soldiers were fighting and sadly perishing in this brutal conflict, and many Vietnamese civilians were experiencing similar consequences. At home in America, anti-war sentiments grew stronger each day as people struggled with the human cost and morality of this divisive war.
There were two main components to these rising feelings; one, a broad disillusionment regarding the continuation of a seemingly senseless war which had already claimed so many innocent lives. And two, a growing desire for people to engage with the political process and stand up for what they believed in – peace, nonviolence, and unity. This period saw an array of different anti-war tactics emerge – including demonstrations, teach-ins, and marches which were largely carried out by American citizens, each driven by an unflinching belief in their rights as active participants in their political landscape.
The wide-reaching coalition of participants in this anti-war movement was evidence that protest was no longer the domain of the 'dissenting student', this movement consisted of people of all stripes - students, war veterans, civil rights activists, and even revered religious leaders, all working in unison for peace and social change.
The situation escalated further when on April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon declared the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia. As opposition to this intensified, the seeds of upcoming nationwide demonstrations were sown. This anti-war wave swelled to overwhelming heights after a horrific event only five days prior at Kent State University in Ohio. During an unarmed anti-war demonstration, four students lost their lives when National Guard soldiers opened fire in an act of unthinkable and extreme violence – one of the darker moments in modern American political history. These two events set the stage for the demonstration that would unfold in Washington D.C.
The National May Day Protest took place in D.C. on May 9, 1970. Over 100,000 protestors converged on the capital's National Mall. In one unified, resolute voice, the participants demanded an immediate end to the war. Their journey from the mall to the gates of the White House saw the marching masses halted only by strategically positioned buses, enforcing boundaries put in place by the law enforcement officers to thwart them from coming close. The protesters rallied and sang, demonstrating peacefully through song, waving their anti-war banners, showing a collective commitment to a cause that brought so many diverse voices together. Influential speakers from the peace movement addressed the protesters near Capitol Hill – figures such as Coretta Scott King and Dr. Benjamin Spock offered empowering words.
These demonstrations on the 9th of May stand as emblematic of a defining era in American political consciousness. The strength of these grass-root protests added significant weight in bringing the Vietnam war to a close in the years which followed. As much as the marching demonstrated unity, the outcome from 1970 was markedly mixed. The trauma experienced in the Cambodian conflict, the Kent State shootings, and subsequent mass mobilizations left the country with scars, deep-rooted both socially and politically. Although progress took time and heartbreak, there was progress in seeing the true power of the collective – the ability of collective citizen voices to change their political environment in significant and measurable ways.Retro Clips filmed in Washington?
© 2024