60’s Courage Revolution
“Strike,Strike,Strike” as I recall the documentary “THE SIXTIES: THE YEARS THAT SHAPED A GENERATION” the word strike fits perfect. Not only does the word remind me of the documentary but it fits perfect to describe the voices I read in every 1971 Vietnam War letter I read. Even if people were not directly shouting the word the demand in their letters definitely lead me to think that’s what they were referring to but instead of destroying stores and rioting they were expressing their concerns through letters by using captivating personal stories as well as simple concerns and thoughts. I view the 60’s as a serious of events that lead Americans to build up the courage to stand up for what they believe in as well as defend their own people. As people started becoming more aware of unfair treatment of the government to Americans people in a slow manner began to take action which slowly lead to immense riots. As slow as people were taking these actions to do something about what they believed in they also found their own voice within these actions. Americans finding their voice also lead them to have the courage to stand up to authority. From that point on I believe everything in America changed.
While I was reading 25 letters of Americans I kept thinking to myself these people really have strong thoughts about the war every single letter I read was asking for the war to end. Not only did people have common concerns but everyone was very well educated about everything that was going on in the Vietnam War. Everyone was so well educated that not only did they have concerns about the war itself but most importantly their soldiers. It was not until I saw the documentary that helped me realize why people had such high demands from president Nixon. Up to this time many things had changed for Americans that in a way united everyone together. Changes such as The Black Panthers creating motivation for Africans Americans or in that time niggers to take charge of their freedom. With Martin Luther King coming along and making even a greater stand it took things to a different level of seriousness. A level of people being serious that lead to actions that had never been presented before. Up to this point in history no white person had seen niggers as viewed in that point in time, stand up for their rights as much as people did during the 60’s. A group such as The Black Panthers had never been seen or even thought of before this time.At this point in time colored people went from niggers to negros to black people to African Americans.
If I were a college student in 1968, “the year of the stupid” as mentioned in the documentary I would also have the courage those students felt when they trashed their professors office in order for them not to build a new building on top of a memorable park. I would have the courage to do this as a teenager having seen people move from slaves to nothing less than another America with rights. Reporters and other viewers that spoke in the documentary viewed these students as over privileged young adults. I see these students as another symbol of courage for Americans. In other words if young college students can stand for their beliefs and create riots then I can also stand for my beliefs.
The documentary reflects on the letters in the form that the series of events in the video had to occur in order for the letters to be presented. In other words Americans like Barbara Ehrenreich to personally have the courage to ask president Johnson why were her friends being sent to die. Not does this reflect just towards Americans but also people of value having the same concerns as civilians. Without Martin Luther King taking his stand would African American people be free now ? Without president Nixon expressing the fact that this is “selfish country and a compassionate country” would anti-war groups had the break they needed to believe there was something for them to fight for ?
With this being said I do not change my opinion on my previous thoughts about the writer. I continue to view them as a form of movement Americans created to stop the Vietnam War which was what all 25 letters I read asked for. Not just to end the fight with the bill president Nixon spoke a lot about but took long to take into action, but for all the soldiers to return home. That is something I can tie both sources together people in the 60’s and during the Vietnam War spoke up for something memorable with courage.
