Written-Response Question Set 2 (Anti-Vietnam War Movement)
Re-read the section “Vietnam: The Downward Spiral” from chapter 30.3 in OpenStax U.S. History. Also,
view the Sound Smart: Vietnam War Protests short video from the History Channel website.
Then read the Anti-Vietnam War Documents A–B, which include the following: Martin Luther King’s speech
“Beyond Vietnam,” delivered April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside
Church in New York City; and John Kerry’s testimony to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
April 23, 1971.
John Kerry was a veteran who returned from Vietnam in April 1969, having won early transfer out of the
conflict because of his three Purple Hearts. He joined a group called Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Citing and quoting from MLK’s 1967 speech in Document A, why is King opposed to the Vietnam War?
What examples does he give as to the public confusion, misinformation, and/or hypocrisy about the war
effort? How and why does King connect the Civil Rights Movement with opposition to the Vietnam War?
Citing and quoting from John Kerry’s 1972 speech in Document B, why are some veterans opposed to the
Vietnam War? What examples does he give as to the public confusion, misinformation, and/or hypocrisy
about the war effort? What indictment does Kerry make on the America’s political leadership?
Sample Solution
