An entire history unit could be devoted to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Since the student activities in this unit are meant to focus on relevant music and how it was developed, I have included selected background information here so students can understand the context. If time and resources allow, it would be beneficial to teach this music unit in conjunction with a social studies or history unit with a classroom or subject teacher. However, if that is not possible, the following information will be beneficial to students as they explore the musical creations that came out of this time period.
In 1954, French colonial forces were pushed out of Vietnam after a war for independence, and Vietnam was separated into North and South. An election was to be held in 1956 that would unite the country. North Vietnam was ruled by communist Ho Chi Minh, and the U.S. was concerned that he would win the election. In response, the U.S. provided South Vietnam with military, political, and economic aid.
The U.S. was responsible for putting the unpopular president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, in power. He was repressive and corrupt, for example, passing acts that made it legal to hold someone in jail if he or she was a suspected communist, but without bringing formal charges against them. Many South Vietnamese people formed a rebel government, the National Liberation Front, and opposed and attacked Diem's troops and secret police. The Vietcong, a communist-led army and guerrilla force, began attacking the South Vietnamese Army. Worried that all of Vietnam would unify under communist President Ho Chi Minh, President John F. Kennedy's solution was to increase the number of U.S. advisers in South Vietnam to prevent communist expansion. In 1960, there was 1,600 advisers in South Vietnam. By 1963, there were 16,000.
The U.S. started its involvement in combat missions in 1962. In 1964, the Vietcong bombs Bien Hoa Air Base near the city of Saigon. Four Americans are killed and 76 are injured. Equipment is destroyed or damaged. In March 1965, U.S. combat troops enter Vietnam. By July of that year, President Johnson doubles the number of men per month to be drafted: 17,000 to 35,000.
By the end of 1965, there were 184,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam. Numbers increase again by the end of 1966 to 385,000 U.S. troops, with an additional 60,000 sailors stationed off-shore. By April 1969, there had been more than 33,629 U.S. combat deaths in Vietnam, more than had been killed in the Korean War.
These numbers were troubling to some Americans, and support was dwindling. By 1968, a poll showed that majority of Americans thought the U.S. should removed itself from Vietnam. College professors led “teach-ins,” meant to inspire discussion and debate in order to find a better policy. Students marched to the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. in protest of the war. Signs read, “Get out of Saigon and into Selma. Freedom now in Vietnam. War on poverty and not on people.”
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Other protests followed during the year, and young men burned their draft cards.
However, there were also plenty of pro-war supporters. They showed their support in D.C. and New York, while their message was: “Support our men in Vietnam-Don't stab them in the back.”
However, the U.S. government was concerned that there were any antiwar protesters questioning foreign policy at all. Some worried that communists were involved, while others thought it was simply Americans bravely asking questions during a troubling situation. Since the United States had not been attacked, as it had been in World War II with Pearl Harbor, why was the U.S. involved? With the civil rights issues at home, did it make any sense to put time, energy, and lives on line on the other side of the world? The public was divided, and so was the music.
Martha and the Vandellas released the song “Nowhere to Run” in February 1965, and the lyrics tell a story of a woman who cannot escape a bad romantic relationship. However, the music inspired a feeling of anxiety and apprehension and would later be known as an anthem for Vietnam soldiers.
Anti-war anthems included Phil Ochs' “I Ain't Marching Anymore,” Tom Paxton's “Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation,” and “Business Goes on as Usual” by the Chad Mitchell Trio.
Loretta Lynn's song, “Dear Uncle Sam,” did not mention Vietnam, but rather the feelings associated with a husband's death due to fighting overseas. Similarly, Willie Nelson released “Jimmy's Road,” focused on the death of a friend in the war.
On the pro-war side, Johnnie Wright's “Hello Vietnam” protested that the U.S. should be involved in order to prevent the war from becoming uncontrollable.
Dave Dudley's “What We're Fighting For” sent the message that no solider wishes he was fighting, but it was a necessary evil to protect the United States.
In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival released “Fortunate Son,” a song that references references “rich people who orchestrate wars and then draft the poor to fight in them.”
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The Woodstock Festival was not just a gathering of like-minded kids of the counterculture, it was also a gather of those who opposed the war. Jimi Hendrix rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” featured guitar effects meant to represent the bombs bursting and unrest of war.
