BarberandDeLaza1

MayaBarberandEllaDeLaza
Ms.Dyer
HonorsAmericanHistory11.3
17May2016
TheLessonsWeHaveLearned
TheinfamousVietnamWarinthe1960swasaviciousbattlebetweentheNorthVietnam
andtheSouthVietnamthatkilledmanyinnocentVietnamesecivilians,58,000American
soldiers,andleftmanyAmericansdistraughtbybeingexposedtothebrutalityofwar.Beingthe
firsttelevisedwar,manyAmericanswereabletoseethehorrificbarbarityofwar.Asaresult
manyAmericansopposedthiswarandanantiwarmovementgrew.Moreover,duringthistime,
CivilRightsMovementssuchastheAfricanAmericanmovement,Feministmovementandthe
Latinomovementgainedmassiveattention.Thisrevolutionarymovementgatheredhundredsof
thousandsofprotesters.Insomedegreetheseoutbreaksweresuccessfulandwereableto
alleviatesomegrievances.ThisresultedinanumberoflessonsAmericanslearnedinthe1960s
topreventthisrepetitioninhistory.Theselessonsincludetheimportantroleoffreepress,
strengthandpowerofunitedaction,andneedforcontinuedvigilance.
Thecriticalneedtoprotectfreepressisdemonstratedinmultipleexposuresofdeception
bythemilitaryandgovernment.TwoWashingtonPostwriters,WoodwardandBernstein,
broughtattentiontothecorruption,whichbecameknownastheWatergateScandal.Thisscandal
involvedburglarswho
werecaughtattemptingtowiretapphonesandstealconfidential
documentsfromtheDemocraticPartysNationalCommitteeoffices.Theirstoriestriggereda
Senateinvestigation,whichdirectlylinkedthe
NixonsCommitteetoReElectthePresident.

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ThisrevealedacoverupinwhichNixonparticipated.Theworkoftheseinvestigativereporters
resultedintheexposureofcorruptionatthehighestlevel.DuringtheVietnamWar,animage
takenaftertheuseofnapalmonanineyearoldgirl,leftscarringvisualsforAmericans.The
NewYorkTimescoverageofpoliceviolenceagainstcivilrightsprotesters,vividlyportrayed
AfricanAmericansbeingstrippedoftheircivilrights.Theintensityofthisimagecreatedfurther
awarenessofthegrowingandnecessaryactionoftheCivilRightsMovement.Theroleofthe
pressisprominenttoprovidesocietytrueknowledgeaboutthebarbaricactionsoftheir
government,andtocontroltheirpowertoproposeaneededchange.
ThisCivilRightsMovementhighlightedtheeffectivenessofmassactionswhenproperly
organized,focusedandexecuted.TheMontgomeryBusBoycott
illustratedthattheuseofa
peacefulboycott,consistentlyutilized,acleargoal,astrongleaderandanestablishednetwork
couldbringvictory.
ThisactionresultedfromupheavalcausedwhenRosaParkssatinthewrong
seat,simplybecauseofthecolorofherskin.Thustheboycottbecameamodelforthepowerof
unitedaction.TheMarchonWashington,apoliticalrallyforjobsandfreedom,attractedtwo
hundredandfiftythousandAmericanstoshedlightonAfricanAmericaninequalitiesacross
America.TheresultofthishugegatheringtohearMartinLutherKingJr.sIHaveaDream
speech,allowedmanyAmericanstocometogethertoprotestasaone.TheUnitedFarmWorkers
UnionleadbyCesarChavezgaverisetotheDelanoGrapeStrikeandBoycottacrossAmerica,
whichlastedforfiveyears.Thisshowedtheweightofcivildisobedienceandboycotts.A
groundbreakingbookcalled
TheFeminineMystique,
uncoveredthediscontentofmiddleclass
housewivesandtheirroleinsociety.WithinashorttimefeministsorganizedtheNational
OrganizationofWomen,whichwasuniqueinthatittookpositiononpoliticalissues.Some

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goalswerereachedbutnotall.Theuseofunitedactionsuccessfullyleadstoamuchstronger
movementthatcanoverpowertheoppressionofthegovernment.
Historydemonstratestheneedforeternalvigilanceonthepartofthosebeing
discriminated.TheConstitutionalAmendments,thirteen,fourteenandfifteenfreedslaveswith
allrightsofcitizenoftheUnitedStates,andforashortperiod,allowedAfricanAmericansto
makehugestridestowardsequality.OpponentssupportedJimCrowlawsandKluKluxKlan
intimidationspushedAfricanAmericansintomarginalityandsegregation.Thustherewasneed
foranotherpushforequalitywhichculminatedinthe60s.Racismtakesonmanyforms.This
struggleagainstracismcontinuescurrentlyagainstdisproportionatenumbersofyoungblack
malesbeingkilledbypoliceandgreaternumberinprison.DuringWorldWarIIthegovernment
appealedtowomentoworkinfactoriestodoamansjob.Theydidandwereultimatelyproudof
theiraccomplishmentsandgotusedtomuchhigherwages.Afterthewar,propagandatold
womentogobackintohousesandbecomedependentwivesagainwithnewtoyssuchaspopup
toaster.Notallwomenboughtintopropagandaanddemonstratedforequalrights.Womenhave
wonsomeessentialrightsbutstillreceiveslesspayforequalwork.Onewouldhavethoughtthat
thelessonsoftheVietnamwarwouldmakefoolingthepublicimpossibleanothertime.Yet,the
liethatIraqhadweaponsofmassdestructionbyaU.S.presidentandanhonoredmilitaryleader
in2003wasacceptedastruthandtheinvasionofIraqfollowed.Inorderforthecountryto
progressandimproveintermsofmoralandsocialideals,thecountrymustrememberthelessons
ithaslearnedanddosowithcontinueddiligence.
TherevolutionaryfightoftheCivilRightsmovementhastaughtAmericatoadvocate
freespeech,touniteasanation,andtoremaindiligentintimesofconflict.Theselessons

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emergingfromthemovementhasleadtogreatersocialequalityandprosperityinAmerica.
Advocatingfreespeechandfreedomofthepress,hasleadtothedisillusionmentofthewarand
revealedthehypocrisyofAmericanideals.Thisrevelationencouragedtheunityofthenation
tofightagainsttheoppressionprevalentinsociety.Unitingasanationhelpedbringpeople
together,aswellasencourageequalityandjusticewiththeoppressedminorities.Thesolid
relationshipoftheoppressedminoritieswitheachotherhasalsohelpedthemremaindiligentin
timesofconflict.Theendlessvigilanceportrayedbytheoppressedhelpedpowerthemovement
intosuccess,andeventuallypushthecountryintogreaterprosperity.Theeventsthatoccurred
duringtheCivilRightsmovementhelpedadvocateequalityandjustice,whichsetthetoneof
Americasbasicideals.Thesechangestaughteverlastinglessonstosocietythatcontinueto
impactthecountrytoday.

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WorksCited
"Watergate:TheScandalThatBroughtDownRichardNixon."
Watergateinfo
.N.p.,n.d.
Web.18May2016.
Younge,Gary."1963:TheDefiningYearoftheCivilRightsMovement."
TheGuardian
.
GuardianNewsandMedia,07May2013.Web.18May2016.
History.comStaff."MontgomeryBusBoycott."
History.com
.A&ETelevisionNetworks,
01Jan.2010.Web.18May2016.