Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

―Mississippi Goddam‖ and ―Only A Pawn in Their Game‖ the two musicians let the world know of the
problems going on in the country and exactly how they felt about it.
Popular musicians didn‘t end their involvement in social justice with the civil rights movement.
As the fight for civil rights softened, America found itself segregated over America‘s involvement in the
Vietnam War. Support for the Vietnam War was in the majority of the people until around 1965. The
draft rate increased and young men in disagreement with the procedure, held demonstrations. From there,
things only became worse in 1968, when the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive and the My Lai
massacre. Before this, messages coming out of Vietnam gave the appearance that South Vietnam and the
American military had everything under control. This attack proved that more time, troops, and money
would need to be put into fighting this war, a notion that caused weakening for support of America‘s
involvement in the war.
Opposition for the war, although united under the same cause, was separated into groups, all
contending for different reasons. 1962‘s ―Where Have all the Flowers Gone?‖ by the group Peter, Paul,
and Mary was one of the first popular songs credited for objecting the Vietnam War. For the next three
years, only that group and Bob Dylan would release songs that rang true towards the anti- Vietnam War
movement. R. Serge stated that, ―if you want to reach young people in this country (and revolutions are
made by the young; the old make counter-revolution) then write a song‖, and that‘s just what was done.
Written by nineteen year-old P.F. Sloan, ―Eve of Destruction‖ (sang by Barry McGuire) was the first song
to call out the Vietnam War and the government in an outright manner (Serge 140). Lyrics such as:
‟The eastern world, it is exploding |Violence flarin‟,bullets loadin‟ |You‟re old enough to
kill, but not for votin‟ | You don‟t believe in war, but what‟s that gun your totin‟ | An even
the Jordan River has bodies floatin‟|But you tell me | Over and over and over again, my
friend| Ah, you don‟t believe | we‟re on the eve of destruction „‟ (P.F. Sloan)
Radio stations refused to play the song calling it, ―an aid to the enemy in Vietnam‖, but that didn‘t stop
the record from becoming number one. From there musicians didn‘t hold their tongues or their pens;
songs came out back to back and on top of each other. ―I Ain‘t Marching Anymore‖, ―Draft Dodger Rag‖,
30