Anti-war Protest
Introduction
During times of war, soldiers on the front line must acclimate to the realities of combat and the possibility of death. However, those who are fighting are not the only ones that must face the uncertainties and fear that are part of warfare. Those at home—the families, friends, and fellow citizens of those soldiers—must also learn to cope with the war. In the era of the World Wars, many coped with the help of patriotism. Men and women enlisted in the armed service to fight on behalf of their country, and citizens, certain that their soldiers were doing the right thing, contributed to the war effort on the home front while praying for the safe return of soldiers. Anti-war activists and pacifists protested U.S. involvement in both wars, but they were in the minority and often were former soldiers themselves who had previous battle experience.
In the latter half of the twentieth century, when the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf wars were beamed into living rooms across the globe, prior methods of coping with war no longer seemed relevant. The televised wars of the twentieth century brought the terrible realities of war home in an immediate and graphic way, and many found that patriotism was not enough to deal with the nightly images on their television.
