Another movement that spread across the nation during the 1960's was the anti-war movement. With tensions rising on the American homefront and abroad there was bound to be some friction. The anti-war movement began because of America's controversial involvement in the Vietnam War. We entered the War in 1955 because President Eisenhower, and many others strongly believed in the Domino Theory. The Domino Theory is a theory that states if one country Falls to Communism then, inevitably, others around it will follow. When North Vietnam fell to Communism we sent troops over to aid Diem in South Vietnam. At this time, America began the draft. The draft consisted of numbers that corresponded with birthdays and if your number was chosen, then you were …show more content…
Many artists voiced their opinions through the lyrics of their songs, many of which, had to do with the war. These ideas that were pushed onto society through music greatly influenced the way much of the younger generations thought. At many festivals like Woodstock, Isle of Wight, and Monterey Pop, people gathered to express their feelings against the war and to advocate for peace and love. The Woodstock Music & Arts Festival took place in August of 1969. Many well-known artists played there such as Arlo Guthrie, Jimi Hendrix, and Country Joe and the Fish. Many of performers were strongly against the war and pushed their ideas on to the audience with raw performances such as Jimi Hendrix’s Star Spangled Banner. In Hendrix's rendition of this age-old patriotic song, he includes sounds using whammy bar techniques that mocked machine gun fire and explosions. This version also included a short rendition of the song Taps, usually performed at a soldier's funeral. These performances and many others made Woodstock one of the most influential festivals of its time and closed the decade with messages of peace, love and pacifism (Hopkins). The event attracted several thousand people from all walks of life Across the Nation. These festivals were usually advertised as a place where you didn’t have to worry about the world's problems, you could just go for the peace, love and music. Ironically, at these festivals many artists brought the anti-war cause into the