How Did The Le Moyne Community Support The Anti-War Movement

1) A spate of anti-war activism occurred across the Le Moyne campus during the years of the Vietnam War from the late 1960s into the early 1970s. Such activism included protests against the Kent State shooting and against President Nixon and anti-draft demonstrations. Still, the Le Moyne community wasn’t entire unified behind the anti-war movement. There is a tendency to caricature college campuses during the Vietnam War as having a unified, passionate anti-war movement across the entire campus. In reality, however, not everybody in the Le Moyne community supported the anti-war activism; some viewed the protests as un-patriotic and unnecessarily subversive. In the wake of the shooting at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, some students

Father Reilly received a mass of displeased letters, most from parents of current students and Le Moyne alumni but also some students, disappointed that Reilly agreed to cancel classes in honor of the Kent State victims. The Kent State protesters were referred to as “dissident elements,” “radicals,” and “rioters” and many argued that days of mourning and flying the flag at half-mast should be reserved for military heroes who are serving in Southeast Asia. Some people did not agree with Father Reilly’s support of anti-war protesting occurring at Le Moyne, and were “deeply disappointed” with “the road upon which you seemed determined to lead Le Moyne.” In addition, a group of Le Moyne professors spoke out in support of American involvement in Vietnam and criticized violence by protestors across college campuses. The professors lament that college presidents, likely including Father Reilly, “see fit to capitulate to the demands of extremists” by enabling anti-war protesting on their campuses. It can be noted that there appears to be a significant generational split when it comes to opinions on the Vietnam War: many of those opposed to the war were young while many of the people who wrote to Father Reilly disagreeing with his stance on the war and on Kent State, as well as the 11 Le Moyne professors, were largely middle-aged or older. However, the strong, conservative movement of Le Moyne students who supported the war and felt that their voice was being marginalized on campus certainly cannot be discredited as minor or