[Anti-Vietnam War Posters]

Promoting the second ‘Moratorium March’ in D.C. and San Francisco.

“On the night of Thursday, Nov. 13, 1969, the “March Against Death” began. By the time that weekend was over, Washington, D.C., had seen more protesters than any single event in its history had drawn. Attendance was higher, by tens of thousands, than at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington. And despite a name that, 45 years later, may seem overblown or vague, the march was actually about something very specific. The deaths they were protesting were those of soldiers and civilians in Vietnam.” – Time Magazine.

This pair of brightly colored protest posters was issued by the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam in 1972 to promote upcoming marches in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Each boldly defines the goal of the mass public movement – BRING ALL THE GIS HOME NOW! Unflattering images of Richard Nixon are accompanied by the rhetorical question – ‘Would you buy a used WAR from this man?’

The second image presents a predominantly African American crowd held back by white police officers – the fight for civil rights was far more pressing than spilling blood to fight Communism in Vietnam. The two marches (along with a further campaign in Seattle) were among the largest mass demonstrations the host cities had ever seen.

Sources: Zinned Project; Time Magazine;