what happened in wahington D.C on november 15,1969?

Answer 1

Largest anti-war protest

Answer 2

I was there, so this is a first hand account. I remember the buses blocking the White House -they were so afraid of us! I was on the March against Death, from Arlington Cemetery to the White House.

There was also a march on Saigon Embassy to raise the National Liberation Front of S. Vietnam flag. Tear gas rockets were fired in Dupont Cr and people randomly bludgeoned by the police. I was almost hit by a 3ft long missile..

Ive attended many demonstration and it seems like even 500,000 was conservative. In those days 'official' estimates were servery deflated.
This phot is one things I remembered...from that point you would have to go over two small hills that were packed so much you had to struggle to get past.
Only then you could see the stage (Peter, Paul and Mary singing Dylan's Blowing in the Wind). People were still trying to get into the square.

Answer 3

What a great question to spark some research! I had NO idea and this was a real eye opener! thanks!

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On 15 October, 1969, the 'Moratorium' peace demonstration was held in Washington and other US cities. Millions of Americans, throughout the country, participated.

One month after the 'Moratorium', on 15 November, 1969, the 'Mobilization' peace demonstration in Washington DC had a crowd estimated at from 250,000 to 500,000. This event remains the largest single anti-war protest in US history.

That day's demonstration came immediately after the completion of a 40-hour 'March Against Death', in which 40,000 individuals filed past the White House, each bearing the name of a United States soldier who had died in Vietnam.

A solid row of municipal buses was parked along the curb between the marchers and the White House. Hundreds of armed troops guarded national landmarks in the city. Neither they nor the members of the Washington DC Police Department found any cause for immediate alarm.

The march along Pennsylvania Avenue was kept peaceful and on the scheduled route by a hand-to-hand line, doubled in some places, of marshals. One protester said that the marshals were 'more officious than the police'.

Those in attendance included three United States Senators, Eugene McCarthy, George S McGovern, and Charles E Goodell, a Republican. Also present were Correta Scott King, comedian/activist Dick Gregory, Mary of the musical folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, actor-playwright Adolphe Green, composer Leonard Bernstein, singers Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger (composer of 'If I Had A Hammer' and 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone'), John Denver, Mitch Miller, and the touring cast of the Broadway play Hair.

The organisers of this demonstration had received praise from Pham Van Dong, Prime Minister of North Vietnam. In a letter to the organisers, Dong said '... may your fall offensive succeed splendidly'. This was the first time that the government of North Vietnam publicly acknowledged the American anti-war movement. Dong's comments enraged American conservatives, including Vice President Spiro Agnew. Agnew labelled the protesters 'Communist dupes comprised of an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterise themselves as intellectuals.'

The District of Columbia Police Chief, Jerry Wilson, said a 'moderate' estimate was that 250,000 had paraded on Pennsylvania Avenue and attended the anti-war rally at the Washington Monument. Other city officials said aerial photographs showed that the crowd had exceeded 300,000.

The next day, the United States Army publicly discussed events surrounding the My Lai massacre for the first time.

Answer 4

In Washington, DC, 250,000-500,000 protesters stage a peaceful demonstration against the Vietnam war, including a symbolic "March Against Death".

Answer 5

Mobilization peace demonstration against the war in Vietnam

Answer 6

The largest anti-war protest in the US. It was against the Viet Nam war.