Ardent neatly-dressed young adults with abiding belief in the goodness and greatness of America and full trust in American leadership -- déjà vu the Eisenhower era (1950s) during which American involvement in Vietnam began -- prominently displayed posters of their own from behind police barricades and standing on window ledges along Fifth Avenue.

1960s Americans had not previously experienced an unpopular war. The enduring wartime memory at that time was WWII -- the “good war” struggle to defeat fascism and totalitarianism. WWII unified our country as we fought to preserve our way of life following a sneak attack by Imperial Japan and Hitler plundering Europe. The post-Vietnam War hindsight, knowledge and historical perspective available today were unknown future outcomes for those forced to cope with that unpopular war back then.

Many Americans steeped in WWII fervor and national unity had gut-reaction dislike of antiwar protesters and the antiwar movement was frequently denounced by pundits, politicians, journalists, commentators, and other public figures.