VISUAL ACTIVITY

Mothers against the War Founded in 1961 to work for nuclear disarmament, Women Strike for Peace (WSP) began to protest the Vietnam War in 1963. As “concerned housewives” and mothers, members mobilized around the slogan “Not Our Sons, Not Your Sons, Not Their Sons.” In February 1967, more than 2,000 women, some shown here, protested at the Pentagon, banging on doors, which were locked as they approached.

READING THE IMAGE: Notice how these women look. Do they appear threatening to you? Why do you think Pentagon officials locked them out? How do their signs draw on their roles as mothers?

CONNECTIONS: How are the antiwar arguments made by WSP similar to and different from those of other opponents of the Vietnam War?

Bettmann/Corbis.