Unit 6: Social Issues

In 1965, America sent combat troops to Vietnam. A civil war had broken out between the North, who wanted to become communist, and the South, who wanted to become a democracy. The USSR (Russia) backed the North; the USA backed the South. Over the next 10 years, 58,220 American soldiers were killed or declared missing. The fighting was brutal: the conditions severe.

And it was all televised. For the first time, the American public could see what it was like in a war zone. And they were not happy. At first, it seemed like the Cold War against communism was a good idea but when the horrors of war were brought home, the public outcry was intense.

“War” was released in 1970, three years before America withdrew from Vietnam. It captured the emotions of many Americans with it’s chorus becoming a popular chant at anti-war demonstrations.

War, huh, yeah

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, uhh

War, huh, yeah

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing

Say it again, y'all

War, huh (good God)

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, listen to me, oh

War, I despise

'Cause it means destruction of innocent lives

War means tears to thousands of mother's eyes

When their sons go off to fight

And lose their lives

I said, war, huh (good God, y'all)

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, just say it again

War (whoa), huh (oh Lord)

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, listen to me

It ain't nothing but a heart-breaker

(War) Friend only to The Undertaker

Oh, war it's an enemy to all mankind

The thought of war blows my mind

War has caused unrest

Within the younger generation

Induction then destruction

Who wants to die? Oh

War, huh (good God y'all)

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing

Say it, say it, say it

War (uh-huh), huh (yeah, huh)

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, listen to me

It ain't nothing but a heart-breaker

(War) It's got one friend that's The Undertaker

Oh, war, has shattered many a young man's dreams

Made him disabled, bitter and mean

Life is much too short and precious

To spend fighting wars each day

War can't give life

It can only take it away, oh

War, huh (good God y'all)

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, say it again

War (whoa), huh (oh Lord)

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, listen to me

It ain't nothing but a heart breaker

(War) Friend only to The Undertaker, woo

Peace, love and understanding, tell me

Is there no place for them today?

They say we must fight to keep our freedom

But Lord knows there's got to be a better way, oh

War, huh (God y'all)

What is it good for? You tell me (nothing)

Say it, say it, say it, say it

War (good God), huh (now, huh)

What is it good for?

Stand up and shout it (nothing)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Arthur E Pullam / Arthur Pullam / Edwin Starr / Robert Dickerson

On the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists associated with the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes. 

New York City: Two planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, causing both 110-story buildings to collapse.

Arlington, Virginia: A third plane struck the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Shanksville, Pennsylvania: The fourth plane, Flight 93, crashed in a field after passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers, preventing it from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C. 

The deadliest foreign attack on U.S. soil resulted in the deaths of 2,977 victims from 90 different nations and remains the deadliest terrorist act in world history.

America immediately went to war and Toby Keith, along with many notable singers, supported our troops, both at home and by performing with the USO. Keith said that the song was written "for all the times that I get to meet the troops . . .  and shown how much support they had [for me], this [song] is my support for the American fighting men and women."

I'm just trying to be a father

Raise a daughter and a son

Be a lover to their mother

Everything to everyone

Up and at 'em bright and early

I'm all business in my suit

Yeah, I'm dressed up for success

From my head down to my boots

I don't do it for the money

There's bills that I can't pay

I don't do it for the glory

I just do it anyway

Providing for our future's my responsibility

Yeah, I'm real good under pressure

Being all that I can be

And I can't call in sick on Mondays

When the weekends been too strong

I just work straight through the holidays

And sometimes all night long

You can bet that I stand ready

When the wolf growls at the door

Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady

Hey I'm true down to the core

And I will always do my duty

No matter what the price

I've counted up the cost

I know the sacrifice

Oh, and I don't want to die for you

But if dyin's asked of me

I'll bear that cross with honor

'Cause freedom don't come free

I'm an American soldier, an American

Beside my brothers and my sisters

I will proudly take a stand

When liberty's in jeopardy

I will always do what's right

I'm out here on the front lines

Sleep in peace tonight

American soldier, I'm an American soldier

yeah, an American soldier, an American

Beside my brothers and my sisters

I will proudly take a stand

When liberty's in jeopardy

I will always do what's right

I'm out here on the front lines

So sleep in peace tonight

American soldier, I'm an American

an American

an American soldier

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Chuck Cannon / Toby Keith

April 26 1937: Spain is in the middle of a civil war. Francisco Franco, the leader of the Nationalist group, coordinates an attack on the Spanish town of Guernica. Franco asks his allied, the German Nazis and the Italian Fascists, to attack the town of 5,000 Spaniards. Germany and Italy use the mission as a test of their latest technologies, knowing they were soon about to start invading other areas of Europe.

Over three hours, bombs rained down on the small town. Over 1667 people are killed, approximately 1 out 3 inhabitants. It is revealed that the attack was planned on a market day to maximize casualties. Seen as a war crime by some historians, it is one of the first aerial bombings to capture global attention. 

On September 3, 2025, the street artist then known only as Bansky, posted a picture of his latest artwork on Instagram with a caption that read simply “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.” An appropriate title since the artwork appeared on the side of the government owned building that houses the Royal Courts (the British equivalent of the USA’s Supreme Court). 

It was a commentary on a newly passed law banning support for a pro-Palestinian group which has ties to terrorists. The law drew criticism over free speech concerns and 900 people were arrested at a protest in London against the law just two days before Banksy's new mural appeared. Within hours, a judge ordered the removal of the artwork stating it was defacement of a public building.

Fight the Power - BBC

Do the Right Thing, a film by  Spike Lee was released in 1989. The film exploded in popularity and started conversations about social issues long overlooked by mainstream culture. It remains a landmark in cinema for its examination of injustice, gentrification, and racial tensions; still relevant in modern discussions on race relations and the enduring need for justice.

The story takes place on the hottest day of 1989 in Brooklyn, NY. Mookie, a young Black man, is, a pizza delivery person for a pair of brothers, one of whom is Mookie’s friend, the other, Sal,  is openly racist  against POC. The tension explodes when Radio Raheem's boombox is destroyed by Sal, leading to a fight. Police arrive, resulting in a chokehold that kills Radio Raheem. In the aftermath of the killing, Mookie throws a trash can through the pizzeria window, triggering a riot. The entire neighborhood is left in a state of conflict as the film ends. 

Do the Right Thing profoundly impacted American culture by forcedly confronting audiences with raw, systemic racial tensions and police brutality challenging Hollywood's previous avoidance of these issues. 

"Abraham, Martin and John" was written in 1968 as a direct response to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.  Having previously lost Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, the song became a healing anthem for a grieving nation. Released during a time of intense civil unrest and the height of the Vietnam War, the song became a massive hit, a timeless tribute to the high cost of leadership and the enduring hope for a better world.

The use of a gentle, rolling acoustic guitar and a soft oboe melody creates a serious, pastoral atmosphere that feels like a quiet eulogy rather than a protest song. The repetitive structure—where each verse follows the same pattern of searching for a fallen leader—mirrors the cycle of grief and the shocking frequency of these historical tragedies. The slow tempo and the absence of a heavy drum beat allow the listener to sit with the weight of the names mentioned, while the hushed backup vocals in the bridge provide a ghostly, ethereal quality that emphasizes the "old friends" have transitioned from the physical world into memory.

Anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people

But it seems the good, they die young

You know I just looked around and he's gone

Anybody here seen my old friend John?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people

But it seems the good, they die young

I just looked around and he's gone

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

He freed a lot of people

But it seems the good, they die young

I just looked around and he's gone

Didn't you love the things that they stood for?

Didn't they try to find some good for you and me?

And we'll be free someday soon

It's gonna be one day

Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?

Can you tell me where he's gone?

I thought I saw him walking up over the hill

With Abraham and Martin and John

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Richard Louis Holler