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On November 13, 1969, ten students at Texas State University were suspended for participating in a peaceful protest against the Vietnam War. They had kept vigil in front of the Huntington Mustangs, bearing signs that read, “Vietnam Is an Edsel” and “44,000 U.S. Dead, For What?” while an increasingly hostile anti-protest crowd chanted, “Love it or leave it!” and “Let’s string ’em up!” It was a day after news of the My Lai massacre broke. Part of a coordinated, nationwide Vietnam Moratorium effort that confounded and infuriated the Nixon White House, the “San Marcos 10” challenged their suspension, taking their case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Author E.R. Bills offers this fascinating glimpse into the 1960s antiwar movement in Texas, the extraordinary measures to quell it and the broader social activism in which it participated.

The Vietnam War era (1961-1975), one of our country's most turbulent periods, was also a time of change and social evolution. Seeded in the aftermath of World War II, the nation enjoyed a remarkable economic boom. Knoxville and East Tennessee stood witness to the transformation of American society and the problems that came with the new success. From the first recognized combat casualty of the Vietnam War to the evacuation of Saigon, Knoxvillians were there, and their stories of sacrifice and service earned little mention or were forgotten in historical texts. At home, urban decay gained a grip on Knoxville's once vibrant downtown, and protests were not an uncommon sight on the evening news, but there was progress too. This volume documents the start of a new beginning for Knoxville as the city tried to hold onto its traditional Appalachian values and move into a new era.