Vietnam War on Trial (Landmark Law Cases & American Society)

The Price Was: $15.95
Please check the actual price here, it could changeRelated Products

• Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence, Volume II: Since 1865
• A History of Our Time: Readings on Postwar America
• The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, Volume 2
• The 1912 Election and the Power of Progressivism: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History & Culture)
• The Hippies and American Values

Product Details

Technical Information

Customer Reviews

Product Description
The military trial of William Calley for his role in the slaughter of five hundred or more Vietnamese civilians at My Lai shocked a nation already sharply divided over a controversial war. In this superb retelling of the My Lai story through the prism of the law, Michal Belknap provides new perspectives and keen insights into core issues about the war that still divide Americans today.

One of the most highly publicized trials of its day, the Calley case emerged at a time when protests against the war were growing larger, louder, and more intense. Well aware of this, the Nixon administration sought to downplay the My Lai incident, which military officers in Vietnam had tried to cover up in order to protect their own careers and reputations. It might never have come to light had it not been for the efforts of Vietnam veteran Ron Ridenhour and journalist Seymour Hersh. Their investigations revealed the full extent of the My Lai tragedy, further inflamed the antiwar movement, and brought to trial Lieutenant William Calley.

Unfolding the Calley case step by step, Belknap shows how our system of military justice actually works. His dramatic reenactment takes readers through every stage of the trial, from pre-trial investigations to actual courtroom exchanges among prosecutors, defenders, witnesses, and judges. In the process, he reveals how a court-martial conducted within the public eye transformed a purely legal proceeding into a political debate about the conduct of the war. Calleys trial clearly demonstrated both how deeply the Vietnam War had divided our nation and how difficult it was for any court to deliver justice under such intense media coverage.

Scrupulously fair to all parties involved, Belknap portrays Calley as both criminal and victimguilty of the crimes of which he stood accused, but also an unintended scapegoat of the American military machine. His court-martial, for hawks and doves alike, epitomized all that was wrong with our involvement in Vietnam.

By reopening the Calley case, Belknap helps a new generation of readers better understand why the Vietnam War was so controversial and damaging to national unity. His book, however, also provides insights that apply well beyond events of a particular war, suggesting that the grim lessons of My Lai will continue to shadow the conduct of Americas present and future wars.

This book is part of the Landmark Law Cases and American Society series.

Religious Freedom and Indian Rights: The Case of Oregon V. Smith ... Other titles in the Landmark Law Cases & American Society series: ... Igniting King Philip's War : the John Sassamon Murder Trial ... Inside Vietnam's Last Great Myth The Vietnam War on Trial: The My Lai Massacre and the Court ... "A wise, discerning, and powerful account of a notable trial that illuminates the larger meaning of the Vietnam War. Belknap's extraordinary analysis of the My Lai ... Landmark Law Cases and American Society Series LibraryThing One Man Out: Curt Flood versus Baseball (Landmark Law Cases & American Society) by Robert Michael Goldman: The Pullman Case: ... The Vietnam War on Trial: ... The Vietnam War on Trial The My Lai Massacre and CourtMartial of ... Search - The Vietnam War on Trial: The My Lai Massacre and Court-Martial of Lieutenant Calley (Landmark Law Cases and American Society) The Vietnam War on Trial: The My Lai Massacre and the Court ... Other titles in the Landmark Law Cases & American Society series: Affirmative Action on Trial: Sex Discrimination in Johnson V Santa Clara (Landmark Law Cases and ... Living Apart: How the Government Betrayed a Landmark Civil Rights Law A few months after Congress passed a landmark law directing the ... Battered by protests over the Vietnam War, ... of the law to "cases of individual ... Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court - Home www.streetlaw.org Street Law, Inc. and The Supreme Court Historical Society present. Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court Living Apart: How the Government Betrayed a Landmark Civil Rights Law A few months after Congress passed a landmark law directing the federal government to dismantle ... In most cases, ... Battered by protests over the Vietnam War, ... List of landmark court decisions in the United States - Wikipedia ... It was the first case of a body of law developed in the Fifth Circuit holding that a ... (in the Vietnam War ... because it is an integrated part of American law ... Vietnam War on Trial (Landmark Law Cases & American Society ... "A wise, discerning, and powerful account of a notable trial that illuminates the larger meaning of the Vietnam War. Belknap's extraordinary analysis of the My Lai ...