Michael P Amram

Ten Years and Change: A Liberal Boyhood in Minnesota

As one who grew up in the critical years of the Vietnam War, I hold deep memories of the political atmosphere of the time. The period was riddled with opportunities for growth and change. The country convulsed repeatedly, spewing out a prototype for democracy each time. Amid the assassinations, riots, and withdrawals, one group challenged the hawkish path the Johnson-Humphrey administration chose to follow.

What the McCarthy Democrats did was quixotically rare in politics. It was brash and exemplified how a minority beginning at the local government, working within the political structure, can ultimately affect the course of the federal government. I watched the DFL (Democratic Farmer-Labor) Party dissent from within to support Senator Eugene McCarthy as an anti-war candidate. I saw the political process run its course from local to national levels.

Most suburban kids who grew up in the ’70s were not immersed in politics. Parents of friends on my block did not particularly care about taking an active role in ending the war, much less gender and racial equality. I grew up around the mentality that saw injustices existing in the world more sharply than others did. From watching the Apollo 11 moon landing in the backroom of a general store to opening our house to a DFL fundraiser featuring Gene McCarthy reading his poetry, I was witness to many key and rare moments in the Vietnam era.

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