| GI coffeehouses | |
|---|---|
| Part of the G.I. movement | |
 FTA Show at a GI coffeehouse in 1971 | |
| Date | 1968–1974 |
| Location | |
| Goals | Assisting soldiers in resisting service in the Vietnam War |
| Methods | Dialogue and organizing with soldiers |
GI coffeehouses were coffeehouses set up as part of the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War era as a method of fostering antiwar and anti-military sentiment within the U.S. military. They were mainly organized by civilian antiwar activists, though many GIs participated in establishing them as well. They were created in numerous cities and towns near U.S. military bases throughout the U.S as well as Germany and Japan. Due to the normal high turnover rate of GIs at military bases plus the military's response which often involved transfer, discharge and demotion, not to mention the hostility of the pro-military towns where many coffeehouses were located, most of them were short-lived, but a few survived for several years and "contributed to some of the GI movement's most significant actions". The first GI coffeehouse of the Vietnam era was set up in January 1968 and the last closed in 1974.[1]: 4–11 [2][3]
There were also several antiwar coffeehouses created during the U.S. led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[1]: 121 In addition, while not called coffeehouses, there were at least two Labor Canteens created near the end of World War II which promoted racial integration and demobilization of the troops.[4][5]
- ^ a b Parsons, David L. (2017). Dangerous Grounds: Antiwar Coffeehouses and Military Dissent in the Vietnam Era. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-4696-3201-8.
- ^ Cortright, David (2005). Soldiers In Revolt. Chicago, Illinois: Haymarket Books. pp. 53–54. ISBN 1931859272.
- ^ The Kitchen Sisters (July 25, 2016). "If War Is Hell, Then Coffee Has Offered U.S. Soldiers Some Salvation". Morning Edition. NPR.
- ^ "Pete and El: 1944". shorpy.com. Shorpy Inc. May 16, 2008. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ "Scope of Soviet Activity in the United States: Hearing Before the Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws". archive.org. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1957-02-05. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
One of the movements carried on at the canteen was that of the Oahu Servicemen's Committee for Speedier Demobilization, composed of a group of members of the Armed Forces