An Extraordinary UMass Amherst Class on Truth and Dissent in America
A Boston Globe story published June 22 features the extraordinary UMass Amherst class titled “Truth, Dissent, and the Life of Daniel Ellsberg” taught by Christian Appy, professor of history.
In 1971, Ellsberg released documents to the New York Times revealing secret plans by the U.S. government to expand the war in Vietnam. His archive of papers was acquired in 2019 by the UMass Amherst Libraries and Ellsberg participated in the class.
“I can’t think of anybody who has had greater access to power and to classified documents who has taken such personal risk in opposition to the policies he once supported,” said Appy. Ellsberg personally engaged with the students during the course.
Students in the class included Will Le: a Vietnamese American senior whose parents lived through the Vietnam War and Tianna Darling, a master’s student in history whose father served in Vietnam for the United States.