Hard Hat Riot | Full Documentary | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS

Video Description

#History #Documentary #Politics #VietnamWar #NewYorkCity #Nixon On May 8, 1970, “the Hard Hat Riot” erupted in lower Manhattan. At midday, construction workers, including those building the World Trade Center, violently clashed with students demonstrating against the Vietnam War. It was soon clear that something larger was happening — the workmen, who came to be known as “hardhats,” were at the cutting edge of a new kind of class war. With the war in Vietnam raging on, it was the sons of the working class who were doing most of the fighting. Workmen saw the protesting students as privileged “draft dodgers” disparaging the country and those who fought for it. On the other side, many student activists saw the workers as pawns, unwilling to see the changes that America needed. HARD HAT RIOT tells the story of a struggling metropolis, a flailing president, a divided people, and a bloody juncture when the nation violently diverged ― culminating in a new political and cultural landscape that radically redefined American politics and foreshadowed the future. Official Website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/hard-hat-riot/ | #HardHatRiotPBS © 2025 WGBH Educational Foundation 00:00 Prologue 02:33 Building New York City 04:43 The Cambodian Incursion 11:56 The Vietnam Draft 13:46 Kent State 17:46 Mayor John Lindsay’s Fun City 22:05 Growing up Working Class in New York 31:31 1968 Rocks America 36:35 “Everything was Radicalizing” 43:15 Bloody Friday 01:00:07 The Night of the Riot 01:02:06 After the Riot 01:06:21 Nixon’s Strategy 01:12:21 The Election of ‘72 01:17:46 Conclusion This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate Subscribe to the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmericanExperiencePBS?sub_confirmation=1 Enjoy full episodes of your favorite AMERICAN EXPERIENCE shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS App: https://to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR FOLLOW AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanExperiencePBS/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AmericanExperiencePBS/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@americanexperiencepbs