All You Need Is Love and John Lennon for President Essay Example

Americans, as a supporter of the Civil Rights movement.

Just as the founding fathers immigrated from England to the United States, John Winston Lennon born October 9th, 1940 spent most of his life in Liverpool, England and later moved to America. In September of 1969, Lennon returned his MBE (Member of the British Empire) awarded to him by Queen Elizabeth to protest Britain’s support for the Vietnam War. Lennon later married artist Yoko Ono, the love of his life in March 20th, 1969. After their marriage, Lennon and Yoko staged a “bed-in for peace” at the Amsterdam Hilton as a launch pad for their anti-war efforts in September of 1969, inviting the worldwide media to participate in their hotel suite. June of 1969 at their second bed-in in Canada, Lennon recorded the song “Give Peace a Chance” in his hotel.

The song was sung by half a million Vietnam War protestors at the second Vietnam Moratorium Day in Washington D.C. in October of 1969. Lennon moved to New York City to live with Yoko and raise their two children Julian and Sean Lennon. There Lennon became friends with radicals Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, who were co-founders of the Youth International Party, nicknamed the “Yippies”. Rubin and Hoffman disrupted the New York Stock Exchange briefly on August 24, 1967, to protest the Vietnam War. Rubin convinced Lennon to preform in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 10, 1971, to free John Sinclair, leader of the White Panthers Party. John Sinclair was arrested for selling two joints to an undercover cop that was posing as a fellow White Panther member. The White Panthers Party worked in tandem with the

Black Panthers Party. Sinclair was released from prison three days after the rally when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the state law regarding marijuana possession was unconstitutional.

Michigan Senator Strom Thurmond sent a memo to the Attorney General John Mitchell in February 1972 noting Lennon’s appearance at the Sinclair rally declaring that Lennon could pose a threat to Richard Nixon’s re-election the next year. Thurmond stated that Lennon could mobilize the youth voters against Nixon and could donate money for rallies that would disrupt Nixon’s orderly America. The following months the Immigration and Naturalization Service began a four-year effort to deport Lennon based on his 1968 conviction of drug possession for which he was set up by the arresting officers. Lennon and Yoko would travel to Washington, D.C. in 1973 to attend the Watergate hearings, which was in the end Nixon’s true downfall. Lennon’s deportation orders were overturned in 1975 and his application to remain a permanent resident in the United States was granted in July 1976. Shortly after his deportation orders were overturned, Lennon posed for a picture flashing a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Lennon exemplifies what it means to be an activist. He is willing to stand up against the most powerful governments in the world for the betterment of the people. Lennon is a hero to many and almost everyone has been exposed to the music of The Beatles. Songs like “All You Need is Love”, “Come Together”, “Imagine”, “Give Peace a Chance”, and “Revolution” were songs The Beatles wrote to inspire people to connect with one another. The Beatles’ music has captured the hearts of millions by

using their platform to send a message of positivity and peace. Lennon uses his music as a tool to bridge social discord and create harmony amongst individuals from all walks of life. Lennon’s social and civil rights activism has yet to be matched. I strongly believe John Lennon is the best candidate for the 2020 presidential election and he can unite this divided country because “All You Need is Love and John Lennon for President.”