In 1968, during the Vietnam War, U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai Massacre, an atrocity exposed years later. The event sparked outrage and investigations. It became a symbol of war's moral complexities and influenced anti-war sentiment.

The My Lai Massacre in 1968 ignited a powerful wave of anti-war poetry, with poets like Denise Levertov questioning American morality and the ethics of war. This event became a catalyst for a broader literary movement that sought to confront the harsh realities of conflict.