John Tinker’s parents, having also taken part in the Civil Rights Movement, had a mixed reaction to his decision to wear an armband to protest the Vietnam War in 1965.

Additional resources, including the an audio recording of the U.S. Supreme Court opening arguments for the Tinker Case and the text of the Court’s case decision, are available on the Iowa PBS 50th Anniversary of the Tinker v. Des Moines Schools Decision and Students’ Right to Freedom of Speech: The Tinker Case websites.