The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, on Oct. 15, 1969, was a huge gathering of antiwar protesters across the United States. Boston reportedly had the largest turnout in the country, with an estimated 100,000 people assembled on Boston Common. This was believed to be the largest demonstration in the city’s history. Peace rallies helped put the antiwar movement in the national spotlight and in the thoughts of mainstream America. In the photo above, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, a Civil War memorial dedicated on Sept. 17, 1877, provided a vantage point for several onlookers in the Moratorium Day crowd.