A “Manipulatable” Draft
A growing protest movement
in America sharply
divided the country
between supporters &
opponents of the war in
Vietnam
The idea of fighting in a
faraway place for what
they believed a
questionable cause
prompted many young
Americans to resist going
to war
Most soldiers who fought in
Vietnam didn’t volunteerthey were drafted
The Draft
The US Selective Service
System was
established during
World War I
Under the system, all
males had to register
with their local draft
boards when they
turned 18
All registrants were
screened, a few were
excluded-such as for
medical reasons
In the event of war, men
between ages 18-26
would be called into
military service
Getting Out of Goin’ to ‘Nam
The majority of men were given 1-A status, eligible for immediate service if
necessary
But there were ways to manipulate status
Some men sought out sympathetic doctors to grant medical exemptions
Others changed residences in order to stand before a more lenient draft board
Still others jointed the National Guard or Coast Guard, which often secured a
deferment from service in Vietnam
The Most Common Way Out
A young man enrolled in
college received a
deferred status that could
put off his military service
Most university students in
the 1960s were rich white
kids-while those who had
to go to Vietnam were
poor whites & minorities
Almost 80% of US soldiers in
Vietnam were from lower
economic levels-making
Vietnam a war fought by
the working class
African-Americans in Vietnam
African-Americans served in
disproportionate numbers
as ground combat troops
Early on, blacks accounted for
over 20% of US deaths
despite being only 10% of
the population
1969-The Defense
Department eliminated
deferments for married
men & graduate students
The draft was changed to a
lottery based on a draftee’s
birthday-a number from 1365 was drawn until the
military’s needs were met
More Money For War, Less for Poor
Dr. M. L. King, Jr., had
refrained from speaking
out against the war for
fear it would divert
public attention from civil
rights
1967-King’s attitude
changed, as he lashed
out at the “cruel irony”
of black dying for a
country that treated
them as 2nd-class citizens
Racial tension ran high in
many platoonssometimes leading to
violence-as racism was
another symptom of low
troop morale in ‘Nam
Women Join the Ranks
Women were not allowed to
serve in combat units in
Vietnam
However, 10,000 women
served there, most as
nurses
Thousands more
volunteered for the Red
Cross & USO, which
provided hospitality &
entertainment for the
troops
Women also joined in the
voices opposing the war
The New Left
Even before 1965, students
were becoming active
socially & politically
The war in Vietnam served as
a rallying point for college
students, who had
become a powerful &
vocal group of protesters
They were known as the
“New Left”--the “Old Left”
of the 1930s had tried to
move the US toward
socialism & communism
While the New Left did not
preach socialism, its
followers demanded
changes in US society
The Movement
The best known group-the
Students for a Democratic
Society (SDS)
Founded in 1960 by Tom Hayden
& Al Haber, the SDS called for
a restoration of “participative
democracy” and greater
individual freedom
1964-The Free Speech Movement
(FSM) gained prominence at
the University of CaliforniaBerkley
The FSM grew out of a clash over
free speech rights on campus& members criticized the
“machine” of a faceless &
powerful government
Campus Activism
The ideas of the SDS and FSM
spread quickly to college
campuses across the
country
Typically, students would
protest mostly campus
issues-dress codes, curfews,
dormitory regulations, &
mandatory ROTC programs
With the onset of the Vietnam
War, students found a
galvanizing issue & joined
together in protest
The Protest Movement Emerges
Spring, 1965-A number of
colleges began to host
“teach-ins” to protest
the war
At Michigan, where LBJ
had announced his
sweeping “Great
Society” in 1964,
teachers & student
attacked his war policy
As the war continued, the
protests grew & divided
the country
The Movement Grows
April, 1965-The SDS organized
a march on Washington, DC
that drew 20,000 protesters
Nov., 1965-30,000 attended a
similar protest
Feb., 1966-The Johnson
administration changed
deferments for college
students, requiring them to
have good grades or be
drafted
Campuses around the country
erupted in protest-SDS
called for civil disobedience
& openly counseled
students to flee to Canada
Why the Students Protested
By 1969, the SDS had
chapters on almost 400
campuses
Most anti-war protesters
believed Vietnam was a
civil war & the US had no
business there
Some said the South
Vietnamese government
was corrupt & no better
than the communists they
were fighting
Other argued the US could
not police the entire
globe-or that war itself
was immoral
Beyond the Campuses
Small numbers of returning
veterans began to protest
the war
They were joined by folk
singers such as Peter, Paul
& Mary, and Joan Baez
1965-A popular record, “The
Eve of Destruction,” by
Barry McGuire stressed the
irony that men could be
drafted at age 18
However, they couldn’t vote
until they were 21
Protesters vs. the Silent Majority
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4rYJoVILjo
The “Doves”
The “Hawks”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLXTsGA8ZqI
From Protest to Resistance
1967-The antiwar
movement had
intensified,
showing no signs
of slowing down
Spring-Nearly
500,000 people
gathered in New
York City’s Central
park
Hundreds tossed
their draft cards
into a bonfire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMNX6zyAmGs
Draft Resistance Continues
Draft protests lasted from
1967 until Pres. Nixon
phased out the draft in
the early 1970s
During those years, the US
government arrested
200,000 men for draft
offenses
Another 4000 were
imprisoned for being
draft resisters-some for
4-5 years, most for 6-12
months
Another 10,000 draft
dodgers fled to Canada
Trying to Disrupt the “War Machine”
Oct. 1967-A demonstration at
Washington’s Lincoln
memorial drew 75,000
protesters
After listening to speech, some
30,000 locked arms for a
march to the Pentagon
Hundreds of protesters broke
past military police &
mounted the Pentagon
steps, where they were hit
by tear gas & clubs
1500 protesters were injured
and 700 arrested
War Divides the Nation
By 1967, Americans found
themselves divided into 2
camps“Doves” opposed the war,
“hawks” felt the US should
unleash all its military force
on the Vietcong
Despite the visible protests,
the majority of Americans
remained committed to the
war
Even some who were critical of
the war were shocked to
see the disrespectful
attitude of war protesters
toward Americans who died
for them
The Hawks’ Side
A poll taken in Dec., 1967, showed
70% of Americans believed war
protests were “acts of disloyalty”
Many felt bitterly toward the antiwar
movement-protesters were traitors
They could often be identified by
bumper stickers on their cars—
“Support our men in Vietnam” and
“America-Love it or leave it”
Johnson Remains Determined
Throughout the turmoil,
Pres. Johnson
remained firm
Attacked by doves for
not withdrawing & by
hawks for not going
all out to defeat the
communists, he
ignored both groups
He continued his policy
of slow escalation
McNamara Resigns
By the end of 1967, Johnson’s
policy-and the continued
stalemate in Vietnamcaused turmoil in his own
administration
Defense Secretary Robert
McNamara, a key architect
of the Vietnam escalation,
resigned
McNamara was frustrated by
the US failure to bring the
war to a successful end
His resignation came on the
eve of the most
tumultuous year of the
1960s