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A Nation Divided

A Nation Divided. Mr. White’s US History 2. Main Idea and Objectives. Main idea – An antiwar movement in the U.S. pitted supporters of the government’s war policy against those who opposed it. We should be able to:

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A Nation Divided

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  1. A Nation Divided Mr. White’s US History 2

  2. Main Idea and Objectives • Main idea – An antiwar movement in the U.S. pitted supporters of the government’s war policy against those who opposed it. • We should be able to: • Explain the draft policies that led to the Vietnam war becoming a working-class war • Trace the roots of opposition to the war • Describe the antiwar movement and the growing divisions in U.S. public opinion about the war

  3. The Draft • Most soldiers in the Vietnam war were called up using the Selective Service Act – draft • All males had to register with their local draft boards when they turned 18 – still today • Men could be called to serve from the ages of 18 to 26

  4. Manipulation of the Draft • Many young men looked for ways to avoid the draft, which was very easy to manipulate • Sympathetic doctors – would grant medical exemptions • Some changed where they lived to go to a different, more lenient draft board • Some joined National Guard or Coast Guard

  5. College Deferment • If a young man was enrolled in a university or college, they could put off their military service • University students in the 1960s tended to be white and financially well-off • Many of the men who fought in Vietnam were those who couldn’t afford college – lower class whites and blacks

  6. African-Americans in Vietnam • Served in much larger numbers than most groups as ground combat troops – most hazardous place to be • Blacks accounted for over 20% of U.S. combat deaths, even though they were only 10% of the U.S. population • Martin Luther King spoke out against the injustice of blacks fighting for freedom in another country, when theirs did not grant them freedom • Racism in military units led to lower troop morale

  7. Women in the Military • Women were still not allowed to serve in combat roles • Over 10,000 women did serve, mostly as nurses • Also served in the USO and Red Cross • USO – provided hospitality and entertainment • Red Cross

  8. Roots of Opposition – New Left • In the 1960s, there was a growing youth movement known as the New Left • Followers demanded sweeping changes in American society • Students for a Democratic Society • Charged that corporations and government had taken over America • Wanted more “participatory government” and greater freedom • Free Speech Movement – focused criticism on the American “machine” – business and government

  9. Campus Activism • SDS and FSM ideas spread across campuses of colleges and universities • Protested dress codes • Curfews • Campus issues • Students started joining together in protest against these issues, but would later protest the Vietnam War

  10. The Protest Movement Emerges • April, 1965 – SDS helped organize a march on Washington, D.C., by 20,000 protesters, other marches followed • Johnson changed college deferment rules, requiring students to be in good academic standing • Protests erupted after this – SDS calls for civil disobedience at campuses

  11. Opposition to the War • Youths opposed the war for many different reasons: • Most common belief was that the war in Vietnam was a civil war, and the U.S. had no business there • Some said Diem’s South Vietnamese government wasn’t any better than North Vietnam • Some thought war was draining America’s strength • Some just saw the war as morally unjust

  12. The Movement Grows • Movement grew beyond college campuses • Returning veterans • Folk singers • “Eve of Destruction,” a protest song by Barry McGuire, talked about the wrongs of the Vietnam war

  13. Protest to Resistance • 1967 – antiwar movement had intensified • Spring of 1967 – protesters marched on New York City’s Central Park - many people burned their draft cards • Draft resistance continued up until President Nixon phased it out in the early 1970s • Some Americans had fled to Canada to avoid the draft

  14. March on the Pentagon • In October of 1967, a demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial drew 75,000 protesters • About 30,000 demonstrators marched on the Pentagon to “disrupt the center of the American war machine.” • Protesters were turned back with tear gas and clubs – about 700 arrested

  15. War Divides the Nation • Americans were increasingly divided into two camps: • Doves – those who were opposed to the war and thought it should end • Hawks – felt America should use its military might to win the war • Some believed that the protests were acts of disloyalty

  16. Johnson Remains Determined • Johnson remained firm • Doves attacked him for continuing the war • Hawks attacked him for not increasing military power • Johnson continued his policy of slow escalation • Johnson’s own administration started to doubt the war – Robert McNamara resigns

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