A very loud and obnoxious minority made up mostly of college students responding to the instructions of their Marxist professors opposed the Vietnam War. Harrison, Benjamin T. (2000)'Roots of the Anti-Vietnam War Movement,' in Hixson, Walter (ed) the Vietnam Antiwar Movement. [31] The BAACAW members consisted of many Asians Americans and they were involved in antiwar efforts like marches, study groups, fundraisers, teach-ins and demonstrations. Howard Zinn first provides a note written by a student of Boston University on May 1, 1968, which stated to his draft board, "I have absolutely no intention to report for that exam, or for induction, or to aid in any way the American war effort against the people of Vietnam ..."[92] The opposition to the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War had many effects, which led to the eventual end of the involvement of the United States. . Essay Sample ‘Campus bums’, intellectuals, liberal-minded politicians, middle-class suburbs, labor unions, government institutions and later on, returning Vets made up the majority of the protesting population in the United States who sought to end the Vietnam War. The vote was 67% against the referendum. Many anti-war activists were themselves Vietnam veterans, as evidenced by the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Members of the liberal media sympathetic to Socialist and Marxist ideology opposed the war, and controlled what could and could not be said in the papers, on TV and … PART I: HYPOTHESIS Though the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed in 1964, antiwar sentiment really grew after 1968. A Gallup poll in late August showed that 24% of Americans view sending troops to Vietnam as a mistake versus 60% who do not. By this time, it had also become commonplace for the most radical anti-war demonstrators to prominently display the flag of the Viet Cong "enemy", an act which alienated many who were otherwise morally opposed to the war. Two weeks later, on May 5, 1971, 1146 people were arrested on the Capitol grounds trying to shut down Congress. Most student antiwar organizations were locally or campus-based, including chapters of the very loosely co-ordinated Students for a Democratic Society, because they were easier to organize and participate in than national groups. Others disliked the war because it diverted funds and attention away from problems in the U.S. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam” April 30, 1967, Riverside Church, New York. "[33], The anti-war sentiment by Asian Americans was fueled by the racial inequality that they faced in the United States. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow, 2000. "War Foes March in the Rain Here", Martin Arnold. The transcripts describe alleged details of U.S. military's conduct in Vietnam. Thus, Hendrix's personal views did not coincide perfectly with those of the antiwar protesters; however, his anti-violence outlook was a driving force during the years of the Vietnam War even after his death (1970). In a Harris poll from 1967 asking what aspect most troubled people most about the Vietnam war the plurality answer of 31% was "the loss of our young men." In their book Manufacturing Consent, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky reject the mainstream view of how the media influenced the war and propose that the media instead censored the more brutal images of the fighting and the death of millions of innocent people. asked Feb 10, 2015 in History by contraibien. Others claimed the conflict was a war against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention in a foreign civil war; others opposed it because they felt it lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable. "[29] Groups like the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA), the Bay Area Coalition Against the War (BAACAW), and the Asian Americans for Action made opposition to the war their main focus. Numerous people protested the Vietnam War … Protests against the Vietnam War did not start when America declared her open involvement in the war in 1964. Writers and poets opposed to involvement in the war included Allen Ginsberg, Denise Levertov, Robert Duncan, and Robert Bly. [8] Donovan wrote in an editorial in Life that the United States had gone into Vietnam for "honorable and sensible purposes", but the war had turned out to be "harder, longer, more complicated" than expected. In the next six weeks, such kneel-ins became a popular form of protest and led to over 158 protesters' arrests. [NYT, 2/14/68] In another poll that month, 23% of Americans defined themselves as "doves" and 61% "hawks. The majority of African Americans who were drafted were not conscripted, with 70% of Black draftees rejected from the Army. America's combat role in Vietnam came to an official end with the peace agreement signed in early 1973. The anti-war activists began objecting to the Vietnam War by resisting the draft, which was cemented in the minds of young, American males who were eligible to go to war. The growing opposition to the Vietnam War was partly attributed to greater access to uncensored information through extensive television coverage on the ground in Vietnam. About 15 million Americans took part in the demonstration of October 15, making it the largest protests in a single day up to that point. It was said that "the happy beat and insouciance of the vocalist are in odd juxtaposition to the lyrics that reinforce the sad fact that the American public was being forced into realizing that Vietnam was no longer a remote place on the other side of the world, and the damage it was doing to the country could no longer be considered collateral, involving someone else. Hendrix had a huge following among the youth culture exploring itself through drugs and experiencing itself through rock music. "[85] Positive responses were quite low; not many people wanted to protest anything, and those who did want to show a public demonstration often wanted to demonstrate in support of the Vietnam War. McCarthy, David. successfully appealed up to the Supreme Court. At the time less than a quarter of Americans polled, 24%, believed it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam while 60% of Americans polled believed the opposite. In the first quarter of 1970 the Selective Service System, for the first time, could not meet its quota."[93]. The opposition Republican Party … Search results for why did so many americans oppose the war in vietnam 0 votes. The last 22% were unsure. New York: Garland Publishing, pp127–150. [18] They harshly criticized the draft because poor and minority men were usually most affected by conscription. "[28] Unlike many Americans in the anti-war movement, they viewed the war "not just as imperialist but specifically as anti-Asian. In some cases, police used violent tactics against peaceful demonstrators. They were referred to as gooks and had a racialized identity in comparison to their non-Asian counterparts. On November 15, crowds of up to half a million people participated in an anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C. and a similar demonstration was held in San Francisco. Zinn argues this with an example in which the soldiers in a POW camp formed a peace committee as they wondered who the enemy of the war was, because it certainly was not known among them. [36] Asian American poets and playwrights also joined in unity with the movement's antiwar sentiments. who stood behind it. "[35] Asian American groups realized in order to extinguish racism, they also had to address sexism as well. "[37], Much Asian-Americans spoke against the war because of the way that the Vietnamese were referred within the U.S. military by the disparaging term "gook", and more generally because they encountered bigotry because they looked like "the enemy". African-American leaders of earlier decades like W. E. B. On January 18, 1968, while in the White House for a conference about juvenile delinquency, black singer-entertainer, February – Gallup poll showed 35% approved of Johnson's handling of the war; 50% disapproved; the rest, no opinion. Main Idea Details Martin Luther King, Jr. Main Idea— According to THIS document, why did many Americans oppose the war in Vietnam? "Social Movement Participation: Clergy and the Anti-Vietnam War Movement." In January 1971, just weeks into his first term, Congressman Ron Dellums set up a Vietnam war crimes exhibit in an annex to his Congressional office. The Anti-war movement became part of a larger protest movement against the traditional American Values and attitudes. First of all, one reason many Americans oppose US involvement in the Vietnam war is that Vietnam War was the first war reported live coverage by many medias. During 1965-66, the casualty rate for blacks was twice that of whites. David Meyers (2007) also explains how the concept of personal efficacy affects mass movement mobilization. Quintessentially, democratic public, when denied truth and access to accurate information and a prognosis of a war they are fighting, cannot stand beside the government they are supposed to serve. If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read "Vietnam.". FTA – a group whose initials either stand for, Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam (CALCAV), The Student Libertarian Movement – Libertarian organization that was formed in 1972. Though comprising 11% of US population in 1967, African Americans were 16.3% of all draftees. American involvement in the war peaked during the mid 1960s until the early 1970s. August – Gallup poll shows 53% said it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam. A further effect of the opposition was that many college campuses were completely shut down due to protests. Black Americans were more likely to be drafted than White Americans. Superior: Savage Press, 2000. "[91], The first effect the opposition had that led to the end of the war was that fewer soldiers were available for the army. [99] The statement of one of the soldiers reads, Until we got to the first camp, we didn't see a village intact; they were all destroyed. Another Mother for Peace and WSP often held free draft counseling centers to give young men legal and illegal methods to oppose the draft. On March 5, Senator J. William Fulbright was prevented from speaking at the first, On April 6, a spontaneous anti-war rally in. Another source, Lift Up Your Voice Like A Trumpet: White Clergy And The Civil Rights And Antiwar Movements, 1954–1973 explains the story of the entire spectrum of the clergy and their involvement. [38] One Japanese-American veteran, Norman Nakamura, wrote in an article in the June/July issue of Gidra, that during his tour of duty in Vietnam of 1969-70 that there was an atmosphere of systematic racism towards all Vietnamese people, who were seen as less than human, being merely "gooks". Conscientious objectors did play an active role although their numbers were small. "Reports of Its Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated", James Buckley. On May 15, another large demonstration, with 10,000 picketers calling for an end to the war, took place outside the White House and the. Three army privates, known as the ", In June 1966 American students and others in England meeting at the, January 14 – 20,000–30,000 people staged a ", February 8 – Christian groups opposed to the war staged a nationwide "Fast for Peace. … As with the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, many individuals and organizations active in the anti-Vietnam War movement remained engaged during the 1980s to protest the controversial U.S. support for insurgency and counter-insurgency operations in Central America as well as the escalating nuclear arms race. These included the emphasis on "body count" as a way of measuring military success on the battlefield, civilian casualties during the bombing of villages (symbolized by journalist Peter Arnett's famous quote, "it was necessary to destroy the village to save it"), and the killing of civilians in such incidents as the My Lai massacre. Why Did Many Americans Oppose the Vietnam War? When was this speech delivered? That’s what gave rise to the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War and what inspired Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to congress, to lead 5,000 women in a … Through this play, "Escueta establishes equivalencies between his protagonist, a Filipino American soldier named Andy, and the Vietnamese people. [3], Another element of the American opposition to the war was the perception that U.S. intervention in Vietnam, which had been argued as acceptable because of the domino theory and the threat of communism, was not legally justifiable. hochiminhcity; restaurant; 0 votes. Still being proactive on their honeymoon, the newlyweds controversially held a sit-in, where they sat in bed for a week answering press questions. In the essay Chomsky argued that much responsibility for the war lay with liberal intellectuals and technical experts who were providing what he saw as pseudoscientific justification for the policies of the U.S. government. Beyond opposition to the draft, anti-war protesters also made moral arguments against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. On January 15, 1968, over five thousand women rallied in D.C. in the Jeannette Rankin Brigade protest. A major factor in the American public's disapproval of the Vietnam War came from the casualties being inflicted on US forces. Graphic footage of casualties on the nightly news eliminated any myth of the glory of war. Your IP: 173.212.248.58 [22] The "Beyond Vietnam" speech involved King in a debate with the diplomat Ralph Bunche who argued that it was folly to associate the civil rights movement with the anti-Vietnam war movement, maintaining that this would set back civil rights for African Americans. [77], Many women in America sympathized with the Vietnamese civilians affected by the war and joined the opposition movement. [74] Despite the inequalities, participation in various antiwar groups allowed women to gain experience with organizing protests and crafting effective antiwar rhetoric. American involvement in the war peaked during the mid 1960s until the early 1970s. A key figure on the rock end of the antiwar spectrum was Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970). Furthermore the war was draining money form promised social projects. Howard Zinn provides that piece of evidence to reiterate how all of this destruction and fighting against an enemy that seems to be unknown has been taking a toll on the soldiers and that they began to sense a feeling of opposition as one effect of the opposition occurring in the United States. April 4 – Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech in New York City. The draft, as a system of conscription which threatened lower class registrants and middle class registrants alike, drove much of the protest after 1965. At the time, the Vietnam War saw the highest proportion of African-Americans soldiers. On the Significance of Citizen Peace Activism: America, 1961–1975,' in Hixson, Walter (ed) the Vietnam Antiwar Movement. Soldiers were claimed to use racist terms such as "gooks", "dinks" and "slant eyes" when referring to the Vietnamese. The Vietnam war is believed by many to be the biggest mistake in US history. Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds, appalled by the devastation and violence of the war. In February 1967, The New York Review of Books published "The Responsibility of Intellectuals", an essay by Noam Chomsky, one of the leading intellectual opponents of the war. Protests against the Vietnam War did not start when America declared her open involvement in the war in 1964.America rallied to the call of the commander-in-chief and after the Gulf of Tonkin incident it became very apparent that few would raise protests against the decision to militarily support South Vietnam. 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