4. changing us views

LEARNING INTENTIONS

• Explain why many people in the USA opposed the Vietnam War

• Describe anti-war protests which took place

Many Americans had originally supported the war as part of the fight against Communism. But soon

opposition to the war started to grow.

Many of the most vocal campaigners

were young students.

They were partly inspired by the

Hippy movement, which

believed in peace and love.

Many protests took place on university campuses; some ended in violence, with students killed

(Kent State University).

US President Richard Nixon said the only

people opposed to the war were ‘campus bums’.

However many people –not just students –opposed the war, for their own reasons.

One major reason was that some people –including returning

soldiers – thought it was impossible to win

a guerrilla war.

TV coverage andphotographs inspired

opposition too.

Vietnam was the first major war covered on TV.

What Americans saw, especially at My Lai, meant they wanted the

war to stop.

Some people can concerns because of

damage to the environment.

The USA used various dangerous chemicals –including Agent Orange

– which not only killed people but

caused birth defects.

Money played a role in public opposition too.

Fighting in Vietnam was very expensive. As a result, US President Lyndon Johnson raised taxes to pay for it.

This angered many Americans.

The number of soldiers dying angered people

too.

In 1967 Vietnam Veterans Against the War was launched.

14,000 soldiers had died by 1968.

The Civil Rights Movement was also important too.

Many black Americans felt that as long as

they were treated badly, they did not want to

fight for their country.

Many Americans were opposed because of

conscription.

‘The draft’ forced young men to join the army. However some

rich young men bought their way out.

Muhammad Ali famously refused to fight.

There were many different types of

protests.

Some were found on university campuses,

others in public demonstrations. Many

famous songs opposed the war too.

There was no single reason or group responsible for

opposition to the war.

All of these groups played a part and, as they gained support, forced America to

withdraw from the war.