“Most men would rather DIE than THINK. Many do.” Bertrand Russell

HI021: AOS 2 MOVEMENTS OF THE PEOPLE Peace movements part 2 Case Study: Anti-Vietnam War Movement

Today 1.The Anti-Vietnam War Movement 2.Conscription and the Vietnam War 3.Music and the Anti-Vietnam War Movement

Focus points: What were the major characteristics of the Anti- Vietnam War Movement? Why was conscription in America so controversial during the Vietnam War? What was the role of music in supporting the Anti-Vietnam War Movement?

Vietnam War: A quick revision America entered the war in Vietnam to prevent ‘Domino theory’ from happening By 1955, US began sending ‘special advisors’ to south Vietnam (1500 by 1961: 16,000 by 1963). These forces began training the south Vietnamese army to fight the Vietcong It is estimated that 75% of south Vietnamese peasants saw the Vietcong as liberators Between 1965 and 1969, there were more than 500,000 American troops in Vietnam: not the UN forces The methods of fighting in Vietnam were brutal on both sides America's involvement in Vietnam ended in 1973 The North attacked what was left of the South's army. By April 1975, Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam was captured and re-named Ho Chi Minh City: a united Vietnam came into being BUT FIRST

Conscription and the Vietnam War

Conscription Conscription is the compulsory enrolment of persons for military or naval service; draft. It has been used frequently throughout history to equip nations with armies Conscription during the Vietnam War in America was highly controversial

Conscription: How it worked All men born between January 1, 1944, and December 31, 1950 could be called up for service 366 blue plastic capsules containing birth dates placed in a large glass container and drawn by hand to assign order-of-call numbers to all men within the The first date drawn was September 14 : Anybody born on that day in the chosen years was immediately called up for service All days of the year were drawn, and obviously the later your number came up, the less likely you would be to be called for service that year This process was used in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973 The numbers were reset every year. Once called up men underwent a medical examination

Conscription: Exemptions Exemptions for college and graduate students This discriminated against poorer working class, minority groups and African-Americans Rather than submit to conscription, estimated 70,000 migrated to Canada

The Anti-Vietnam War Movement WHAT, WHO, HOW

What: Anti-Vietnam War Movement Definition: Domestic and international reaction in opposition to U.S policy during the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1973 The first march to Washington against the war took place in December, ,000 people took part: the largest anti- war demonstration in American history As the war continued, more and more people flocked to anti-war movement

What: Anti-War Vietnam War Movement 1967: A group of academics set up the International War Crimes Tribunal (led by Bertrand Russell). After interviewing witnesses, they concluded:  United States was guilty of using weapons that were prohibited by international law  Guilty of torturing prisoners and innocent civilians  US behaviour comparable to atrocities committed by the Nazis

What: Anti-Vietnam War Movement Movement peaked in 1968 and remained powerful until America’s withdrawal in 1973 Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds: It was regarded as a destructive war against Vietnamese independence and an intervention in a foreign civil war Lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable Received criticism from many sides of politics:  Left-Wing Political Groups: Wanted North Vietnamese victory  Pacifists: Opposed to all wars  Liberals: Oppose communism by encouraging democratic governments, not authoritarian ones

Who: Anti-Vietnam War Movement Protest was not simply between generations: Young and old were involved Attracted members from universities, middle-class suburbs, labor unions, and government institutions Encompassing political, racial, and cultural spheres Exposed a deep schism within 1960s American society.

HOW: Anti-Vietnam War Protests Most dramatic opposition to the war came from the soldiers themselves Between 1960 and 1973, 503,926 members of the US armed forces deserted. Many soldiers began to question the morality of the war once they began fighting in Vietnam 1967: Vietnam Veterans Against War established. They demonstrated all over America. Many of them were in wheelchairs or on crutches. People watched on television as Vietnam heroes threw away the medals they had won fighting in the war.

HOW: Anti-Vietnam War Movement: How In 1965, David Miller publically burnt his draft card (call-up notice) and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. His actions inspired others and throughout America. Anti-Vietnam War groups organised meetings where large groups of young men burnt their draft cards

HOW: Anti-Vietnam War Movement: How? In addition to numerous protests and propaganda campaigns, there were more extreme and creative forms of protests 1965: Norman Morrison from Baltimore followed the example of the Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Due, and publically burnt himself to death in protest In the weeks that followed, two other pacifists also immolated themselves in protest against the war. To kill as a sacrificial victim by fire

On a full page in your work books… THE ANTI-VIETNAM WAR MOVEMENT