A Nation Divided

Avoiding the War Looked for lenient draft boards What were some ways that young men used to avoid military service in Vietnam Found doctors to give them medical deferments Looked for lenient draft boards Enrolled in college to receive a deferment Joined the National Guard or Coast Guard

In what sense was the Vietnam War a “working class” war? Enrolling in college to get a deferment required having money So, 80% of U.S. troops came from lower economic levels.

Opposing the War: organizations and group opposition New Left: (name given to the youth movement of the 1960s) Students for a Democratic Society The Free Speech Movement College Students- Young people

Reasons that “doves” opposed the war The war was draining U.S. strength Belief that war is immoral Belief that the U.S. should not try to police the world Belief that this was a civil war between the North and South Vietnamese and was not really U.S. business President Johnson had revoked college deferments for those not getting good grades.

Ways that “doves” showed their opposition Held antiwar demonstrations Publicly burned draft cards Marched on Washington Fled to Canada and Sweden to dodge the draft

Defending the War By 1967: Most Americans supported U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War Hawks criticize the Johnson administration's policies in Vietnam: The “Hawks”( those that supported the war) felt that Johnson should escalate the war more quickly