The Protest Movement As it relates to the Vietnam War

An Era of Protest  The idea of civil disobedience as a form of protest emerges as successful tactic of African American Civil Rights Movement  Mario Savio leads the first college sit-in at UC Berkeley 12/64 protesting campus policies – 800 demonstrators were arrested

Vietnam War mobilizes youth  -Draft 1965: 5000 a month -> 1967: 50,000 a month  -deferments: college students  -conscientious objectors  -draft dodgers: burning draft cards

Drafts & Deferments  The Draft made all 18+ males eligible  Men could defer based on education or profession  This led to the working-class, poor, and minorities to be more heavily drafted

Ineligible classifications  1-A –O Conscientious objector for noncombatant service only  2-S Service deferred – enrolled in college  2-A Service deferred – civilian occupation  3-A Service deferred – has children  4-A Exempt – completed military duty  4-F Disqualified – physical or mental reasons

RESISTANCE  Some became conscientious objectors  Some refused to register for the draft  Protesters harassed campus ROTC recruiters  As draft went from 5000/mo to 50,000/mo, the draft resisters swelled

SDS: Students for a Democratic Society April 1965: 20,000 protests in DC Teachers start protest at Univ. of Mich. 1967: 100s of thousands protest in NYC + San Fran. (Doves) April 1968: Columbia Univ. students seize 5 buildings

Who are the protesters?  An amalgam  University students  Free speech movement at Berkeley and other schools  Rooted in Civil Rights Movement  60’s Youth  Reject parents’ culture  Leave it to Beaver-culture is viewed as: sexist, racist, conformist, restrictive  Poor  Draft rules call up disproportionate numbers of black, Latino, poor white and Native American boys – high school dropouts by far the most likely to serve and die in Vietnam  Vietnam Veterans

-70% of American believe protests are “ acts of disloyalty ” -Jan 1968: Hawks: 62%, Doves: 22% -March 1968: Hawks: 41%, Doves: 42%

Democratic Convention A series of battles between protestors and Chicago police 598 arrests, 119 police injured, 100 police injured

protests erupt at Kent State: Burn down ROTC building Governor calls in National Guard, students ordered to disperse Protestors throw stones, sticks at soldiers Soldiers open fire -- 4 students killed Kent State

Their parents: WWII, Great Depression, trust in govt., New Deal Them: nuclear war, Vietnam, affluence, comfortable, rock music, energetic Generation gap

-Hippies: rejection of conservative values -drug use (LSD) -chaste v. free love, hardworking v. unemployed materialistic v. inward looking, sober v. drugs, homes v. crash pads, sedate v. vibrant

Media’s impact on attitudes  Media becomes increasingly critical after Tet Offensive  Cronkite in ’68: “not closer to victory”  June 1968: Life publishes photos of 242 Americans killed in Vietnam in one week

Implications?  Increased uneasiness in the U.S.  Greater division between “Hawks” and “Doves”  Increasing numbers consider themselves “Doves”  Also fueled growing Conservatism as a reaction to the New Left  Greater political pressure to get out of Vietnam

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War? 1.They underestimated the tenacity and organization of the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front.

2. Despite dropping more tonnage of high explosive on Vietnam than the whole of World War II, the Americans could not stop the movement of troops or supplies to the south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

3. The North Vietnamese conducted a “Peoples war” in which everyone played a part.

4. At first, most Americans supported the war. But by 1970, the Peace Movement had support from all parts of society and no government could ignore it.

5. After 1969, there were deep questions about the efficiency of US troops. There was a serious drug problem; desertion rates were high and morale low. Many troops were “time-servers,” i.e., counted the days until the tour was over.

6. The US never really understood the culture of the Vietnamese people. Coca Cola, chewing gum, and ice cream cones could not dislodge their ancient beliefs.

7. America was not prepared to keep losing high numbers of casualties for such limited progress in a difficult jungle war, and for which they were not suited. The Vietnamese were prepared for high casualties to win the war.

8. The strength and resourcefulness of the NVA and VC. For example, the highly complex Cu Chi tunnel system the U.S. never shut down.