The Anti-War Movement: When the war first began in 1955 many Americas believed we were helping South Vietnam by fighting against communism. Communism was the leading fear for Americans and they were supportive of anything that could end or contain it. However, when America began to regularly bomb Vietnam starting in February of 1965, those back home became thoroughly upset with the events going on overseas.
Protests against Vietnam were not known in large amounts in the first ten years of the war. They began around 1965 in small peace activist groups on college campuses. By the end of that year the leftist organization Students for a Democratic Society had brought together a small group of people ready to fight against the war. The anti-war movement consisted of students, artists, hippies, and young people who were not afraid to challenge authority. Protesters had many reasons to be against the war. The war cost America over $25 billion a year, it caused hundreds of thousands casualties, and about 40,000 more men were being drafted each month. The average age of men being drafted was 19 and those who had a higher education were not the ones being put into combat. The anti-war movement's platform was that the government should be funding education for its people instead of war. As events escalated in Vietnam more peace or anti-war advocates joined the movement. Television had a huge impact on peoples perception of war. This was the first time war and events overseas were broadcast back to the people at home. Being able to actually see what was happening helped turn people against the war because they saw the harsh brutalities taking place. Protests were all mainly peaceful and non-violent to demonstrate giving "peace a chance". However, protests sometimes turned violent when officers showed up to arrest protesters and they would fight back. One of the biggest anti-war demonstrations took place on October 21, 1967 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Over 100,000 people gathered to rally for peace and have their voices be heard . Then about 35,000 people marched to the Pentagon. Soon they started trying to force their way into the Pentagon. Officers had to take action and what once was peaceful turned into a full riot as hundreds of protesters had to be arrested. By 1968 the anti-war movement gained much popularity when the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War sprang up. Many joined the movement when they saw these veterans wounded and throwing away the medals they had won during war. Finally, in 1973 President Nixon announced the end of the US involvement in Southeast Asia. This was in response to the overwhelming amount of growth and strength of the anti-war movement. |