Protest
1960s protests. Digital image. Yale.edu. N.p., 1964. Web. 16 June 2015.
The protests during the Vietnam War in the US were heavily based off of the draft system, which was fixed to favor the wealthy. It was the first televised war, so people were updated daily on aspects of the war such as death tolls. Numbers were warped by presenting a lower number of American deaths and a higher number of enemy deaths. The deaths of the enemy were glorified (Vietnam War).
“We watched the United States falsification of body counts, in fact the glorification of body counts.” -John Kerry (Kerry)
Angered people protested in the street, many musicians fueling protests with song lyrics. They expressed the tragedy of war crimes and unnecessary violence in war. Students felt strongly against the war, and Students for a Democratic Society was founded. In 1965 they marched to Washington and protested. Johnson then reformed the rules for the draft so that only students with good grades were deferred (Vietnam War). Many people did not understand why America was involved in the war. Politicians defended the war by saying the US was defending itself and the world from the spread of communism.
“The senate voted for the resolution last year, and Senators voted that this country would help that country resist aggression, and specifically authorized the President to take whatever steps he felt necessary to resist further aggression. We are committed. We have more than 200,000 men there. We have at stake our national honor. We are committed to resisting Communist aggression. That is what this is all about.” -Russell Long (Congress)
Hippies 1960s protest. Digital image. Galleries 4 Share. N.p., 1964. Web. 18 June 2015.
Politicians against the war claimed that the investment in Vietnam wasn’t as deep as others made it seem.
‘In short, the nearest thing to a commitment at this stage was an indicated willingness, subject to some stiff (and as yet unsatisfied) conditions and understandings, to provide economic and technical assistance, including military advisers, material, and training.”-Don R. Larson (Congress)
President Johnson had increased forces in Vietnam in 1965 from 75,000 to 125,000, and the Draft Lottery that went into effect on December 1st, 1969. This type of draft occurred by pulling birthdays randomly. However it was later suspected that this wasn’t random, as more end of the year birthdays were being pulled. This caused outrage in America (Vietnam War).
On January 31, 1968 the Tet Offensive took place. This was a series of attacks on more than 100 cities,as well as bases, in South Vietnam by North Vietnamese. They were intended to cause a rebellion in Southern Vietnam and cause the US to withdraw troops. A turning point in the war against the US, Americans were even more angered by the war going on (History.com Staff).
Another controversy involved the use of the chemical defoliant, Agent Orange, between 1961 and 1971. Agent Orange was dumped out of planes to kill foliage that hid enemies. This chemical caused various health issues to upwards of three million people. It also caused many environmental problems to Vietnam, such as pollution of the Dong Nai River and contamination of food sources (Palmer).
All of this corruption during the Vietnam War greatly angered the American public and inspired musicians to influence and strengthen the movement against the war.
On January 31, 1968 the Tet Offensive took place. This was a series of attacks on more than 100 cities,as well as bases, in South Vietnam by North Vietnamese. They were intended to cause a rebellion in Southern Vietnam and cause the US to withdraw troops. A turning point in the war against the US, Americans were even more angered by the war going on (History.com Staff).
Another controversy involved the use of the chemical defoliant, Agent Orange, between 1961 and 1971. Agent Orange was dumped out of planes to kill foliage that hid enemies. This chemical caused various health issues to upwards of three million people. It also caused many environmental problems to Vietnam, such as pollution of the Dong Nai River and contamination of food sources (Palmer).
All of this corruption during the Vietnam War greatly angered the American public and inspired musicians to influence and strengthen the movement against the war.