1960s Apush

Many people in the 1960s and early 1970s did not understand why the United States was involved in the Vietnam War. Therefore, they had no desire to be a part of it. The Selective Service System, which was used to conduct the draft, had aspirations of directing people into areas where they were most needed during wartime. However, people took advantage of the draft system’s deferment policies to avoid going to war. Others refused induction or simply did not register. There were also people who left the country to escape the draft. The Vietnam War proved to be an event that many Americans did not agree with, and as a result, citizens took action to elude the draft entirely or to beat the draft system.

This backlash against the war mainly came from the middle to upper class, educated individuals who had money and resources capable to skip the draft on a deferment. Their perception of the war was much different than that of the families that suffered, such as those in Morenci. Thousands of young men, from small towns across America, joined the military every year heading to Vietnam, but as Mike Cranford points out they did not know any better, “I didn’t even know what a Vietnam was. And we’re going off to fight for democracy? We small town kids who didn’t know any better.” (Longley, 246) This seems to be a reoccurring theme throughout the stories of other soldiers in the book; they had no other choice but to get into the military (Longley, 60). This is different from that of the upper class that had the ability to dodge the draft by going to college or other means, like that of the sons of John Wayne who the Army never drafted. This division between small and large America created two distinct thoughts about the war, the upper class believed it to be wrong and a waste of time, whereas the lower class, the soldiers, believed that war contributed a greater cause for

After the Civil War, America was still amidst great turmoil and economic instability. During this time period, the ultimate goal for Americans was to seize the “American Dream”. This was defined by most as being able to support their family and live a comfortable life. Although some did achieve this, many faced social, political and economic hardships. Beginning with the unjust treatment of African-Americans, then the struggles of immigrants, and followed by the rise of big businesses, the challenges faced during this time of rebuilding varied among the classes.

This logic led many to flee to Canada or simply resist the draft. Protesters felt that the United States should not be involved in another nation’s civil war especially a war that uses tactics such as saturation bombing, the killing of civilians, and the use of toxic chemicals. David Harris, a draft resister, wrote, “The war was an extraordinarily obvious violation of everything that I had been led to expect from the country I was a part of….when my generation’s war showed up it turned to out to be a propping up of petty dictators so they could keep a good portion of their population in servitude” (Handout page 9). Mass protests occurred all around America. The New York Times wrote about just one protest that had occurred, “A vast throng of Americans, predominantly youthful and constituting the largest mass march in the nation’s capital, demonstrated peaceably in the heart of the city today, demanding a rapid withdrawal of United States troops from Vietnam….There were a number of arrests and minor injuries, mostly the result of tear gas” (Handout page 10). These protesters understood what the war was really doing to America and how immoral our actions truly were, but many others were in support of the war, thus causing a division in the United States.

Richard M. Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson were presidents during one of the most troubled periods in our American history. Both held on with significant social unrest and the question of whether to continue participation in the Vietnam War. Even though both Nixon and Johnson faced similar problems while in office, their style and approach to problems was profoundly different. Even so, Johnson and Nixon shared a disposition to bluff the public and their fellow colleagues in order to pursue what they wanted to do. No matter if it was wrong. .

On August 7th 1964 the United States Congress passed into law the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which, for all intents and purposes, officially brought the United States into the Vietnam War. Following this resolution, a draft was instated to increase the number of men that could be sent to war. Shortly after men started to be signed into conscription for the United States Military, a public outcry started over the use of a draft to increase military size. The draft was found to be unfair to American Citizens because certain groups of men were severely disadvantaged, the draft was illegal in many ways, and veteran’s future lives were harmed, among other reasons.

After World War II, America had to take a step back and take a look at their country. The American Dream had been restored upon the atrocities of the war. In the 1930’s the American Dream was primarily focused on working hard, men providing for their families, and trying to rise from the depression. In the 1940’s, post World War II things changed and consumerism and feminism began to play a key role along with many other factors. There are many ways to describe the American dream and what aspects were influential to it, such as World War II, modernism, new technology and entertainment.

President Richard M. Nixon’s administration had to face many international and domestic challenges in the United States between 1968 and 1974, some positive and some negative. His achievements in expanding peaceful relationships with both China and the Soviet Union are contrastingly different with his continuation of the Vietnam War. In the end, Nixon’s scandals and abuse of presidential power caught up to him, and his administration did much to corrode America’s faith in the government.

Over time, The American Dream has changed in an innumerable amount of ways. Past civilizations have laid the foundation for what we view it to be today. In the 1970s, people looked at a variety of aspects such as culture, political affairs (government), one’s appearance, and entertainment to fit their definition of “The American Dream”. The 1970’s helped shape and influence what people regard as the current American Dream.

In the election of 1972, Nixon won by over sixty percent of the votes and won all states except Massachusetts against George McGovern (“The History Place…”). This is one of the biggest landslides in U.S. Presidential election history. In January 1973, Richard Nixon’s approval rating was sixty-seven percent, which is relatively high compared to current president Barack Obama’s forty-seven percent and many other Presidents before him (“The History Place…”). Therefore, he had a great reputation and was in the highest possible position, the leader of the free world, just like Father Flynn was in his parish. Richard Nixon also had a very positive relationship with members of the White House. For example, members of the White House were caught breaking in and violating the law to get President Nixon re-elected (“The History Place…”). Abuse of power comes from a high reputation that is unquestioned.

The Democratic Party’s voting base had shifted towards the anti-war and youth vote going into the 1968 election due to the anti-war rhetoric by Robert Kennedy and MLK. However, much of the youth vote was displeased at the current initiatives of the Johnson administration and its inability to stop the Vietnam War. This caused the Youth International Party to protest outside of the Democratic National Convention to demonstrate against the undemocratic nature of the party and the Vietnam War. This spurred on a riot and violence between the protestors and the police. This event specifically symbolized how the Democratic Party lost its voting base, allowing for Nixon to win the 1968(Henretta 921). This collapse of the Democratic party and the southern strategy by the Republican party caused the federal government to shift towards the Republican Party and back to conservative rule. This brought to an end a majority of the social service initiatives and reemphasized the importance of state’s rights over the protectionist policies of the federal

Contrary to public belief, life on the American Homefront during the war was not as pleasant, unified, or as supported as the American media strived to have people believe. In fact, America’s “home” was split over many factors such as race, sexuality, gender, and religion. For instance, minority groups were continuously targeted while vying for civil rights. African Americans were served “eggshells in their burgers and garbage sandwiches” and Hispanics were treated as if they were just taking jobs away from those who deserved them, even though they were also just trying to make it through the depression (92). Prejudice was also noticeable within the military, with whites accusing blacks and Hispanics of not pulling their own weight in combat.

The anti-war protests of the 1960s was a response of resentment by minorities and young educated college students against the nation’s desire to participate in war against Communism in Vietnam and conduct a military draft. The protests, originally began with peaceful public demonstrations by activists, who were nonviolent; however, the peaceful demonstrators were frequently attacked and victimized by the police and other citizens, who did not share their same opinion. Throughout the peaceful protests the activists suffered many beatings in the hands of the police and as a result, many of the activists claimed the right of self-defense and turned to taking offensive actions against their oppressors including the police and other citizens. Later, the scene of violence and mayhem quickly shifted to college campuses, to which college students began protesting the draft (Gurr, 1989, pp. 183-185). At the time the average age of an American soldier serving in Vietnam was 19 and students quickly rebelled after realizing that young Americans were legally old enough to be drafted to fight and die, but were not yet legally allowed to vote or drink alcohol (UShistory, nd.).

In 1967, 64 percent of all eligible African-Americans were drafted versus only 31 percent of eligible whites (Black 2009). This fact testifies to only a small portion of why nearly all African-Americans found themselves protesting against the Vietnam War. The lack of civil rights in the U.S deterred many blacks from supporting Vietnam, a conflict aimed at liberating the rights of another people. African Americans were frustrated with a country who fought for other citizens and saw no purpose in fighting for a peoples’ freedom but their own. Although African-Americans were specifically discriminated against both in Vietnam and America, they were not alone in their anti-war position. The majority of the American public opposed the Vietnam War. As the war dragged on, people found no reason to fight in Vietnam and believed that the United States should prioritize their own citizens first. Many public figures, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Muhammad Ali, held similar claims. Their opinions aligned with the public’s concern and suggested that the U.S withdraw troops and focus resources on the civil rights issues at home. These public figures fought for a specific minority, but, in light of the entire American population, the majority of people opposed the war.

During WWII, President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the age of the military draft to 18 years old, just when the Vietnam War was ongoing. The voting age was still legally 21, but these young adults could go to war and fight on the same grounds as adults. The denial of suffrage toward this group in age was the idea that 18 year olds were too immature to be involved in politics, and they would make irregular decisions when it came to electing government officials, candidates, politicians and presidents. Many Americans were angered because of the hypocrisy of letting an 18 year old fight in war, but he simply couldn’t vote? Many young men had gotten killed in the Vietnam War and it was an insult for suffrage being denied to men who had fought,