![]() ![]() The Vietnam War was the first to actually receive such broadcasts and they clearly had a marked influence on the American population as a whole. US television could bring into the homes of all US citizens what the war was actually like. All of this clashed with any concept that involved doing the ‘right thing’ for your nation. Many young men and women claimed that they wanted to ‘drop out’ of society. The hippy movement preached love not war. The late Sixties and early Seventies were a curious mixture of cultures and this clearly came across in America at a time when the Vietnam War was at its height. Many veterans used the opportunity to throw their medals on the steps of the Capitol building. When they publicly threw away their medals and medal ribbons, many in America were shocked that those who had worn the uniform of the US military had come to think that the only way ahead was to discard the very things that had been issued to them to represent their bravery – their medals. This particular protest involved many veterans from the war. In 1971, 300,000 took part in an anti-war demonstration in the same city. ![]() In 1967, 100,000 took part in a protest rally in Washington DC. With a population that ran into millions, it could be argued that they represented a very small minority of the city. In March 1966, 50,000 anti-war protesters took part in a rally in one of America’s most famous cities – New York. International coverage of the protests showed that as the years moved on the protests got larger and more vocal. One cry of the protesters particularly hurt President Johnson: To some, especially the young, America was not only sacrificing her male youth but the government was also sanctioning the death of children not only in South Vietnam but also in the North with the blanket bombing raids that were occurring on almost a daily basis. 1968 seems to be the key year for protests. This event actually highlighted to the US public the enormous strain frontline troops were experiencing on a daily basis against a supposedly inferior enemy. The most infamous was the My Lai massacre. Coupled with these casualty figures were stories that eventually came out about atrocities committed by US troops against the very people they were meant to be defending and supporting. In May 1968, 562 US troops were killed in one week alone. The war that had been sold to the US public as one where victory was guaranteed was in reality taking many young lives. The protests against the war started to pick up when body bags started to return to America in increasing numbers. The war had been sold to the US public as one where a sophisticated and ultra wealthy super-power would have few problems defeating a Third World nation that North Vietnam seemed to represent. However, his very public stance brought a more worldwide dimension to the problem America was experiencing with the draft. He was punished by having his boxing title taken away from him. The most famous person to do this was the world heavyweight-boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Tearing up or burning your draft paper became a common occurrence and was seen to be the first of the protests against the Vietnam War. Those who had the necessary ‘pull’ had the opportunity to ‘draft-dodge’ – but this was not a luxury open to many poor working class young men. In February 1965, it had only been 3,000 a month but in October it was increased to 33,000 a month. The first protests came in October 1965 when the draft was increased. ![]()
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