The divisions in American

society over the Vietnam war

Done By: Shaikha Al Neaimi and Sarah Al Raisi

“We have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they killed and died together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools”-Martin Luther King Jr; 1967

The highest concentration of

protests were in colleges and

universities, which led to a

number of students enrolling.

The students who were

protesters were from the

upper middle-class families.

There was an anti-war movement in 1960 called ‘The students for a democratic society’ SDS. This encouraged draft age men to sign up for petition called ‘We Won’t Go’.

In 1967, the Congress and most of the Americans had divided into two camps; hawks and doves.

The hawks supported Johnson’s policy, which included anti-communism and the Domino Theory

The doves were against Johnson’s

policy

The 2.5 million men who served in Vietnam were actually the working class people with poor backgrounds.

The drafting led to an anti-

war protest called ‘Stop the

draft’, which was held for a

week in October 1967.

By 1966, the critics started to speak their hearts out.

Politicians completely disagreed with the fact that America’s involvement in Vietnam had been

small and inexpensive.

By 1965, according to the

Selective Service Act

(1948) the 1.5 million

troops that were sent to

Vietnam were not

volunteers; they were

draftees.

After the Americans heard of the Tet Offensive, they were shocked and thought the communist will keep fighting. Thinking it over, Secretary of defense Clark Clifford thought of sending more troops, but it will cause more conflict back home and it might not lead to victory.

Soon, the schools were against the protests that took place on university grounds, so the students formed the ‘Free speech movement’ to rebel against them. Soon the university officials allowed students to have free speeches on school grounds. This encouraged other colleges around America.

Since the Civil war, the

Americans had never

been more divided.

Both Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy thought that the war had divided America

After President Johnson sent

more troops into Vietnam

hoping to win the war,

victory seemed to slip

through his hands.