The Vietnam War - EdexcelOpposition to the war

Approximately 2.8 million American soldiers served in Vietnam. The conflict affected the whole nation. The period witnessed unrest in others areas of American life – black Americans fought for their civil rights, the Women’s Liberation movement grew and young people protested against the government for a variety of reasons. This coincided with growing opposition to the war in Vietnam.

People had started to turn against the war prior to the Tet Offensive, but after it, criticism grew even more. There were nearly half a million troops in the country and the cost was about $20 billion per year, yet the communists had almost been successful in taking key positions. The fight to drive them back had harmed many civilians and been very public – this was the television age and events were witnessed by millions back in America. The use of napalm (a chemical that burns the skin) had shocked many, as had public executions and episodes like the My Lai Massacre.

My Lai – the reaction at home and the trial of Lt. Calley

• 16 March 1968: ‘Charlie Company’ platoon moved towards the village of My Lai.
• Villagers were suspected of hiding guerrillas. The platoon had been ordered to complete a ‘search and destroy’ mission and to get rid of all houses, dwellings and livestock. They had been told the villagers would be at market.
• In tracking the suspected hidden guerrillas, the platoon had already suffered significant casualties from booby traps.
• Under the command of Lieutenant William Calley, the platoon arrived in My Lai.
• The official report recorded that 90 Vietcong fighters and 20 non-combatants were killed and one American soldier shot in the foot. The operation was regarded as a success.
• However, it is estimated that 347 men, women, children and babies were killed in the four hours the soldiers were there, many whilst working in the fields, some inside their homes.
• A soldier who had served in Vietnam and knew many others who had been at My Lai had written a letter to a number of politicians in early 1969, asking them to investigate. This was followed up with Life magazine publishing official army photographs of dead bodies in My Lai.
• In September 1969 Lt. Calley was formally charged with murdering 109 people. A number of other soldiers and officers were charged with offences at My Lai, but Calley ended up taking the majority of the blame.
• The case attracted huge media attention. Calley was sentenced and imprisoned in March 1971. He was pardoned by President Nixon and released in 1974.
• My Lai divided opinion in the USA. Had the soldiers attacked a legitimate target? Had they cracked under pressure? Was it fair for Calley to take the blame when senior officers walked free? Was it right for America to be in Vietnam any longer? In November 1969, 700,000 anti-war protesters went to Washington and protested. Public opinion about the war was starting to turn.

Students in protest

Students were one of the key groups who protested against the war. The Vietnam conflict coincided with the time of the ‘hippy movement’ and alternative cultures advocating that people ‘turn on, tune in, drop out’. In April 1965, 20,000 people went to the Washington Monument to protest at a rally led by the group ‘Students for a Democratic Society’. By 1967, protests had become more likely to erupt into violence – sometimes the Stars and Stripes flag was burnt. (This was an arrestable offence in the USA.)

At Berkeley, Yale and Stanford universities, bombs were set off. Violence continued to escalate and in 1970 four students at Kent State University were shot dead by the National Guard.

What was 'draft dodging'?

Young people were hit by the draft which required them to report for compulsory duty in the army. Some young men burnt their draft cards in protest and a number of ‘We Won’t Go’ groups were formed at Cornell and other leading universities. Although the government prosecuted 9118 men for avoiding the draft between 1963 and 1973, about 34,000 draft dodgers were wanted by the police. Many young Americans left altogether, the majority fleeing to Canada.

How did the draft affect non-students?

The draft also affected black people disproportionately – white men at university could defer the draft, but as there were fewer black students, this option of deferring was not open to them. The cost of the war meant that less could be spent on social programmes at home to tackle problems like poverty – which again affected the black communities (who were more likely to use them). Alongside all this, the Black Panthers and other militant black groups were growing in popularity and media presence – these groups argued strongly against the draft and the war itself.