Oral+History+research

Demonstrations, marches, and acts of civil disobedience in protest to US involvement in the Vietnam War (1954–75), began around 1965. Anti-war sentiment arose from the question of the morality of participation in what many regarded as a civil war; the growing human and environmental costs; and doubts that the US war effort would succeed.Although there were many diverse groups and elements protesting the US military involvement in Vietnam as it began to escalate, many of the protesters, rightly or wrongly, came to be associated with aspects of the "hippie" movement in the popular view.

Media coverage enabled millions of people to see graphic scenes of human suffering in the Vietnam War. The first major demonstration against the war was a march in New York City in 1965, in which some 25,000 people participated. Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, though acts of civil disobedience-intended to provoke arrest-were common. Many protesters were college students, and they formed anti-US-government groups such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to oppose the war. Although in the U.S, opposition to the Vietnam War was often associated with communists and a ‘hippie’ culture perceived as more disposed to "grooving out to rock ‘n’ roll” than real war issues.

Objections to the military draft led some protesters to burn their draft cards and to refuse to obey induction notices. Protestors thought of the war in Vietnam as an "inevitable consequence of American imperialism." In 1973 the Vietnam ceasefire agreement was signed after 58,000 US casualties, and U.S. military draft ended. links: [] [] []

Media: media type="youtube" key="JVQK8fU99Sc" height="305" width="383"

