Reasons for the Antiwar Movement (1964-1972) The antiwar movement during the mid 60s and early 70s was one of the most controversial and divided periods in United States history. Major countercultures full of sex, love, and rock n’ roll were on the rise, 18 year olds were being sent to Vietnam, and blacks were fighting for their freedom. Conflict in Vietnam began due to the Tonkin Gulf incident, and our rationale for war was the domino theory. Not long after the start of the war, the antiwar movement had already begun, and it would only grow larger and larger. People in the United States were so against the war because the media’s display of the horrors, the draft, the veterans, and Martin Luther King and his disapproval. To understand the
…show more content…
A perfect example of the media and the way there coverage changed people 's viewpoints was the Tet Offensive in 1968. “During the Tet Offensive, the Viet Cong launched a surprise attack on several of the southern cities and the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. Although many Viet Cong soldiers were killed and the Tet Offensive was considered a military victory for the United States, it shocked the American people.” “The Vietcong army was decimated, and they made no significant strategic gains. In the war of public opinion, however, it was a gigantic success” (The Vietnam). Even though the attack was not a success in the long run, U.S. citizens only saw their military being destroyed. “After Tet, American public opinion shifted dramatically, with fully half of the population opposed to escalation” (Barringer). The Tet offensive left 4,953 americans dead and over 15,000 wounded, but the larger effect was on the people of the United States. Brutal video footage of the injured and killed were displayed all across the news stations. United States citizens saw their own men being mutilated on the streets of Vietnam, and it cast doubt into the minds of the …show more content…
National news stations were bringing the violent fighting of war into the living rooms of United States citizens, and the coverage was not showing what the government was saying. Secondly the draft (Selective Service System) got millions of young americans to join the antiwar movement. They were the ones seeing their friends and family members being shipped off to Vietnam, and these young citizens were not afraid to show their outrage. Also, the Vietnam veterans that were returning even joined the movement and some people actually started to believe in the movement because of the veterans. Finally, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to unite the civil rights and antiwar movements to create a demonstration that had never been seen in American history and the movement could not be
A perfect example of the media and the way there coverage changed people 's viewpoints was the Tet Offensive in 1968. “During the Tet Offensive, the Viet Cong launched a surprise attack on several of the southern cities and the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. Although many Viet Cong soldiers were killed and the Tet Offensive was considered a military victory for the United States, it shocked the American people.” “The Vietcong army was decimated, and they made no significant strategic gains. In the war of public opinion, however, it was a gigantic success” (The Vietnam). Even though the attack was not a success in the long run, U.S. citizens only saw their military being destroyed. “After Tet, American public opinion shifted dramatically, with fully half of the population opposed to escalation” (Barringer). The Tet offensive left 4,953 americans dead and over 15,000 wounded, but the larger effect was on the people of the United States. Brutal video footage of the injured and killed were displayed all across the news stations. United States citizens saw their own men being mutilated on the streets of Vietnam, and it cast doubt into the minds of the …show more content…
National news stations were bringing the violent fighting of war into the living rooms of United States citizens, and the coverage was not showing what the government was saying. Secondly the draft (Selective Service System) got millions of young americans to join the antiwar movement. They were the ones seeing their friends and family members being shipped off to Vietnam, and these young citizens were not afraid to show their outrage. Also, the Vietnam veterans that were returning even joined the movement and some people actually started to believe in the movement because of the veterans. Finally, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to unite the civil rights and antiwar movements to create a demonstration that had never been seen in American history and the movement could not be