From November 1955 until April 30th 1973 the Vietnam war took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. This war was initially between North Vietnam and South Vietnam over the spread of communism. North Vietnam backed by the Soviet Union, China, and other pro communist countries fought to spread communism throughout Vietnam. The South who was backed by the United States, Australia, and other anti communist countries tried to help stop the spread of communism in the area. Due to the effects of the Cold War at the time the U.S. believed that stopping communism should be a priority. The United States involvement in the war caused internal disruption in the country and led to several protests.
There were several reasons U.S. citizens did not support the war efforts in Vietnam. One of them being the rate at which U.S. troops were dying. By November 1967 U.S. casualties had reached 15,058 and 109,527 wounded. Even with this rate, under the draft system the United States was calling 40,000 young men into service monthly. Another reason the anti war effort grew was because the amount of money that U.S. were paying taxes to support the war. The U.S. took control of the war it cost them 25 billion dollars a year, much of it coming from the taxpayers money. This fueled many Americans to join the anti war protest because they believed it was an endless war and that they were supporting the war that they had no part in.
The Vietnam War protest started small with peace activists and leftist intellectuals on college campuses- but gained national prominence in 1965. President Lyndon B. Johnson began bombing North Vietnam in retaliation calling into the question that the U.S. was fighting a democratic war. In the 1968-9 academic year organized student protests were reported at 38% of institutions. A major college campus protest being at Kent State University. A protest there led to the National Guard shooting and killing 4 students and wounding others. On October 21, 1967 100,000 protestors gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to protest and 30,000 of them continued to the Pentagon. These protests were defending their own rights and the rights of their fellow citizens as explained in Gaudium et Spes. The anti war campaign gained a tremendous boost when Dr. Martin Luther King joined the campaign saying it was wrong for moral reasons. He noted that they were taking tax money away from the U.S. that could be used in communities and highlighted the high numbers of black casualties in the war.
Another notable figure during this time was Muhammad Ali. He was drafted into the war but refused to go. He did not agree with the war efforts asking why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home, and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while African American people in Louisville are treated like dogs. He was jailed and received a three year ban from boxing for his refusal to join the service.
It took until the successful attack from North Vietnam soldiers devastating the U.S. and South Vietnaemses soldiers to make change. After word of the attack the anti war campaign began to make progress. Growing from more than just college students and leftist to a wide variety of Americans from all over. In 1972 troops began to withdraw from territories leaving only U.S. air support and material shipments. After strong anti war mandates and the Case-Church Amendment passed by Congress the United States ended military involvement on August 15th, 1973. Shortly after Northern Vietnam took over and the Vietnam fell to communism.
For more information on the Vietnam war and the protests in the United States visit Vietnam War 1954-1975.
The Vietnam war was that was not won on either side when we were involved. Both sides of the war had lots of causalities. It was understandable for the American public to protest this war whether it started from college students or mass groups of people. The war itself was just bad in general. The war on communism was happening all around the world after WW2. The United states was already dealing the communist party of the Soviet Union(Russia) at this time which can be why American citizens protested against the Vietnam War to begin with because we already had are hands full in Europe. This protest connects to are passage of Gaudium et spes, like you said in how it is citizens defending their own rights and the rights of their fellow citizens. The Authority was in a way abusing their power my funding the war by taking tax money away from United States. This connects to my post about the Freedom Riders and how both my post and your post connect to Gaudium et spes. My post connected to Gaudium et spes, in how it is legitimate for them to defend their own rights and the rights of their fellow citizens against the abuse of the authority. Are post protest's may have been done in different ways and protesting different things, like the Freedom Riders was protesting segregated bus terminals, but both are aiming for the same outcome, just like how are post's both connect to the Gaudium et spes in the way. Finally your post was well written, I know a lot about the Vietnam War, but I did not know about the Muhammad Ali fact you included and how he refused to leave for the war when drafted. I found that really interesting.
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