Vietnam War Protests

Protests Against the Vietnam War
The 1960s and 1970s were a turbulent time for Americans as the country entered in the Vietnam War, from 1965 to 1975. The lives of young men were drastically changed as they were entered into the draft lottery. Others were outraged by the United States entering yet another war. Americans across the country came together and formed huge, diverse protests to stop the Vietnam War and save the lives of the soldiers and innocent civilians. Protesters weakened America's support of the war effort and exposed the horrors that were happening in Vietnam. American citizens were correct in protesting the country's involvement in the Vietnam War. America did not have a specific start date that the Vietnam War began.
There were a few small Peace Movement groups that held small, non-violent protests. They protested in defence of both sides of the war, many innocent Vietnamese peasants were being killed in the crossfire of the bombings and had no escape. In addition the chemicals that American planes were dropping over Vietnam was causing severe environmental damage. The peaceful protests gained little recognition and had little to no effect, they soon turned violent as United States war efforts continued to escalate. College students began protesting on campus across the country leading to class cancellations. In 1968 anti-war demonstrators flocked to the Democratic National Convention to protest the nomination of a pro war president. Between the large groups that formed and collaboration from significant public figures the anti-war protests were no longer ignored and had a powerful effect (“The Anti-War
In the spring of 1967 500,000 people protested in the streets of New York City, San Francisco and many cities in between for a withdrawal from the Vietnam war. In the fall they went to the Pentagon to protest which ironically, was surrounded by soldiers, who were very friendly with the protestors. In April of 1970 the troops in Vietnam were ordered to invade Cambodia. Body bags were returning to the U.S. filled with soldiers frequently. Protestors were infuriated and the invasion revitalized those who were weary and felt ignored. Over 100 college campuses across the country went on strike, 13 Kent State students were killed in a national protests by national guard officers. Finally 100,000 protesters surrounded the White House and other government buildings. The troops were pulled out of cambodia within 2 months (“Student Anti-War Protests and Backlash”). As battered and bruised Vietnam veterans returned to the U.S. they too joined the protests, some in wheelchairs and others on crutches, they created an image that broke the hearts of citizens and a message so powerful that the government could not ignore (“Vietnam War