The military draft was a very controversial topic during these times. Some people believed it violated a person’s inalienable rights while others argued it was a part of being an American to be honored to show your patriotism; however, if you refused to serve, you were shunned and beaten by local villagers (Greenberg). President at the time, “Lyndon Johnson, called the draft "a part of America, a part of the process of our democracy"” arguing that the draft was an honorable and patriotic sacrifice for young men to make for their country (Greenberg). With the major cultural difference between the the 1960’s and today, less young men are enlisting to serve in the military. According to the National Public Radio, an estimated 8.7 million men served during The Vietnam War while only 2.2 million men serve in today’s military.
There were around 60,000 fallen or missing soldiers in the Vietnam War. All of the soldiers who survived were treated harshly by the ones they thought were their friends and family. Years later, the soldiers who served in the war were recognized once and for all by a twenty-one year old college student, named Maya Ying Lin. She was the winner of the design competition for the Vietnam War Memorial, the one which stands in Washington DC today. The event was very significant to American history, a story which an author wrote about.
Local draft boards were becoming too picky about the men they sent to serve America in the Vietnam War, and they began to believe they knew what was right for their country. Similarly, to the New Jersey example, there were issues when it came to the boards that had World War II veterans on them. There was also bias within those boards because the veterans had their own view on what a war should be like, and they believed that fighting for the US should be a honor. The war veterans were also known for viewing the Vietnam War like it was similar to their experience in The Second World War. An example of times when these veterans tried to relate to young men being drafted during Vietnam was when parents would call the boards expressing their concern for their sons.
“Even before I went to high school and college I resolve not to take insults without retaliating. Growing up in Pasadena, I encountered many situations which I considered unjust. I remember going to the YMCA and being told that Negroes were allowed to use the facilities of the Y only on a certain day of the week.” Jackie Robinson’s voice would be heard by many written in newspapers as prominent as The New York Times. In 1981 a journalist wrote on the subject of the civil rights activists and wrote, “Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most prominent spokesman for civil rights, other movement leaders, including A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, and Julian Bond, actively opposed the war in Vietnam or at least resented the increased amount of Federal money going toward the conflict, resources that otherwise could be spent on domestic problems.
In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech “Beyond Vietnam-A Time to Break Silence.” In the speech, King argues against American involvement in the Vietnam War and explains why he cannot remain silent. King builds an effective argument by using imagery, noting the irony associated with the war, and pointing out the contrast between America before the war and America then. One of King’s main techniques he uses to persuade the audience of his point is imagery.
But, as the South Vietnamese were fighting for their liberation from a communist regime and the Americans were not, the Americans could not provide the Vietnamese with the will to win. Seeing as their efforts in Vietnam were not as effective as had been hoped for, America began to lose support for the war as tensions at home increased. “It is like sending a lion to halt an epidemic of jungle rot,” [Doc E]. The lions that were being sent, as many of the time recognized, were often minorities and oppressed people. Martin Luther King, a popular civil rights activist, said, “We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem,” [Doc C].
If it weren’t for the draft we wouldn't have had very many men to fight in the war. During the vietnam war at least ⅓ of the American troops were selected for military services through the draft and about ⅔ of the troops were volunteered. (Vietnam War..n.pag.) African Americans accounted for fourteen percent of our troops. Often times men that were being drafted to fight
Imagine making a speech in front of large audience. The speech "Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence" by Martin Luther King Jr. was delivered at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967. He effectively builds an argument by using three models of persuasion ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust. The first technique King used is based on ethos, establishing his credibility. King convinces the audience gaining credibility describing how the "desperate, rejected, and angry young men," (...) "ask - and rightly so - what about Vietnam?" in feedback to King's thought in peace.
All they wanted was “to save the soul of America” (King, Beyond, 42). Martin Luther King Jr is an African American preacher and civil rights activist that along with every other African American male and female in 1976 was waging a war in America for their not-so-natural born rights. Not only were they fighting for their own rights in 1976, but they were sending away the son, husbands, brothers of other Americans thousands of miles away to the country of Vietnam to fight an unjust war for the rights of the people in Southeast Asia. Martin Luther King Jr proves to all throughout his speech “Beyond Vietnam --- A Time to Break Silence” that the Vietnam war was unjust by his use of emotional diction, the allusion of Jim crow, and repetition.
Those still in favor of the war considered it their patriotic duty to enlist and fight for their country, while the opposition came from the lower class groups such as African Americans, “white trash,” Mexican Americans, and other minorities. Because of their lower socio-economic status, they were more often the targets of recruiters and had more difficulty evading the draft. As James Fallows said of his draft experience, “While perhaps four out of five of my friends from Harvard were being deferred, just the opposite was happening to the Chelsea [Boston] Boys.” (Doc 5) Similarly to the civil war era, the majority of the burden of fighting was going to the poor majority as opposed to the privileged few. Other groups, such as the African Americans, were opposed to the draft because of their status at home.
The Vietnam War was a tumultuous time in American history, marked by deep divisions and controversy. The conflict was deeply unpopular among many Americans, who saw it as unjust and immoral. In response to the government's decision to send young men to fight in a war they did not believe in, many individuals chose to evade the draft as a form of protest and civil disobedience. The draft disproportionately affected working-class and minority communities, leading many to feel that they were being unfairly targeted and exploited by the government. By refusing to serve in a war they did not support, these individuals were asserting their right to self-determination and resisting a system they viewed as oppressive.
Dr. King feels that he cannot speak against violence being used in the ghettos without having protested the greatest use of violence, “[his] own government.” (Paragraph 3). Dr. King uses specificity such as “Molotov cocktails and rifles” (Paragraph 3) to create a vivid image of the violence that has occurred in his own nation. Dr. King made this speech to address the violence going on in the Vietnam War.
Martin Luther King Jr. disagreed with the way the war was being handled, and thought nonviolent demonstrations would be more efficient. In his speech, “Beyond Vietnam- A Time to Break Silence” Martin Luther King Jr., uses appeals to emotion, appeals to credibility, and powerful diction to strengthen his argument and persuade his audience that the Vietnam War is unjust. First, Martin Luther King Jr. uses emotional appeals to persuade his audience that the Vietnam War is unjust because it is unfairly killing the poor and its destroying the country. King uses emotional words and descriptions to capture the audience’s attention and convey the injustices caused by the Vietnam War.
America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, essentially caused the country to split due to different points of view. Dr. King, on one hand, wanted and supported the retreat of American troops stationed in Vietnam. While President Johnson believed that America’s future relied on the outcome of the war, so he supported the troops being stationed there. Dr. King's speech aroused not only the idea of American Troops to be brought home, but also created the argument that America should not be involved in a war, for another country’s independence. Especially, when there is a great division continuing in our own country.
“Beyond Vietnam-A time to Break Silence” was the title of a speech written by Martin Luther King Jr. On April Fourth 1967 Martin Luther King delivered is speech at Riverside church in New York City. This was a very powerful speech that was against the war. In The 1960’s Segregation had made/ taken over our country.
