The Vietnam Anti-War Movement Analysis

The Vietnam anti-war movement is arguably the largest and most effective to date. It began with students on university campuses, but soon expanded to include minority groups, like civil rights activists. It divided the country for a time, but united it after certain events during the war. These included the Kent State shootings and war crimes in Vietnam. The protestors of the war had a massive impact on society at the time; they brought different races, genders, and classes all across the country together to protest the government and its choices. The protestors, which began as a small group of university students and grew to include a vast number of groups and people, led to a unification the likes of which the country had never seen, and

It was birthed at the University of California, Berkeley, and advocated for students to bring about change. The FSM and its leader attempted to publicize the connection between academia and militarization. From these two root groups came a frenzy of similar organizations all over the country. In 1964, “teach-ins” began at the University of Michigan. These were a series of speeches and seminars on the Vietnam War. They were meant to educate and involve university students, and they soon spread to other colleges around the country. This ended up being a massive recruiting tool for protest

This group consisted of three young men, Private First Class James Johnson, Private David Samas, and Private Dennis Mora, who were stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. When they found out they were set to be deployed to Vietnam, they banded together and refused to go. The men prepared a statement that was to be delivered in June of 1966, in front of over 40 reporters and cameramen. However, Dennis Mora was left to deliver this statement alone: Johnson and Samas had already been arrested. This public statement asserted, “We have made our decision. We will not be a part of this unjust, immoral, and illegal war. We want no part of a war of extermination. We oppose the criminal waste of American lives and resources. We refuse to go to Vietnam!!!!!!!”. The Fort Hood Three were court martialed later that year, and their sole defense stated that the Vietnam War was illegal. However, the courts did not rule in favor of them, and they were convicted of insubordination.They were sentenced to three to five years in jail, and were dishonorably discharged. However, they became symbols of the resistance; people saw them as icons for anti-war beliefs and admired them heavily. These were some of the first young men who openly disavowed the Vietnam War. They were soldiers; this only added to the protesters’ fire that was rapidly