Women's Role In The Vietnam War Movement

I t started on campus- student protest

Despite the fact that a variation of different parties across America took part in the anti-war protest, and ultimately the Anti-war Movement, it is widely accepted that the first forms of protest and where it all started can be brought down to university students.

The Students for Democratic Society (SDS) a new left – Wing organization was the most influential student protest group during the Vietnam War. Students took part in numerous protests such as those organized by the SDS. In April 1965 the SDS organised a national protest march on Washington where roughly 25 000 people participated, far outnumbering the few thousand that the SDS was expecting. They also organised teach-ins the largest of which

WAND was founded by Helen Caldicott and focused on women having a say on legislation and more importantly at the time the use of nuclear weapons as well as actions being taken in Vietnam. WAND was such a powerful movement that the association actually still stands to date.

However this was not the only role played by woman during Vietnam, many actively took part in the war and not only as nurses or volunteers but also as part of the military. The women who were drafted to go to Vietnam were denied the right to say that it was against their will as they as ‘they had voluntarily signed up to join the military’. The estimated number of women who participated range from 4 000 to 15 000, 90% of these served as nurses. However even non-military women played a vital role in things such as providing entertainment and supporting the troops through numerous humanitarian

Whilst fighting in Vietnam African American troops suffered under discrimination and felt a sense of empathy towards the Vietnamese who also suffered under discrimination. In addition to this the black population were largely supporting civil rights, which many felt were being violated by the Vietnam War.

Malcolm X was the first major African American leader to speak up against the Vietnam War after which many followed his lead. During the national debate on Vietnam black public leaders were forced to pick a side, one of the most influential black leaders Martin Luther King junior a strong pacifist sided against the war and his opinion had an influence over many