The student unrest during the Vietnam War is directly connected with the fact that during the war, Americans faced the first and only draft; every male in America was required to register with Selective Services, which meant that, if not in college, they would be placed towards the top of a list that sent Americans to war.
In addition, once finished with college, American males' names went to the top of the list of young men to be drafted; the anti-war movement was about a resistance to a war that most Americans did not believe threatened the security of the U.S.; in addition to the fact that young men were being drafted and sent to this war.
Prior to Vietnam, most Americans held the U.S. government, universities, as well as other official institutions in high regard; however, with the introduction of the draft, these views began to change.
A majority of the large demonstrations about the war took place on college campuses; student activism played a key role in bringing antiwar ideas to the broader public; as students became increasingly involved in a number of social and political movements, there was a great deal of community unrest on college campuses.
Students who avoided the war by going to college were aware of the injustices of the situation, so they used protests as a way of communicating this to the the U.S. government. Students knew that when they graduated, they would become eligible to be sent to Vietnam, which gave them added reasons to protest in hopes of putting an end to the war before being drafted. The students’ protests during this time illustrated the beliefs of many Americans.
The Vietnam War greatly impacted various political and social agendas in the United States. The Vietnam War weakened the public's faith in our government, this war also had an affect on how many Americans felt about the competency of governmental officials and leaders; suspicion, distrust, and skepticism towards the U.S. government increased during the war, and was still present after the war.
Since many Americans were against the war because of the impact that it had on the U.S. in general; the military, as well as military departments/officials were blamed for years.
During the war, the U.S. spent $120 billion, which resulted in an overwhelming deficit, causing added financial pressures to Americans, on top of the already present stress caused by the war itself.
Politically, government officials were now faced with the uphill battle of winning back the American public's trust; trust issues, the feeling of being deceived, along with the feeling of a lack of security were issues that government officials were faced with in respects to the American public. Socially, America had to deal with the fact that during the war about 58,000 Americans were killed; in addition, many returning soldiers were disabled, many lost limbs, while others faced complications from coming into contact with poisons such as Agent Orange.
Those returning from the war also had to face being ignored and discriminated against by their own community; Vietnam divided the country in terms of their beliefs.
Returning home after a war, soldiers are oftentimes met with a heroes welcome; however, those returning form Vietnam came home to protests, hatred, and an overall misunderstanding by a large number of Americans, which lead to depression in many soldiers.
In addition, many returning soldiers returned home addicted to drugs that were experimented with while in the war. Another issue plaguing returning soldiers were mental issues as a result of their participation in the war.
After and during the war, the American government came under scrutiny because of its initial handling of veterans; the U.S. government missed an opportunity to win the public's trust by not providing programs and services that would aid returning veterans; there was a definite loss of patriotism towards the government by Americans; many felt the government did not handle the situation wisely, some even felt that the government lied to the American public.
In addition, once finished with college, American males' names went to the top of the list of young men to be drafted; the anti-war movement was about a resistance to a war that most Americans did not believe threatened the security of the U.S.; in addition to the fact that young men were being drafted and sent to this war.
Prior to Vietnam, most Americans held the U.S. government, universities, as well as other official institutions in high regard; however, with the introduction of the draft, these views began to change.
A majority of the large demonstrations about the war took place on college campuses; student activism played a key role in bringing antiwar ideas to the broader public; as students became increasingly involved in a number of social and political movements, there was a great deal of community unrest on college campuses.
Students who avoided the war by going to college were aware of the injustices of the situation, so they used protests as a way of communicating this to the the U.S. government. Students knew that when they graduated, they would become eligible to be sent to Vietnam, which gave them added reasons to protest in hopes of putting an end to the war before being drafted. The students’ protests during this time illustrated the beliefs of many Americans.
The Vietnam War greatly impacted various political and social agendas in the United States. The Vietnam War weakened the public's faith in our government, this war also had an affect on how many Americans felt about the competency of governmental officials and leaders; suspicion, distrust, and skepticism towards the U.S. government increased during the war, and was still present after the war.
Since many Americans were against the war because of the impact that it had on the U.S. in general; the military, as well as military departments/officials were blamed for years.
During the war, the U.S. spent $120 billion, which resulted in an overwhelming deficit, causing added financial pressures to Americans, on top of the already present stress caused by the war itself.
Politically, government officials were now faced with the uphill battle of winning back the American public's trust; trust issues, the feeling of being deceived, along with the feeling of a lack of security were issues that government officials were faced with in respects to the American public. Socially, America had to deal with the fact that during the war about 58,000 Americans were killed; in addition, many returning soldiers were disabled, many lost limbs, while others faced complications from coming into contact with poisons such as Agent Orange.
Those returning from the war also had to face being ignored and discriminated against by their own community; Vietnam divided the country in terms of their beliefs.
Returning home after a war, soldiers are oftentimes met with a heroes welcome; however, those returning form Vietnam came home to protests, hatred, and an overall misunderstanding by a large number of Americans, which lead to depression in many soldiers.
In addition, many returning soldiers returned home addicted to drugs that were experimented with while in the war. Another issue plaguing returning soldiers were mental issues as a result of their participation in the war.
After and during the war, the American government came under scrutiny because of its initial handling of veterans; the U.S. government missed an opportunity to win the public's trust by not providing programs and services that would aid returning veterans; there was a definite loss of patriotism towards the government by Americans; many felt the government did not handle the situation wisely, some even felt that the government lied to the American public.
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