Monday, June 2, 2014

How did people react to the war in the 60's?

Most people assume that because there were Vietnam War protests, they must have happened immediately and for the whole war, which is inaccurate.  As stated above, public support was strong for the Vietnam War from 1964 - 1968.  During this time, people answered the draft call and some actually volunteered, as their Uncles and Fathers and Brothers had done for earlier wars.  People believed the communists were an actual threat and that if they didn't fight in Vietnam, they'd have to fight closer to home later.


The Tet Offensive of 1968 changed all of that.  We had been told the war was almost over, that "the light was at the end of the tunnel", when in fact, the Vietcong were planning a major attack in early 1968.  Once that attack happened in January and February, Walter Cronkite, the most famous newscaster in America, declared the war unwinnable.  A majority of Americans then turned against the war, and we saw a great increase in protests and anti-war sentiment, and draft resistance.

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