The Antiwar Movement During the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

The Antiwar Movement in the U.S. - End the War in VietnamThe antiwar movement against Vietnam in the US from 1965-1971 was the most significant movement of its form in the nations history. The United States first became directly involved in Vietnam in 1950 when President Harry Truman started to underwrite the costs of Frances war against the Viet Minh. Later, the presidencies of Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy increase the USs political, economic, and military commitments steadily throughout the fifties and early sixties in the Indochina region. Prominent senators had already begun criticizing American involvement in Vietnam during the summer of1964, which direct to the mass antiwar movement that was to appear in the summer of 1965. This antiwar movement had a great impact on policy and practically forced the US out of Vietnam. Starting with teach-ins during the spring of 1965, the massive antiwar efforts centered on the colleges, with the students playingleading roles. Thes e teach-ins were mass public demonstrations, usually held in the spring and come back seasons. By 1968, protestersnumbered almost seven million with more than half be white youths in college. The teach-in movement was at first, a gentle sexual climax to the antiwar activity. Although, it faded when the college students went home during the summer of 1965, other types of protest that grew through 1971 in short replaced it. All of these movements captured the attention of the White House, especially when 25,000 people marched on cap Avenue. And at times these movements attracted the interestof all the big conclusion-makers and their advisors (Gettleman, 54). The teach-ins began at the University of knot on March 24, 1965, and spread to other campuses, including Wisconsin on April 1. These protests at rough of Americas finest universities captured public attention. The Demonstrations were one form of attempting to go beyond mere haggling and research and reason, and to put dire ct pressure on those who were conducting policy in apparent disdain for the will expressed by the voters (Spector, 30-31). Within the US government, some saw these teach-ins as an important development that might soggy down on further escalation in Vietnam. Although several hundred colleges undergo teach-ins, most campuses were untouched by this circumstance. Nevertheless, the teach-ins did concern the administration and contributed to President Johnsons decision to present a major Vietnam track at Johns Hopkins University on April 7, 1965. The address tried to respond to the teach-ins campus protest activity.