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Tonkin Gulf Incident
NV boats attacked 2 U.S. destroyers including the (USS Maddox). The Maddox was floating around in the Tonkin gulf monitoring radio/radar signals after an attack from SV boats on NV facilities Johnson ordered the United States to respond by bombing military targets in NV. This became a regular thing, the United States sent bomb after bomb. As a result of this people began to question wether the US was really fighting a democratic war to protect SV. -
Draft system
By this time there were nearly 500,000 american troops in Vietnam. There were 15,058 casualties and 109,527 men wounded. The war was also hurting taxpayers because it was costing $25 billion a year. This added fuel to the anti-war movement fire. -
Burning draft cards
Draft card burning was a symbol that was a way of protesting war. Many young men were seen doing this. The first men to do this were Americans taking part in the opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Groups gathered and witnessed card burning. -
Tet offensive
Movements that were against war started off small among people who simply wanted peace. The movements grew after the US started bombing NV. These movements reached their peak after the tet offensive. The Tet offensive was a series of attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in south Vietnam. The US lost this battle and left the region. -
Kinstate Masacre
On this day Nixon announced that 150,000 more soldiers needed to be drafted in result of the invasion of Cambodia. This sparked even greater protests on campuses all over. Especially at kintstate. Protesters set ROTC buildings on fire and 900 national guards were sent to the campus. During this riot 4 students were killed and 9 were wounded. This made everything worst and many colleges were shut down. -
Impact of anti war movement
Some political consequences were that not everyone supported president Johnson's way of handling the war situation. Studies showed that on 35% supported his way of handling it and 50% disapproved it. Many vets came home and joined the anti war movements. They were seen on TV trashing metals they had earned during war. Johnson then decided he wouldn't run for reelection and people saw this as him saying he didn't know what to do. He had failed as president. -
Individuals who impacted the anti war movement.
On april 28, 1967 Muhammad Ali refused to go fight in the war. He was against it. On June 20 he was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to prison for 5 years, banned from boxing or 3 years, and fined $10,000. His case was appealed by the supreme court and returned to the ring on October 26.
