US Homefront During Vietnam

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US Homefront During Vietnam
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Hawks, Doves the credibility gap

• Hawks supported war in Vietnam
• Doves questioned the war morally strategically
  
• credibility gap
• American publics growing distrust of statements
  made by the govt

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What is the meaning behind this image?
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The Draft

• Overall
• 2/3 of soldiers volunteered 1/3 drafted
• Originally drafted soldiers mostly poor or
  working class in the beginning
• The wealthy avoided the draft
• Many fled to Canada Draft Dodgers
• 1969 Draft lottery created to make it equal
• 1973 draft abolished

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Election of 1968

• Main Issue Vietnam
• Robert Kennedy (JFKs Brother) was running for
  president
• Assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan
• Democratic Convention (Chicago)
• Police protestors clash
• Hawks Doves in Democratic Party debate
• Nixon wins election
• Democratic turmoil gave Nixon victory

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Protests Over Vietnam

• Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) (U. of
  Michigan)
• teach-ins protests over war
• Hell no we wont go
• Free Speech Movement (FSM) (U. of California)
• Used free speech to protest
• Kent State Shootings
• Students protesting Cambodia invasion
• National Guardsmen open fire on students and kill
  4

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Burning of Draft Cards
Hell no we wont go
Kent State Shootings
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The Counterculture

• Hippies
• Valued peace, love freedom
• Created Generation Gap
• Lack of understanding communication between
  older and newer generations
• Haight-Ashbury (San Francisco)
• Center of hippie culture

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Music of the Counterculture

• Protest songs dominate
• Target Vietnam evils
• Woodstock (1969)
• Festival celebrating hippie culture
• Heavy amount of sex, drugs rock n roll
• Notable performers
• Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, CCR,
  The Who

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Summary

• Describe the mood of America during the Vietnam
  War?
• What was it like to be in America during this
  time?