The Draft and Growing Anti-War Movement
This discussion addresses the following outcome:
Compare and contrast public opinion and the anti-war movement associated with the US-Vietnam War with popular opinion of recent US wars;
In 1967, public support for the US war effort in Vietnam dropped significantly. Support for the war continued to decline and opposition to the war continued to increase in the years that followed. Opposition to the war was a rallying cry for many young people during this era.
In this discussion forum, we will consider the declining public opinion, the anti-war movement, and what role the draft played in galvanizing opposition to the war among both US civilians and those in the service.
Then, we will compare the public attitudes concerning the US-Vietnam War to those of recent US wars. After completing all of the Module 5 readings, viewing/listening to the Module 5 Notes Presentation
[film, 1 hour 24 mins] craft a response to the following questions in a post of at least 250 words:
In your estimation, what were the top four reasons (rank them most important through least important) why public opinion of the war turned in 1967? Provide a brief explanation of each.
Though there was significant domestic dissent concerning the recent US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, this dissent did not seem to manifest itself to the extent that Vietnam Era dissent did.
In your estimation, how much of this historical difference is ascribable to there being an all-volunteer fighting force in recent years (compared to a fighting force comprised of both draftees and the enlisted during the US-Vietnam War) and how much is ascribable to other factors? Be sure to also make note of these "other factors."