American History

The Vietnam crisis had been gathering momentum since the early 1950s and American involvement had started in the 1940s and kept on increasing over the years. By 1965, the war escalated as President Johnson began a massive bombing campaign against North Vietnam. At this time, the antiwar movement established its roots as more groups who were opposed to the war became more vocal. The American vocabulary saw the emergence of such terms like counter culture,  establishment, nonviolence,  pacification, free love, Kent state and Woodstock which were associated with the antiwar movement. This was the beginning of the hippie age group, sexual upheaval and the drug culture. The countrys youth who were the major casualties in the war began to demand explanation for American involvement in the war. They demanded to know why peace talks were not succeeding and what they were fighting for.

The antiwar movement comprised independent groups who were only united by the opposition to the war. The introduction of the draft led to student protest on college and university campuses all over the country. Teach-ins and student movements like the students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized rallies and marches to protest against the war as from 1965. Before 1964, the SDS was mainly concerned about domestic issues affecting the American youth and even actively supported the Johnson administration. At the beginning of the Johnson administration, they avoided any antiwar rhetoric to avoid alienating the president and put the Great Society programs in jeopardy.
   
By the end of 1965, the antiwar movement had gathered on campuses but just lacked a catalyst to bring wider public participation. The opportunity was provided by the escalation of the war in 1965 as the air strikes against North Vietnam were initiated. This increased the pace and scope of the protest as from February 1965.  For the next couple of years, the antiwar movement snowballed as more and more people opposed the war including celebrities, activists and musicians. The students formed the Inter-university Committee for public hearing on Vietnam which organized teach-in demonstrations which were widely aired around the country. This helped to publicize the antiwar ideas and reduce the support to the war. The antiwar demonstrations by students were instrumental in influencing the governments decision to withdraw from the war. Although the protest sometimes turned tragic, they helped to bring out the opinions of the youth in the American society.

War Effects
As the antiwar movement ideals spread across the society, doubts about the continued escalation of the war also began to emerge in the administration itself. Several high ranking officials who were opposed to the war were fired including the Defense Secretary McNamara who had expressed reservations about the moral basis of the war. The opposition within the administration had increased within the administration and the presidents party. This was exacerbated by the 1968 presidential election as several candidates emerged to oppose the president within his party. When the president realized that his close advisors opposed the war, he withdrew from the Democratic nomination.  In the subsequent election, the republicans emerged victorious through Richard Nixon who had promised a secret plan to end the war.
   
Vietnam War led to the development of the counterculture among the American youths. This was an alternative society founded on peace, love and freedom. The adherents of this culture opposed violence and the war and was symbolized by sex, drugs and the protestations. The group was known as the hippies and was mainly young people who condemned greed, convention and authority. They mainly listened to rock music, maintained long hair and took to drugs and sex. The peak of the counterculture was the Woodstock Festival when people gathered to celebrate peace and love. The counterculture was mainly an alternative to the American traditional society. The war also impacted on the general society as people lost the family members who were killed in the war. The war also adversely affected the poor members who were prone to conscription as the middle class society was exempted.