Reasons Why People In America Protested

Question 1

The Veterans: what did they do, what did they return home with, what group did they start that caused a big protest in 1971, what did people like Charles Litkey do with their medals?

Answer 1

• They returned home with terrible injuries and stories
• Came home with drug addictions and alcohol addictions were also developed later in life
• Started the “Vietnam Veterans Against The War” group
• Threw away their medals to show their anger towards the war

Question 2

My Lai: what was it, when did it happen and what did it cause?

Answer 2

• The media showed images of the massacre that happened on 16th March 1968
• Caused outrage among the Americans

Question 3

The Draft: what was it, why and when did the protests start?

Answer 3

• When the government tried to force young men to join the army by drafting them (choosing them at random to fight)
• Protests started in 1965 because the government decided to draft 33,000 men a month because not enough people volunteered to fight. The men who were drafted did not want to fight.

Question 4

Pacifists: why did these people protest, which famous person is an example and why, what did he lose because of the big decision he made?

Answer 4

• They did not believe in war, sometimes for religious reasons
• Mohammed Ali refused to go to war when he was drafted in 1967
• He lost his world boxing title and boxing license due to refusing to go to Vietnam

Question 5

Cost: why did people protest because of cost?

Answer 5

•The biggest bombing campaigns cost around $800,000 each and people thought they were a waste of money as they were ineffective

Question 6

Civil Rights: why did black Americans protest?

Answer 6

• They did not believe they should have to fight for a country that did not give them the same rights as white Americans
• More black men were drafted than white men