What was the anti-draft movement?

SDS launched an anti-draft campaign in 1965 and in 1967 two new efforts came together, the Stop the Draft movement that attempted to block induction centers in a number of cities, and The Resistance, which organized draft card turn-ins and supported men who faced prison for refusing induction.

What was the anti-draft movement?

SDS launched an anti-draft campaign in 1965 and in 1967 two new efforts came together, the Stop the Draft movement that attempted to block induction centers in a number of cities, and The Resistance, which organized draft card turn-ins and supported men who faced prison for refusing induction.

Who protested against the draft?

Draft-card burning was a symbol of protest performed by thousands of young men in the United States and Australia in the 1960s and early 1970s. The first draft-card burners were American men taking part in the opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

What was the biggest anti-war protest?

April 17, 1965 was the largest anti-war protest to have been held in Washington, D.C. up to that time. The number of marchers (15,000–25,000) was close to the number of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam at the time (less than 25,000).

What were the anti-war protests and why?

The small antiwar movement grew into an unstoppable force, pressuring American leaders to reconsider its commitment. Peace movement leaders opposed the war on moral and economic grounds. The North Vietnamese, they argued, were fighting a patriotic war to rid themselves of foreign aggressors.

Why was the draft Unfair?

The draft was viewed as unequal because the working class man’s only choice was to go to war, while the wealthy men would go to college or enlist in the National Guard. By the end of the 1960’s the nation was fed up with the war, and they were angry with how the war itself was being carried out.

Can I burn my draft card?

Burning draft cards was a criminal offense Furthermore, after Congress adopted the Draft Card Mutilation Act of 1965 to promote the efficient operation of the Selective Service System and preempt venues of resistance, it became a criminal offense knowingly to destroy or mutilate one’s draft card.

Why did students protest against the draft?

Protesting the Draft Demonstrations grew in 1966, spurred by a change in the Selective Service System’s draft policy that exposed students in the bottom of half of their classes to the possibility that their deferments would be revoked and they would be drafted.

What are some examples of anti-war protest during the Vietnam War?

List of protests against the Vietnam War

• Protest against the Vietnam War in Amsterdam, April 1968.
• Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to an anti-Vietnam war rally at the University of Minnesota in St.
• Protest against the Vietnam War in Helsinki, December 1967.
• German students protest against the Vietnam War in 1968.

What is anti-war propaganda?

Anti-war activists work through protest and other grassroots means to attempt to pressure a government (or governments) to put an end to a particular war or conflict or to prevent it in advance.

What is the penalty for refusing the draft?

If required to register with Selective Service, failure to register is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or 5 years imprisonment. Also, a person who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to fail to comply with the registration requirement is subject to the same penalties.

What was draft resistance in the Vietnam War?

Draft Resistance in the Vietnam Era by Jessie Kindig. Protest to conscription has been a feature of all American wars, since the Spanish-American War in 1898 and continuing through the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Yet during the Vietnam War, draft evasion and draft resistance reached a historic peak, nearly crippling the Selective Service System.

How many photos are in the draft resistance movement?

This page includes a short history, documents, and over two hundred photographs of the draft resistance movement in the Northwest. Click images on the sidebar to explore Vietnam-era draft resistance photographs and documents, or scroll down to read a short history of the movement both regionally and nationally.

Why did SNCC activists resent the draft?

SNCC activists also resented the draft for the threat it presented to its male staff. These organizers generally lacked the deferments available to many white, middle-class college students, and they could expect little to no sympathy from their draft boards, most of which were located in the South.

Was the draft resister movement successful?

Yet draft resisters, combined with the larger antiwar movement on campuses and inside the military, was successful: there were too many people to punish or send to prison.