In this video, we learned about the Vietnam protest movement and the increasing American opinion to bring the troops home from the war. People drafted in the military were disprortionately black, without a college degree, and from lower socio economic classes. The drafting committees were decentralized and it was largely up to the powerful, almost autonomous committees when deciding who would be drafted into war. Many Americans felt as if this wasn’t their war to fight, Vietnam was on the other side of the world and this war was being fought amidst a number of issues on the homefront. Race played a big role in this conflict, as blacks protested during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s not just for equality, but also protested because they refused to be sent to Vietnam. A large number of veterans who returned home even openly protested against the war and famously ripped off their medals on camera. This movement met a severe backlash, and many accused members of the anti war movememnt as being unpatriotic.
This association of anti war movements with anti patriotism is nothing new in American politics. The legacy of the Vietnam syndrome and the anti patriotism associated with this era was a big talking point for Republicans in the 2004 election Bush vs. Kerry. Many Republicans accused Kerry of being unpatriotic due to his open opposition to war in the 60s, and his opposition to the invasion of Iraq. The scene of Kerry throwing his medal in the video had a huge impact on his political career, and the Democrat party as a whole. Even just a few years ago, when Kerry finalized the Iran Nuclear Deal, many Americans saw him as an unpatriotic man who was not loyal to his own country and did not risk himself for the flag. It evokes the quintessential role of the American citizens that arose in debates between the Federalists and the Democrat Republicans in the 1790s- what is the role of the American? Should they unquestioningly trust their government and praise their freedom? Or should they question their government, be critical, and offer suggestions, even if militant and radical at times? Or is it a little bit of both??
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