We have finally made it to the impact the Vietnam War had on American society. The Vietnam War forever changed the way people protested war in the United States. Since the war's end in 1975, American politicians have feared the political backlash that might come from another failed and drawn-out war. Never declared a war by Congress, the Vietnam conflict took 58,000 American and between 1 and 2 million Vietnamese lives. Because the government spared men in college (favoring wealthier Americans), fought a resource-poor opponent, and continued the war for more than a decade, the administrations of presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon drew the criticism of the international community by the late 1960s.

March on the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War (1967)

Source: Student Vietnam War protesters, uwdigitalcollections, Wikimedia

Protestors burned their draft cards, faked medical illnesses to avoid military service, and sought refuge in Canada to avoid the draft. Veterans of previous U.S. wars who had turned against the Vietnam conflict threw their war medals on the White House lawn during several large protest gatherings.

When President Nixon announced military attacks on Cambodia (Vietnam's neighbor), students at universities across the nation began protesting. At Kent State University, anti-war demonstrations turned violent when members of the National Guard opened fire on student protestors. Four students were killed, and this marked the climax to protests against the Vietnam War and student unrest on campuses across the nation. (Courtesy: ABC-CLIO American History Database)

Click on this link to listen to Neil Young's song, "Ohio."

Four anti-war demonstrators shot by National Guard at Kent State University (1970)

Source: Alan Canfora Kent State Massacre, vaXzine, Flikr

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