1. Chapter 22 Section 3 Notes A Nation Divided

2. The Vietnam Draft (Selective Service System)
18 yr old males required to register
Still Are!
18 – 26 yr olds eligible to be drafted
Many ways to get out at 1st
Lottery began (1969) to make it fairer
If selected, had to report to a draft board
Would determine if you would go or not
If selected, had to serve at least a yr
Year   Inductees
1962     82,060
1963   119,265
1964   112,386
1965   230,991
1966   382,010
1967   228,263
1968   296,406
1969   283,586
1970   162,746
1971     94,092
1972     49,514
1973          646

3. In 1969, the Selective Service System instituted a national lottery for draft numbers.  The target draft age was 19.  In 1972, numbers were picked for people born in 1953.  The guy born on March 6th was #1.  If you were born on Christmas Day, you were #6.

4. Ways to Legally Get out of the Draft
If you were an undergrad college student
Draft would be deferred
Put off until done with school
If you were a grad student (eliminated in 1969)
Both college exceptions protected high income people
If you were married (eliminated in 1969)
If you had a valid medical reason

5. How to Legally Get out of Fighting
Conscientious objector
Against your religion to fight
May still have to go, just in a noncombat role
Called 1 – A – O Status
Volunteer for Coast Guard or National Guard
Had to do this before getting drafted
Would guarantee you didn’t end up in Vietnam

6. Ways to Illegally Get out of Fighting
Not register or refuse to report for duty
About 200,000 people
Some burned draft notices
Could go to prison
avg. sentence = 1 yr.
Most served little time
Most hid out in U.S. undetected
Some fled to a foreign country
mainly Canada

7. African-Americans in Vietnam
Large #s selected to serve
Didn’t have as many ways out
More frontline action than ever before
Some saw this as racially motivated
Civil Rights leaders like MLK Jr led protests
A lot of Racial Tension
Units were desegregated, but most
high ranking officials were still white

8. Women in Vietnam Not allowed to serve in combat
Not allowed to register for a draft
10,000 noncombat military personnel
mainly nurses
Many others volunteered
Red Cross
United Services Organization
Entertainment for troops

10. The New Left College students that wanted changes 2 Main Groups
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) began 1960
Free Speech Movement (FSM) – began 1964
Originally form for different reasons
College issues (curfews, dress codes)
Anti – Business and Govt.
Pro – Civil Rights
Want More Freedoms

11. The New Left Protests Vietnam
Why?
It was not our war (Civil War)
The S. Vietnamese Govt. was bad
Other parts of the world need U.S. help too!
People in U.S. need help more
War is simply wrong
Small #s in beginning
Grew to large #’s within a few yrs (lottery system)
Some arrested or injured in confrontations with cops

12. The Silent Majority Protesters get a lot of media attention
70% of public think protesters are wrong in 1967
Some disagree with war, but don’t like protesters
Acting disloyal to U.S.

13. LBJ’s Strategy towards Vietnam
Slow Escalation of Troop Levels throughout his Presidency
Criticized by 2 different groups
Doves = Wanted U.S. to get out of the war
Hawks = Wanted the U.S. to use greater force