VIETNAM PROTESTS

• As the war in Vietnam escalated, President Johnson believed a draft became a necessity. The group being drafted were the young people named "baby boomers" as they were born when World War II ended. There were a whole lot of them (among whom were the Clintons, GW Bush, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden).

• The war was dragging on and not progressing in favor of the South Vietnamese and the American military. This troubled the young people being drafted tremendously. They were also upset that wealthier and more influential people found ways to avoid the draft (watch "Fortunate Son"). Many left the U.S. to avoid the draft.

• These young people are very fond of pop music and musicians. And many musicians routinely criticized the war in Vietnam as an unnecessary and dreadful mistake. Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Jim Morrison were among the many influential singers who openly criticized the war in their music.

• Many of these young people coupled their fondness for music with a fondness for drugs. They were regarded by the World War Two generation as rebellious. They were dubbed "hippies."

DECISIONS:
1. As the mayor of Kent, Ohio, how do you respond to local college students protesting the Vietnam war when they break the law: vandalizing buildings and assaulting law enforcement?

2. President Nixon. Since the war in Vietnam continued for a decade without much progress, do you listen to the protests and remove your military?

3. Presidents Ford & Carter. When the war is finally over, and the South falls to the Communists, what do you do about the men who left the U.S. to avoid the draft? Are they welcome back to the U.S. without consequences?

Click here for decision one

Click here for decision two

Click here for decision three