The War Comes to South Bend: A History of the Anti-War and Anti-Draft Movement at IUSB 1968-1969

Abstract

The subject of the Vietnam War, along with the Selective Service System that drafted young men into the American military, is just as controversial today as they were during the 1960's and 1970's when the United States became involved in the Vietnamese civil war as a way to prevent the spread of communism. However, it was not until 1964 after the Gulf of Tonkin incident that the United States escalated its role in what would become one of, if not the, most unpopular war in American history. By 1965, an anti-war movement had erupted throughout the country. Activists primarily tended to be "upper-middle-class students and professionals," but this group was not alone in opposing the war in Vietnam. They were, however, the ones whose voices were heard the most. Students involved in the anti-war movement had another concern: the Selective Service System [the draft]. Because of the war in Vietnam, the Selective Service System was a major concern amongst male students and those of college age because it directly affected them. While those who opposed the Selective Service System were concerned about their own lives, they also voiced their opinion that the system went against their morals, and how it was classist and racist.