When President Lyndon B. Johnson began escalating American involvement in Vietnam in 1964 and 1965, most Americans supported his decision, and by extension, the war. They had trust and faith in their government to do the correct thing, which in Vietnam meant fighting communism. Many young men volunteered for military service so that they could fight for their country in Vietnam. Some believed it was their duty to serve and they were proud of the opportunity to do so.

As the Vietnam War dragged on, however, more and more Americans began to oppose America's participation in what they considered a civil war. By 1967 and 1968, antiwar protests were attracting thousands of participants in cities across the United States. Protesters argued that the United States had no strategic interests in Vietnam. They believed that the fall of South Vietnam to the Communistsupported Viet Cong would have no...