THE GROWING MOVEMENT

The White House continued to be plagued by two wars: the war in Vietnam and the "war at home" ignited by the antiwar movement. Moreover, public opinion was shifting farther and farther away from supporting "our boys in Vietnam." In addition, 1967 was witness to a number of city riots; the most deadly of which occurred in Detroit.

In mid-1967, more and more Americans began to oppose the costly American involvement in Vietnam. Among the most vocal of the critics were the hawks. Although they supported the war, the hawks believed that Johnson was not giving his generals enough freedom. The hawks wanted to continue the bombings over Northern Vietnam and remove the restraints from American generals.

The doves comprised another group of critics. They wanted Johnson to end the American involvement in Vietnam immediately, thus they organized extensive antiwar demonstrations.

The March on Pentagon

In October 1967, the March on the Pentagon, one of the most significant events of the antiwar movement, was organized. Although the marchers were unable to levitate the besieged Pentagon, their demonstrations had a direct influence on the redirection of American policy in Vietnam. The antiwar demonstrations at the Pentagon marked the beginning of the end for American involvement in Vietnam. Many of the protestors ventured to march on government grounds, surrounding such structures as the Lincoln Memorial.