Question

50 POINTS + BRAINLIEST

Answer 1

As the Vietnam War continued to drag on and American casualties continued to rise throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, Americans began taking a more pessimistic view on war and the government. The draft, or conscription of civilians into the military, had become increasingly unpopular along with the war for numerous reasons. Wealthier Americans often avoided the draft by paying for time in college, which meant the burden frequently fell on lower-income groups and minority communities to fight.

In order to avoid being drafted, a timely and self-imposed injury might lead the doctor to characterize one as unfit for duty, or one could head north to Canada; British Columbia on the west coast was a popular spot for so-called ''draft dodgers''. After the withdrawal of American forces in 1973, U.S. soldiers could only enlist voluntarily rather than being conscripted. To reinstate the military draft would be highly controversial and difficult in 21st-century America, with the likelihood of a draft returning becoming decreasingly likely as time goes on.

Another domestic effect of Vietnam was the evaporation of Americans' trust in government and politicians. The release of the Pentagon Papers in 1970 demonstrated that U.S. presidents from the 1950s onward had misled the public and over-exaggerated U.S. interests in Vietnam. Further eroding the public's trust in politicians was the Watergate scandal. This scandal, which led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974, also revealed the illegal acts of Nixon and other high-level federal officials.