Participation of Muhammad Ali In the Vietnam War

At the climax of the Vietnam War, the United States changed how they drafted soldiers. Despite his best efforts, heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali was selected for the army. Ali’s opposition to America’s involvement with the war coupled with his religious beliefs, lead him to refuse the draft. In 1967, Muhammad Ali took on an active role in the protest to the Vietnam War after being drafted by the U.S. military and was unfairly stripped of his boxing license in addition to a $10,000 fine and a five year prison sentence. The Vietnam War began due to America’s opposition to communism and the threat of it spreading to all of Southeast Asia.

The Viet Cong, a Southern Vietnamese communist group, were engaging in guerilla warfare with anti-communist powers in the area. America’s strategy in vietnam was to have aerial superiority over the enemy, using their expansive military to decimate the forests. These attacks included ground troops, artillery fire, and airstrikes. The US would consistently bomb Northern Vietnam. Yet, the Viet Cong had home advantage, and would quickly wipe out any ground troops attacking them. It was 1969 and after restless bombings and strikes, America decided to pull out of Vietnam and end its involvement. This sparked a huge debate on who won the war. When talking strictly casualties, America won with more than 254,256 Vietnamese killed and only 58,220 Americans killed. However, when talking goals, the US did not achieve their goal of combating the communist rising, so technically they lost the war. The Vietnam War required many resources, especially soldiers. When Muhammad Ali was finally selected for the draft into the army, he resisted.

As the press were increasingly intrigued by his stance against the war, he talked about it more publicly and debated with many pop culture figures such as The government became more involved with him and were quickly making decisions on his punishment for draft dodging. The US government finally came to a decision on Muhammad Ali’s consequences. They ultimately decided on stripping Ali of his boxing titles, a fine of $10,000 and was set to serve 5 years in federal prison. Muhammad Ali brought a court case against the U.S. the government to appeal their decision. Originally, Ali sent in a request form to be classified as a conscientious objector, or a protestor, which was denied for a reason the government did not disclose. Ali won, however he was still stripped of his license and titles.At the time, Muhammad Ali had a huge impact on society. His fights were broadcasted everywhere and half the nation watched to see him crumble his opponents. This fame allowed him to play a pivotal role in the protest against the Vietnam War. He acted as an outlet for his fellow protesters due to his constant interviews and news coverage. Outrage was sparked when he was taken into custody, further forwarding the protester’s message.

Muhammad Ali changed the boxing world forever. He proved that celebrities and other public figures can take an active role in the community and in current events. The U.S. has since revised their draft system to be more equal and fair, learning from the mistake they made with Ali. In conclusion, Muhammad Ali’s protest to the Vietnam War impacted society greatly. He suffered many consequences, yet he still stood up for what he believed in. The greatest boxer of all time faced his greatest battle - and won. He once again proved to the public that there was no obstacle he could not overcome. Muhammad Ali took on an active role in the protest to the Vietnam War after being drafted by the U.S. military and was unfairly stripped of his boxing license in addition to a $10,000 fine and a five year prison sentence.