By: HISTORY.com Editors

1965

Antiwar demonstrations staged in 40 U.S. cities

Published: November 16, 2009Last Updated: May 27, 2025

On October 15, 1965, antiwar activists stage demonstrations across the country, drawing 100,000 people in some 40 cities. In one event staged by the student-run National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam, the public burning of a draft card leads to the first legal consequences for the act.

In New York, David Miller, a young Catholic pacifist, burned his draft card in direct violation of a recently passed law forbidding such acts. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation later arrested him; he was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Chicago Seven

Historian Yohuru Williams takes a look back at protests during the Vietnam War.

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Citation Information

Article Title
Antiwar demonstrations staged in 40 U.S. cities
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
April 22, 2026
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
May 27, 2025
Original Published Date
November 16, 2009