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Let’s Not Forget that Jimmy Carter Called for a Military Draft of Young Americans and Turned Off an Entire Generation of Students [1]
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Date: 2024-12-30 22:43:33+00:00
Amid all the laudatory and respectful accounts of former President Jimmy Carter in today’s press — he just passed away at the age of 100 — one key thing is missing in all the biographies of the Habitat for Humanity builder of affordable houses that was not covered — or even mentioned. And it was something that turned off an entire generation of college students to the peanut farmer-turned politician.
Carefully reading both the 6 pages of today’s Union-Tribune and the multiple pages at the LA Times tributes to Carter, there was not one mention, not one word of this Carter move that ruined his reputation among the young.
During late 1979, Carter called for the re-instituting of the military draft for all young Americans — during an era where relations with the Soviet Union were tearing thin and there was much saber-rattling in our country. The draft for the Vietnam war had ended in 1973 — and now, a mere 6 years later, Carter wanted it back. And in doing so, he caused the creation of a nation-wide and militant anti-draft movement that formed as a direct result of his fomenting another round of US militarism.
Immediately, anti-draft groups formed and held demonstrations against Carter and his draft amid calls to resist.
San Diego was no different. College and university students were the first group to mobilize in the new movement, other than longtime peaceniks who had paused their activism after the Vietnam war had ended.
Around new year’s in 1979–1980, I recall attending an organizing meeting at UC San Diego where students were just getting pissed off about the draft and wanted to hold a protest rally. At first, Carter had not limited the draft call to men, so women were also then susceptible to it. This meeting to organize a protest had 100 students in attendance — and half were women.
The UCSD students did hold their protest — but ended up doing so much more. They united with other college and university campuses and at least here in California, formed a state-wide coalition called Students United Against War and the Draft that included 32 campuses. They also formed local coalitions and worked with such groups as CARD, Committee Against Registration and the Draft.
The Selective Service System then set up a 2-week period for July 1980 in which males were supposed to register for the draft and they could do it at any post office. In San Diego, a coalition formed just for that period and called itself “Two Weeks Against the Draft” – and staged rallies outside 72 post offices across the county.
On July 21, demonstrations at the post offices culminated in large rallies. At the Pacific Beach Post Office, for instance, 300 foes of the draft gathered in protest. Another rally occurred at the then-downtown Post Office where dozens formed a human blockade at the building’s doors.
Over the 2-week period, the press reported that “turn-out was light” for people registering. Estimates nation-wide reported that just 50% of the eligible young men actually signed up.
But the damage to Carter’s reputation and image had already happened. And yes, he had brokered the famous Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel’s leaders and had gone on years later to be rewarded for his efforts at peace. Yet, in 1980, a crucial election year, Carter made enemies among America’s youth and many were loath to vote for him that November when he ran against Ronald Reagan (which is another story). Carter lost and he retreated to his Georgia peanut farm for a year or so before he invented the post-presidency president and went on to create the Carter Center for Peace and joined Habitat for Humanity.
Let’s just not forget this episode.
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[1] Url:
https://obrag.org/2024/12/lets-not-forget-that-jimmy-carter-called-for-a-military-draft-of-young-americans-and-turned-off-an-entire-generation-of-students/comment-page-1/
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