Began with student protests during the 1960s, in opposition to the Vietnam war. In the 1960s the movement became increasingly active, with the goal being an end to the Vietnam War.

Advocates within this movement sought unilateral withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam. One reason was a belief that the Vietnamese should work out their problems independent of foreign influence. Another contrasting reason was that American military presence increased tensions in the region, and that their removal would thus reduce human bloodshed.

Opposition to the Vietnam War tended to unite groups opposed to U.S. anti-communism, imperialism and colonialism and, for those involved with the New Left, capitalism itself, such as the Catholic Worker Movement. Others, such as convicted 'draft-dodger' Stephen Spiro opposed the war as unjustifiable. Although he was convicted of avoiding conscription, he received a suspended sentence, and was later pardoned by President Gerald Ford.

Some critics of U.S. withdrawal predicted that it would not contribute to peace but rather vastly increased bloodshed. These critics advocated U.S. forces remain until all threats from the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army had been eliminated.

Advocates of U.S. withdrawal were generally known as "doves", and they called their opponents "hawks", following nomenclature dating back to the War of 1812. The imagery was intended to present the withdrawal advocates as peace-seeking and the withdrawal opponents as bad and predatory. The idea of a chickenhawk refers back to this time, to describe those who had avoided dangerous military service before they entered politics, but then advocated aggressive stances once in office.

In the 1960s, high-profile opposition to the Vietnam war turned to street protests in an effort to turn U.S. political opinion against the war. The protests gained momentum from the Civil Rights Movement that had organized to oppose segregation laws, which had laid a foundation of theory and infrastructure on which the anti-war movement grew.

Protests were fueled by a growing network of independently published newspapers (known as "underground papers") and the timely advent of large venue rock 'n' roll festivals such as Woodstock and Grateful Dead shows, attracting younger people in search of generational togetherness.

The late 1960s in the U.S. became a time of youth rebellion, mass gatherings and riots, many of which began in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but which ignited in an atmosphere of open opposition to the wartime government.

Provocative actions by police and by protesters turned anti-war demonstrations in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention into a riot. Explosive news reports of American military abuses, such as the 1968 My Lai Massacre, brought new attention and support to the anti-war movement.

The fatal shooting of four anti-war protesters on May 4, 1970 at Kent State University cemented the resolve of many protesters. The Kent State killings saw campuses erupt all across the country; and throughout the rest of that month, most universities were shut down by student strikes and protests.

Veterans of the Vietnam War returned home to join the movement, including John Kerry, who spearheaded Vietnam Veterans Against the War and testified before Congress in televised hearings. Anti-war protests ended with the final withdrawal of troops after the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973.

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