Historical Inaccuracies

Let me start off by saying that I was a big fan of AD when it was on the air, and I taped every episode. But it was obvious to me even at the time, that alot of the stories had historical inaccuracies, especially when it came to Vietnam. I realize, of course, that the writers probably played with the facts intentionally, to make the stories more dramatic and to move things along.

For instance, I recall the parts of Seasons 1 and 2 set in 1964-1965, which depict alot of the characters as being anti-war, engaging in protests, and Nathan going to jail rather than being drafted.

First of all, while the U.S. forces were in Vietnam since the 1950s, we didn't engage in any real military offensives until early 1965. In 1964, there weren't wide spread anti-war protests or people going to jail, like Nathan, because the war hadn't really erupted. In 1964, it wasn't a major issue for most Americans.

In fact, the protests that began in 1965, were not large scale demonstrations, and they were mostly confined to a few of the bigger college campuses. In '65, the anti-war movement was small, most Americans supported the war, and the events you saw on American Dreams didn't really take place until later in 1966 onwards.