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Ali

Some people viewed me as a hero. Some said that what I did was wrong. But
everything I did was according to my conscience. I wasn’t trying to be a leader. I just
wanted to be free.” Muhammad Ali made this statement at the conclusion of his lengthy
battle with the United States over his conviction of refusing to submit to his induction
into the Armed Forces. Ali’s actual conflict with the United States began in 1964 with
his refusal to accept his induction into the Armed Forces, and ended in 1971 when the
Supreme Court of the United States overturned their previous refusal of granting Ali
conscientious objector status. However, to examine Ali’s struggles with the United
States government, one must examine the factors that led Ali to making his decision to
refuse his induction into the Armed Forces. These factors include growing up in a
southern state, Ali’s thrust into the national spotlight, the social changes that took place in
the 1950’s and ...

Posted by: Andres Cisneros

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