In 1964, Ali failed the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub-par (he was quoted as saying, I said I was the greatest, not the smartest!).[87] However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified as 1A.[19] This classification meant he was now eligible for the draft and induction into the United States Army during a time when the U.S. was involved in the Vietnam War. When notified of this status, Ali declared that he would refuse to serve in the Army and publicly considered himself a conscientious objector.[19] Ali stated: War is against the teachings of the Holy Quran. Im not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We dont take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers. More succinctly and famously he said, I aint got no quarrel with them Viet Cong - no Viet Cong ever called me Nigger. The statement articulated, for many people, a reason to oppose the war.[88] Appearing for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967 in Houston, Ali refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. An officer warned him he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Once more, Ali refused to budge when his name was called. As a result, he was arrested. On the same day the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. Other boxing commissions followed suit. Ali would not be able to obtain a license to box in any state for over three years.[89] At the trial on June 20, 1967, after only 21 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Ali guilty.[19] After a Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the years between the appellate court decision and the Supreme Court verdict, Ali remained free. As public opinion began turning against the war and the Civil Rights movement continued to gather momentum, Ali became a popular speaker at colleges and universities across the country, rare if not unprecedented for a boxer. At Howard University, for example, he gave his popular Black Is Best speech to 4,000 cheering students and community intellectuals, after he was invited to speak by sociology professor Nathan Hare on behalf of the Black Power Committee, a student protest group.[90][91] On June 28, 1971, the Supreme Court in Clay v. United States overturned Alis conviction by a unanimous 8-0 decision (Justice Thurgood Marshall did not participate).[92] The decision was not based on, nor did it address, the merits of Alis claims per se; rather, the Court held that since the Appeal Board gave no reason for the denial of a conscientious objector exemption to Ali, and that it was therefore impossible to determine which of the three basic tests for conscientious objector status offered in the Justice Departments brief that the Appeals Board relied on, Alis conviction must be reversed.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 07:04:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015