In the Face of Adversity: Muhammad Ali's Conscientious Objection
Free to be Him
As the people of the United States began to change their feelings about the war in Vietnam, they also began to change their opinion of Muhammad Ali. With his impassioned speeches on college campuses and determination to be vindicated, the country began to believe that Ali was genuine in his beliefs. In 1970, he was granted permission to face Jerry Quarry in Atlanta, Georgia, in his first professional boxing match in 3 years. After this bout, other states began to grant him licenses to box.
On June 28, 1971, the United States Supreme Court overturned his conviction and Muhammad Ali was legally a free man once more. Years later, in 1977, President Jimmy Carter would issue a pardon to those convicted of draft evasion during the Vietnam War era.
