In the Face of Adversity: Muhammad Ali's Conscientious Objection
Newspaper article from the Louisville Courier-Journal, March 13, 1964
Donated by Phillip Faversham in 2015.
Ineligible...For Now
Like most men at the time, Muhammad Ali was already registered in the United States' Selective Service System when he turned 18 years old in 1960. Shortly after announcing his conversion to Islam and his Heavyweight Championship win in 1964, he was called to the draft board in Louisville, Kentucky, to perform an aptitude test. Ali failed this examination and was deemed unfit for military service. Many newspapers saw this as an opportunity to poke fun at the boxer's intelligence, something that was not uncommon in Ali's life at the time.
For now, Muhammad Ali did not have to worry about being called to fight in the Vietnam War and was free to continue boxing.
It's the Army Today--Then Who For Clay? - The Courier-Journal, March 13, 1964
