The draft lottery put into place during the Vietnam War was a source of bitter disagreement. Like the war itself, the draft affected Americans during the conflict and long after the war was over. The draft has been around since 1940, but it was during the Vietnam War that it became a major target of antiwar protesters. The draft lottery, set up in 1969, was supposed to make the draft more fair. But it continued to stir strong emotions and did not end opposition to the war.