Us Involvement In The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was the longest running war that the United States took part in. It began in 1955 and lasted till 1975, lasting almost twenty years. Vietnam, a small country in Southeast Asia, was divided into communist-leaded North Vietnam and non-communist South Vietnam. North Vietnam and communist-trained South Vietnamese rebels fought to take over the democracy South Vietnam. These rebels became known as the Viet Cong. The United States and the South Vietnamese army tried to stop them but failed.
Leading up to the beginning of the Vietnam War the Vietnamese fought France for control of Vietnam. At that time, Vietnam was a part of a colony belonging to France known as French Indochina. The United States had sent France military equipment to squash the uprising, but France failed and Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam. The United States aided the French and then non-communist Vietnam based on the policy set by President Harry S. Truman. He believed that the United States must help any country threated by Communists. His
The hawks supported the country’s fight against Communism, but disliked President Johnson’s methods. They felt that his policy of slow, gradual troop increases; they wanted a quick, decisive defeat of North Vietnam. The doves believed that U.S. security was not at risk, and they strongly opposed the country’s involvement. They often held mass protests over the presents of troops in Vietnam. Others challenge the nation’s support of the corrupt, undemocratic, and unpopular government in South Vietnam. Some groups felt that the U.S. remained in the war to capitalize on the profit that could be made off of materials and transport. The mounting cost of the war caused public unrest; the increasing causalities and the new taxes that Johnson requested produced more civil uneasiness and leaded to a decrease in public support of the