The United States became involved in Vietnam before World War II even ended. The United States involvement was due to the containment policy and its aim to stop communism. The conflict revolved around Ho Chi Minh and the French. During World War II, Japan invaded Vietnam. In response, the U.S. supported Vietnam as they now shared a common enemy. Ho Chi Minh had an agreement with Franklin D. Roosevelt. They agreed that after the war the U.S. would support Indo-China’s independence from France. But, once Roosevelt died and Truman took over, the French convinced Truman to back out of the agreement. As a result, a war broke out; the French were defeated. The U.S. then began to worry that Indo-China would resort to communism as many of the newly independent colonies did at the time. Thus, the U.S. sent advisors. Along came Eisenhower, he contributed to the war by rejecting a nuclear strike. Eisenhower wanted to stop communism from spreading to Vietnam. He believed by spreading to Vietnam …show more content…
There were about fifty-eight thousand American casualties. It severely damaged the economy. The U.S. spent over $168 billion into the Vietnam War. The damage occurred as funding was diverted towards away from the Great Society programs, aim towards eliminating poverty, and focused on funding the war, causing inflation and budget deficit. Due to the war, the voting age was lowered. Many disliked the fact that an eighteen-year-old was old enough to be drafted into war but not old enough to vote. Drafting soldiers led to conflicting opinions. As a result, the us employed an all-volunteer force in 1973. The war also made Americans question their government. People began to be suspicious of their