Why Did The Vietnam War Changed America
The Vietnam War greatly changed America forever. It was the longest war fought in America’s history, lasting from 1955 to 1973. The Vietnam War scarred America’s self image by because this was the first time in history the United States failed to accomplish what they planned to do in war. The war also had great effects on the American people. It was the first war ever broadcast on TV. The public was able to see what happened on the battlefield.
The Vietnam conflict began long before the U.S. actually joined the war. The French were being slaughtered, and were doing little to keep the communist North Vietnamese out of South Vietnam. We sent financial aid to France to help them with the communist threat. At first the United States attention …show more content…
was diverted from Vietnam to other foreign affairs, but with the threat of communist taking over all of Indochina, the U.S. gradually was pulled into the conflict.
President Eisenhower had been sending aid to South Vietnam and helped them to create what came to be known as the Army Republic of Vietnam. This would hopefully help stop the communist North Vietnamese from taking over. When John F. Kennedy took office in 1961, Vietnam was not a major issue. There were more pressing situations to be taken care of, such as the Cold War. The Vietnam conflict became more of an issue when civil war broke out in Laos.
Vice President Johnson was sent to Vietnam, and when he returned he greatly urged President Kennedy to become more involved in the conflict. John F. Kennedy decided to send military advisors and special forces to work with and train the ARVN troops instead of sending combat troops.
After the death of the president, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became the president of the United States. Johnson felt that the U.S. should stay involved in Vietnam. August 2, 1964 the USS Maddox was off the coast of North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, when in was fired upon by North Vietnam coastal gunboats. Johnson decided to escalate the war. He ordered bombing of different North Vietnam targets. Johnson came up with a strategy to take control of Vietnam called Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation would consist of bombing of North Vietnam, more air power, and increase the number of ground troops.
In September 1967, the U.S.
now had a total of about 650,000 ground troops in Vietnam. Every important city in South Vietnam was attacked, including the capital Saigon. The fighting lasted for about a month. The outcome was a major military victory for South Vietnam, but it was a great political victory for North Vietnam. It proved that the war was nowhere close to being over. This was a major turning point in America’s public opinion on the war. It made people begin to loose hope in winning the war, and to question the president’s tactics for the war. When the Pentagon announced the number of U.S. casualties since the beginning of war, the number reached 15,058 killed, 109,572 wounded, and about $25 billions dollars spent each year. Because this questioning johnson knew he wouldn't be reacted so he did not run for reelection. On January 20, 1969 Nixon was inaugurated. A few months later he announced the removal of 25,000 United States troops by August of 1969 and another 65,000 to be sent home by the end of the year. His planned was called “Vietnamization” which would bring “peace with honor.” It was designed to turn over the responsibility of war to South Vietnam. The U.S. would strengthen the South Vietnam army so they could fight without direct help from the U.S. This would allow American troops to gradually come …show more content…
home.
In January 1973, a cease-fire was negotiated. On January 25, 1973, The Paris Peace Accords were signed ending the fighting between North Vietnam and the United States. The troops would return as the South Vietnamese would remain in power. This didn’t end the war, but got the U.S. and our 27,000 remaining troops out of Vietnam. Soon after the United States left, fighting resumed between North Vietnam and South Vietnam’s weak army. May of 1975, two years after Nixon pulled out of the war, South Vietnam surrendered. By the end of the war the United States suffered 57,000 casualties and 153,303 soldiers were wounded.
There are many things people blame America’s defeat on. For one thing the North Vietnam and armies were much stronger than anyone anticipated. Their guerilla warfare tactics was something the U.S. soldiers were not used to. The fact that there were no clear combat zones also made fighting confusing. The Vietcong also would dress as peasants to trick the soldiers before they would attack. This made it hard for soldiers to tell between the enemy and the civilians. The Vietcong was also fighting for a cause they were willing to fight to the death for whereas the americans didn't really have any direct threat on their own country.
At first many people volunteered to fight. When the draft came into effect many questioned how fair that was. Until 1969 local boards had selected the ones for the draft, and most of those selected were usually minorities and poor working class youths. In 1965, 20,000 men per month were drafted, by 1968, 40,000 were drafted per month, and served 12-13 months. Some people tried to avoid the draft. People moved to Canada, burned draft cards, and went to college. Others served prison sentences, like Muhammad Ali, or avoided the war on moral grounds and instead served a set term of community service.
The anti-war movement is also blamed as to why the United States lost the war. The war was popular in the beginning, and most Americans supported the war. Some people even benefited from the war at first, such as aircraft manufacturers, but this didn’t last for long. When involvement of the U.S. was escalated in 1965, America continued to support. When this escalation failed to produce the results that were expected, people started to become doubtful. America had been told that they were winning the war, but as the number of deaths and injuries increased the people realized that this war did have its costs. Just because it was fought thousands of miles away, didn’t mean that it didn’t affect the people at home.
The Media caused major changes in America. The media brought all the horrors of the war to life. For the first time, people were able to see the action everyday on the news. All of the death and destruction caused by the bombing were shown, and the nightly news even covered and counted the dead. This greatly affected America’s opinions on the war. The media itself also experienced changes. Before the war the media focused on the positive aspects of wars. It showed U.S. action in a positive way and focused on what people wanted and needed to hear. Most reporters supported the war initially, but after being in Vietnam for long periods of time they formed biased opinions. They lost faith and started to give off bad and officeinve articles.
The war also had effects on the economy. In the beginning the war spending increased the economy, but soon the cost of war caught up to the United States. The budget had to be expanded. The cost of living rose greatly between the years of 1965 to 1975. The spending of the war was about 150 billion dollars in all. Prices of goods had increased 16% by 1970. Inflation occurred wiping out almost all economic gains, and wages were lowered, leading to many strikes. Johnson finally went to Congress to get extra taxes to help pay for the war. By 1961, 25 billion dollars per year were being spent on the war effort.
The war also had devastating results in Vietnam.
Many civilians were killed and many children were born with birth defects. Their largest crops were destroyed because of the herbicides and bombs used. 800,000 children were orphaned in South Vietnam and at least 10 million people were homeless.
The transition for the soldiers back into public life was a hard as expected. They only received about half the benefits the veterans from other wars received. Some even faced psychological problems, drug addiction, and employment troubles. Their homecoming wasn’t such a celebration as it had been in the years before. They didn’t receive anywhere near the recognition they deserved. As for my grandpa who i interviewed from my mother's side it was not easy to get information.. As i've seen most don't talk very much about the war but i was able to retrieve some info from him, and for him it was a lot for this isn't the first interview i've done with my grandpa about the war and i was able to get more about the war. My grandpa was drafted in on may 5 in 1967 in roughly the middle of the war. He was released on may 2, 1969 as he was gone for 2 years. He said what he missed most out of everything was good friends and family and of course good food. When he returned back he was most excited to start his fresh new life after serving for his country. While being back he was able to attend college but was not able to before due to funds.As it was for most it was hard to adjust but with his newfound
college education he became a head designer for roads and roundabouts in kokomo as he worked for the city the rest of his life till he retired just almost two years now. So in some aspects it came out to be a good thing for him and our country.
The Vietnam conflict began long before the U.S. actually joined the war. The French were being slaughtered, and were doing little to keep the communist North Vietnamese out of South Vietnam. We sent financial aid to France to help them with the communist threat. At first the United States attention …show more content…
was diverted from Vietnam to other foreign affairs, but with the threat of communist taking over all of Indochina, the U.S. gradually was pulled into the conflict.
President Eisenhower had been sending aid to South Vietnam and helped them to create what came to be known as the Army Republic of Vietnam. This would hopefully help stop the communist North Vietnamese from taking over. When John F. Kennedy took office in 1961, Vietnam was not a major issue. There were more pressing situations to be taken care of, such as the Cold War. The Vietnam conflict became more of an issue when civil war broke out in Laos.
Vice President Johnson was sent to Vietnam, and when he returned he greatly urged President Kennedy to become more involved in the conflict. John F. Kennedy decided to send military advisors and special forces to work with and train the ARVN troops instead of sending combat troops.
After the death of the president, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became the president of the United States. Johnson felt that the U.S. should stay involved in Vietnam. August 2, 1964 the USS Maddox was off the coast of North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, when in was fired upon by North Vietnam coastal gunboats. Johnson decided to escalate the war. He ordered bombing of different North Vietnam targets. Johnson came up with a strategy to take control of Vietnam called Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation would consist of bombing of North Vietnam, more air power, and increase the number of ground troops.
In September 1967, the U.S.
now had a total of about 650,000 ground troops in Vietnam. Every important city in South Vietnam was attacked, including the capital Saigon. The fighting lasted for about a month. The outcome was a major military victory for South Vietnam, but it was a great political victory for North Vietnam. It proved that the war was nowhere close to being over. This was a major turning point in America’s public opinion on the war. It made people begin to loose hope in winning the war, and to question the president’s tactics for the war. When the Pentagon announced the number of U.S. casualties since the beginning of war, the number reached 15,058 killed, 109,572 wounded, and about $25 billions dollars spent each year. Because this questioning johnson knew he wouldn't be reacted so he did not run for reelection. On January 20, 1969 Nixon was inaugurated. A few months later he announced the removal of 25,000 United States troops by August of 1969 and another 65,000 to be sent home by the end of the year. His planned was called “Vietnamization” which would bring “peace with honor.” It was designed to turn over the responsibility of war to South Vietnam. The U.S. would strengthen the South Vietnam army so they could fight without direct help from the U.S. This would allow American troops to gradually come …show more content…
home.
In January 1973, a cease-fire was negotiated. On January 25, 1973, The Paris Peace Accords were signed ending the fighting between North Vietnam and the United States. The troops would return as the South Vietnamese would remain in power. This didn’t end the war, but got the U.S. and our 27,000 remaining troops out of Vietnam. Soon after the United States left, fighting resumed between North Vietnam and South Vietnam’s weak army. May of 1975, two years after Nixon pulled out of the war, South Vietnam surrendered. By the end of the war the United States suffered 57,000 casualties and 153,303 soldiers were wounded.
There are many things people blame America’s defeat on. For one thing the North Vietnam and armies were much stronger than anyone anticipated. Their guerilla warfare tactics was something the U.S. soldiers were not used to. The fact that there were no clear combat zones also made fighting confusing. The Vietcong also would dress as peasants to trick the soldiers before they would attack. This made it hard for soldiers to tell between the enemy and the civilians. The Vietcong was also fighting for a cause they were willing to fight to the death for whereas the americans didn't really have any direct threat on their own country.
At first many people volunteered to fight. When the draft came into effect many questioned how fair that was. Until 1969 local boards had selected the ones for the draft, and most of those selected were usually minorities and poor working class youths. In 1965, 20,000 men per month were drafted, by 1968, 40,000 were drafted per month, and served 12-13 months. Some people tried to avoid the draft. People moved to Canada, burned draft cards, and went to college. Others served prison sentences, like Muhammad Ali, or avoided the war on moral grounds and instead served a set term of community service.
The anti-war movement is also blamed as to why the United States lost the war. The war was popular in the beginning, and most Americans supported the war. Some people even benefited from the war at first, such as aircraft manufacturers, but this didn’t last for long. When involvement of the U.S. was escalated in 1965, America continued to support. When this escalation failed to produce the results that were expected, people started to become doubtful. America had been told that they were winning the war, but as the number of deaths and injuries increased the people realized that this war did have its costs. Just because it was fought thousands of miles away, didn’t mean that it didn’t affect the people at home.
The Media caused major changes in America. The media brought all the horrors of the war to life. For the first time, people were able to see the action everyday on the news. All of the death and destruction caused by the bombing were shown, and the nightly news even covered and counted the dead. This greatly affected America’s opinions on the war. The media itself also experienced changes. Before the war the media focused on the positive aspects of wars. It showed U.S. action in a positive way and focused on what people wanted and needed to hear. Most reporters supported the war initially, but after being in Vietnam for long periods of time they formed biased opinions. They lost faith and started to give off bad and officeinve articles.
The war also had effects on the economy. In the beginning the war spending increased the economy, but soon the cost of war caught up to the United States. The budget had to be expanded. The cost of living rose greatly between the years of 1965 to 1975. The spending of the war was about 150 billion dollars in all. Prices of goods had increased 16% by 1970. Inflation occurred wiping out almost all economic gains, and wages were lowered, leading to many strikes. Johnson finally went to Congress to get extra taxes to help pay for the war. By 1961, 25 billion dollars per year were being spent on the war effort.
The war also had devastating results in Vietnam.
Many civilians were killed and many children were born with birth defects. Their largest crops were destroyed because of the herbicides and bombs used. 800,000 children were orphaned in South Vietnam and at least 10 million people were homeless.
The transition for the soldiers back into public life was a hard as expected. They only received about half the benefits the veterans from other wars received. Some even faced psychological problems, drug addiction, and employment troubles. Their homecoming wasn’t such a celebration as it had been in the years before. They didn’t receive anywhere near the recognition they deserved. As for my grandpa who i interviewed from my mother's side it was not easy to get information.. As i've seen most don't talk very much about the war but i was able to retrieve some info from him, and for him it was a lot for this isn't the first interview i've done with my grandpa about the war and i was able to get more about the war. My grandpa was drafted in on may 5 in 1967 in roughly the middle of the war. He was released on may 2, 1969 as he was gone for 2 years. He said what he missed most out of everything was good friends and family and of course good food. When he returned back he was most excited to start his fresh new life after serving for his country. While being back he was able to attend college but was not able to before due to funds.As it was for most it was hard to adjust but with his newfound
college education he became a head designer for roads and roundabouts in kokomo as he worked for the city the rest of his life till he retired just almost two years now. So in some aspects it came out to be a good thing for him and our country.