Essay #3
Throughout the history of the United States, there have been few eras filled with as much unique culture, opinions, and passion as the time of the Vietnam War. Though there have been many wars and surmises since American gained its independence from Great Britain, Vietnam was met with unprecedented mainstream opposition from the American people. People from all over the United States rioted and rallied for one valiant cause: peace. Civilians and draftees alike protested the war and all that it stood for. Popular activists led rallies and demonstrations while radios blasted songs filled with peace and harmony. This period in American history showed a new level of civil disobedience, a shared discontentment of the government or ruling powers share by masses that results in protest and eventually results in a change of governmental law. The growth of the Anti-War movement during the Vietnam Era profoundly affected pop culture, mass media, and the attitude with which Americans view war. During turbulent wartimes, tragedies are bound to occur. During the Vietnam War Era, several of these tragedies were self-inflicted and occurred between United States citizens and troops. This period in American history showed a new level of civil disobedience, a shared discontentment of the government or ruling powers share by masses that results in protest and eventually results in a change of governmental law. Thesis? While the Vietnam War is often considered to have occurred in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, American involvement in the war began in 1954 and span the length of five American presidencies. President Eisenhower sent troops into South Vietnam to try to avoid Communist takeover from the North. This action stemmed from an organization that Eisenhower himself had created called the East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Although American government officially stated that SEATO’s purpose was to stop communism, America was not about to lose valued trade goods. In his speech in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a historical address. Eisenhower called the situation in South East Asia the “falling domino” principle, meaning that if American let the communism takeover happen without any resistance, soon all of Asia would become red and the United States would lose major trade connections (History.com). U.S. involvement grew with the escalating fear of Communism, and in the early 1960s President Kennedy sent extra aid to the Republic of Vietnam not with troops, but in the form of advisors and machinery (Rogers). When President Johnson took office he increased military aid to help South Vietnam. In 1964, Johnson announced that American ships had been attacked by North Vietnam. This later became known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident or the USS Maddox Incident, named after one of the attacked American ships (Caputo). To retaliate, Johnson then sought Congressional permission to use military force against North Vietnam …show more content…
As the name implies this campaign consisted of sustained aerial bombardment against communist North Vietnam. These efforts were done in an attempt to stop or at least negotiate with North Vietnam. The attack continued with little success until 1967 when Johnson decided to increase attacks. These attack were more focused than the original air strikes and were ultimately successful. In total, Operation Rolling Thunder dropped around 643,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam. On the American side alone, over 900 Aircraft were lost and 745 crewmen were shot down. U.S. bombs caused an estimated $370 million in physical damage and 90,000 casualties, most of those being civilian …show more content…
The draft allowed men as young as eighteen years old to be called to fight in the war. While the average G.I.’s age during WWII was twenty-six, the average age of a G.I. in the Vietnam War was only nineteen (Vietnam War Statistics). According to the online newspaper Veterans Hour, draftees accounted for 30% of all combat deaths in Vietnam (The Veterans Hour). Barry McGuire’s popular song Eve of Destruction paralleled the voice of the nation in the lyrics, “You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’.” Outcries like his from all over the nation led to a major ramification the United States government. In 1971, the twenty-sixth amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowered the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen years old
Throughout the history of the United States, there have been few eras filled with as much unique culture, opinions, and passion as the time of the Vietnam War. Though there have been many wars and surmises since American gained its independence from Great Britain, Vietnam was met with unprecedented mainstream opposition from the American people. People from all over the United States rioted and rallied for one valiant cause: peace. Civilians and draftees alike protested the war and all that it stood for. Popular activists led rallies and demonstrations while radios blasted songs filled with peace and harmony. This period in American history showed a new level of civil disobedience, a shared discontentment of the government or ruling powers share by masses that results in protest and eventually results in a change of governmental law. The growth of the Anti-War movement during the Vietnam Era profoundly affected pop culture, mass media, and the attitude with which Americans view war. During turbulent wartimes, tragedies are bound to occur. During the Vietnam War Era, several of these tragedies were self-inflicted and occurred between United States citizens and troops. This period in American history showed a new level of civil disobedience, a shared discontentment of the government or ruling powers share by masses that results in protest and eventually results in a change of governmental law. Thesis? While the Vietnam War is often considered to have occurred in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, American involvement in the war began in 1954 and span the length of five American presidencies. President Eisenhower sent troops into South Vietnam to try to avoid Communist takeover from the North. This action stemmed from an organization that Eisenhower himself had created called the East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Although American government officially stated that SEATO’s purpose was to stop communism, America was not about to lose valued trade goods. In his speech in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a historical address. Eisenhower called the situation in South East Asia the “falling domino” principle, meaning that if American let the communism takeover happen without any resistance, soon all of Asia would become red and the United States would lose major trade connections (History.com). U.S. involvement grew with the escalating fear of Communism, and in the early 1960s President Kennedy sent extra aid to the Republic of Vietnam not with troops, but in the form of advisors and machinery (Rogers). When President Johnson took office he increased military aid to help South Vietnam. In 1964, Johnson announced that American ships had been attacked by North Vietnam. This later became known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident or the USS Maddox Incident, named after one of the attacked American ships (Caputo). To retaliate, Johnson then sought Congressional permission to use military force against North Vietnam …show more content…
As the name implies this campaign consisted of sustained aerial bombardment against communist North Vietnam. These efforts were done in an attempt to stop or at least negotiate with North Vietnam. The attack continued with little success until 1967 when Johnson decided to increase attacks. These attack were more focused than the original air strikes and were ultimately successful. In total, Operation Rolling Thunder dropped around 643,000 tons of bombs on North Vietnam. On the American side alone, over 900 Aircraft were lost and 745 crewmen were shot down. U.S. bombs caused an estimated $370 million in physical damage and 90,000 casualties, most of those being civilian …show more content…
The draft allowed men as young as eighteen years old to be called to fight in the war. While the average G.I.’s age during WWII was twenty-six, the average age of a G.I. in the Vietnam War was only nineteen (Vietnam War Statistics). According to the online newspaper Veterans Hour, draftees accounted for 30% of all combat deaths in Vietnam (The Veterans Hour). Barry McGuire’s popular song Eve of Destruction paralleled the voice of the nation in the lyrics, “You’re old enough to kill but not for votin’.” Outcries like his from all over the nation led to a major ramification the United States government. In 1971, the twenty-sixth amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowered the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen years old