Essay about Effects & Aftermath of the Vietnam War

Secretary of State John Kerry once said “I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service.” The Vietnam War was a conflict that lasted from 1956-1975 which the United States participated in along with the South Vietnamese who fought against the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans strongly disapproved of the war which caused many protests and riots. The war lasted 25 years killing many people and eventually the North Vietnamese won. The Vietnam War was important to Americans back home because it tested the citizen’s right to free speech, effected future foreign policy, and created many issues for returning veterans.

The Vietnam War had a tremendous effect on the world, especially the United States. Not only did the war affect people in battle, but also left permanent effects on people all over the world. Over 57,000 U.S. citizens died and over 140,000 injured in battle. Multiple Americans were impacted by the war, vast amount of people died but more were injured. North Vietnam won the battle against South Vietnam and their allies. The Fall of Saigon in 1975 was the end of a gruesome war. The war had multiple long-term effects on the soldiers who fought for America.

During the time the United States was in a war, the American public was sharply divided creating another war among its people. The war had transformed America to a different place with its defeat. It had far-reaching consequences and impact on most aspects of American life from the economy, culture to domestic politics and foreign policy. The Vietnam war created a time of uncertainty because so many had lost their trust in the government. With the end of the Vietnam war, the United States left with a humiliating defeat and shockingly high casualties.

America has faced many hardships, and one of those hardships was the war in Vietnam. Vietnam was a war created from the fear of communism, therefore resulting in America's intervention. With this being said, with the war it had brought in negative effects not only to the economy, but to US troops as well. Therefore, with the tragic experiences that American soldiers had to face, the war on Vietnam resulted with damaging effects.

The 1960s was a period of immense change in America. The decade brought about various social changes such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement. These movements would forever change the landscape of America. However, the discussion of the Vietnam War was never far from people’s minds. This war would serve as an introduction to what war was to the home front. It was in the homes of America where so many had been previously sheltered from the realities of war. During previous conflicts, there had been a military censorship on all media that pertained to war. This would not be the case in Vietnam, it would be completely uncensored. The ability for reporters to provide a commentary on the war without censorship would change the all-American, Captain America view that Americans had in previous wars. The lack of censorship would be a major factor in the overall soldier experience in the Vietnam war.

A terrible conflict left a mark on American History that had never been seen before. For the first time in the countries’s history people were not proud of their governments role in a war. Protest engulfed the Nation as people were disgusted with choices made by their leaders and the subsequent actions carried out by their soldiers. When the soldiers came back home they were not greeted with the praise that prior generations had gotten. They were given little attention and in some cases hated. This conflict of course was the Vietnam War.

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 tarnished America’s self image by becoming the first time in history the United States failed to accomplish its stated war aims, to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government. The war also had great effects on the American people. It was the first war ever broadcast on television. The public was able to see what happened on the battlefield. One of the chief effects of the war was the division it caused among the people. Not since the Civil War had America been so divided. This war would have lasting affects on the United States.

Vietnam was the longest war in American history and the most unpopular American war of the 20th century. This is probably the war that caused the most dilemmas for policymakers, and American citizens. The War caused many people to lose their lives over fear and unnecessary destruction. The war caused problems within the United States as well. Many American people did not want this war to happen, and so they protested it when the soldiers would return home from Vietnam.

The Vietnam war destroyed american life as we know it. More than 58,000 men and women made the ultimate sacrifices; billions of dollars spent on the conflict in an attempt to “contain” Communism. America went into the war as the world’s largest allied superpower, following a victory during WWII against the axis powers. Despite being the world's largest military power, America left Vietnam with a humiliating defeat, with high casualties. The nation’s longest war, the only war the U.S. ever lost, it had many consequences and impacts on most aspects of American life, from the economy, politics, the american people, and veterans of the Vietnam war.

The Vietnam War changed the culture of the United States. Many Americans viewed the Vietnam War as the most useless and ignoble fight the United States had ever entered. It was long, it was horrible, and there never seemed to be a good enough reason why America was involved. Although the majority of the United States support the war at its birth in 1965, it eventually gave rise to what could be described as the most wide-spread and outspoken anti-war sentiment in the history of the United States. Young men called draft-dodgers would avoid service by traveling north to Canada (Source B). Protest groups formed on university

Changes in societies have occurred since the very first civilizations and continue to occur today. Each society is a reflection of the art and music, as well as the people and their values and beliefs of the people of the time. The social structure of the people is very much shaped by the events that occur during that particular generation. Often in history major events such as wars and natural disasters are the defining factors that influence and shape that particular society. Here in the United States our society is certainly no exception. It has been constantly changing since the very early days of the Pilgrims. One such event that shaped

For many Americans it is common knowledge to know about the Vietnam War; however, for some Americans the Vietnam War is ancient history, dishonorable, but irrelevant nonetheless. If people do not physically see the many horrors of war it is easy to forget; although maybe it is something we try to forget. However, there are some who may be able to forget there will be some, like politicians, that will not forget. The Vietnam War had a terrible impact on both the United States and Vietnam, and more importantly it would affect foreign policy for many years to come.

Although the Vietnam War was supported by a small number of Americans, it was the first war in American history that was not supported by the majority of Americans, for good reason. The Vietnam War had imperfect goals from the beginning. The execution of the war was flawed as well. The Vietnam War damaged America’s reputation, as it was the first war that America had not emerged from victorious. The Vietnam War also caused a shift in the way that the American population viewed war. This war changed both the physical ways people learned about events happening in the war and their overarching opinions of war in general. Finally, the Vietnam War hurt the home front of the

The united front had long and historic roots in Vietnam. Used earlier in the century to mobilize anti-French forces, the united front brought together Communists and non-Communists in an umbrella organization that had limited, but important goals. On December 20, 1960, the Party' s new united front, the National Liberation Front (NLF), was born. Anyone could join this front as long as they opposed Ngo Dinh Diem and wanted to unify Vietnam.The character of the NLF and its relationship to the Communists in Hanoi has caused considerable debate among scholars, anti-war activists, and policymakers. From the birth of the NLF, government officials in Washington claimed that Hanoi directed the NLF's violent attacks against the Saigon regime. In a

While war of any size has the potential to produce global implications, the Vietnam War perpetuated unprecedented effects of civil unrest and political discourse across America. While there are several aspects of American life touched by the Vietnam War, this post is going to focus on the effects it had on the presidency and the population between 18 and 35 years old during the time period of 1961 to 1975. It is this time period of American History that many consider to be the most unsettled and important.