Personal Narrative: My Grandmother In A Diverse Workplace

A common saying people have embedded in our minds is that the past between 1950s and 1960s is considered as “The Good Ol’ Days” or “The Golden Age.” These assumptions were made due to the prosperity and growth of the nation however the truth is that many Americans felt disadvantaged. After WWII women became confined to the home where they were expected to care for the family. Many housewives did not like these conditions because they felt as though they were slaves in their own little worlds by losing rights they had gained during the war. The only work women were wanted for was for cooking, cleaning, laundering, sewing, taking care of children, etc. Many women became discouraged due to the fact they no longer felt important in society.

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.

If I had the opportunity to interview anybody in my family it’d be my grandma because she grew up very poor and had to work for everything she ever received. She now is a millionaire and has traveled all over the globe. Grandma has always been a brilliant lady, and has had a full life.

Killing innocent people, getting control of the programs, and fighting on a pointless war would be considering Americans as a conscientious object. There is no real reason to go and fight Vietnam. According to Anti-Vietnam War Movement Document, Martin Luther King, Jr. states, " A few years ago...it seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor, both black and white, through the poverty program." (Document A). This quote demonstrates how Martin made a serious urgent request to the public reasons on why his nation was being treated unfair. He wanted the money to go to poverty. He thinks we should get out of the war. Many Americans oppose the war because it was guttered and broken. Additionally, it caused to loose many people in a tragic situation. At first every Americans were happy with their "Great Society" programs but then Vietnam war took away all the beneficial programs that helped them from recovery.

The era of the Vietnam War was not only a time of war abroad but also in our own country, a war against poverty and inequality. People of color were fighting for their rights to be seen as equals in the labor force, education, and in the military. One of the famous leaders of the civil rights movement was Martin Luther King Jr. who was backed by President Lyndon B, Johnson. President LBJ was interested in creating welfare programs that would benefit those in poverty and give them hope, he was all about creating a “level playing field” to create opportunities that would benefit society as a whole.

The Vietnam War made impacts on the movement back home. As in 1967 Martin Luther King Jr. even went against his own beliefs of not speaking out about the war he began preaching that it is truly sad to see African American people and the poor who can not make a living, being drafted (Doc C). Not only were they being drafted they were also dying at a much higher rate then just about every other group in society (Doc C). MLK also stated that these individuals were fighting to establish peace and rights over in Vietnam, while they did not even have these for themselves (Doc C). During the Vietnam years there still was some of the American population who supported the war, but would not speak out publicly about supporting the actions. This group was given the name the silent majority. Richard Nixon while in office spoke out about the group saying that the silent majority needs to speak out publicly as all the messages going around about the war are negative (Doc G). He also said in his speech that even though some people may not like the war everyone should help in the mind of creating peace in South Vietnam and that without everyone coming together in the nation that the US military could be defeated in the war (Doc

The 1960’s and 1970’s were one of the most important periods of America’s social history. This golden age era was one where economic expansion occurred. Living standards increased, the gross national product doubled, and the ordinary working class saw their wages rise. Suburbanization continued occurring. Towns such as Levittown were being built and more middle-class Americans were buying their own homes. Consumerism fever took hold of everyone. Most homes had a television and other amenities. Fortunately, the period of consensus during the 1950s was overcome. People were no longer fearful of criticizing America because they didn’t want to be branded communists. Not only did Americans simply agree upon individualism, the respect for private property, and the belief in equal opportunity, but they also fought for it. Because the time prior to this was hardly one of expanding opportunity, especially for African Americans, change was taking place. The amount of conformists was decreasing and new ideas were being produced. Ordinary African Americans fought against oppression during the Civil Rights movement to make America a more inclusive place. Leaders such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X all played major roles in achieving equality for all races. In parallel, ran the women’s movement, where leaders such as Barbara Walters, Phyllis Schlafly, and Betty Friedan advocated for the abandonment of traditional gender roles. Though both movements faced many hardships,

Additionally, the money went toward extensive budgeted war costs and aid to the French war effort from 1949 to 1952. Veteran's benefits and interest would add another $250 billion ($1 Trillion in 2003 dollars) (Ganzel, 2007). According to the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign, 13.7 billion gallons of fuel were used by the U.S. forces between 1966 and 1972. This total is enough to heat 10,800,000 American homes for a whole year, and it doesn’t include the billions of gallons used in transporting troops and equipment from the U.S. and U.S. bases to the war (VAORRC). The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War increased government spending for things such as military operations, battle equipment, and economic aid to other countries involved. Low unemployment decreased as young men were drafted for military service, leading to a rather large rise in labor costs. Prices rose as American companies passed these higher costs onto their consumers. Both the consumer price and wholesale price indexes rose. In 1967, there was a proposal to increase taxes to cover the war, but it failed. Therefore, the government was forced to turn to deficit spending. By the time 1968 rolled around, the vast majority of businesses in the U.S. had turned against the war. Businesses viewed the Vietnam War as economically draining and as a trigger for seriously unhealthy inflation. President Nixon tried to

According to Congressional Research Service [CRS] Reports , the U.S. spent almost $111 billion on the Vietnam War, which left a heavy burden on the economy. The National Archives and Records Administration reports more than 52,000 American soldiers were killed and more than 160,000 others were wounded. In addition, there were nearly 700,000 veterans who suffered psychological effects of the war, resulting in a mental burden as well. Unfortunately, loss of life, decrease in morale and money problems were only the beginning of the issues caused by the war. People began to lose faith in their government and questioned the claim of the U.S. being the defender of freedom. Their actions leading up to the Vietnam War has been a point of scrutiny and criticism for the US government for decades. It angered the American people, created a political scandal for the country and forced the government to make drastic changes to the way they approach conflict and deal with other

“In Washington, D.C. nearly 100,000 people gather to protest the American war effort in Vietnam. More than 50,000 of the protesters marched to the Pentagon to ask for an end to the conflict” (http://www.history.com). For the first time support for the war was under 50 percent. As previously states, soldiers of the war were not treated well when they returned home. “Some veterans recalled that when they had just landed, people were demonstrating against them. ‘Many spit on us, and called us rude names’ “ (http://thevietnamwar.info). Along with being mistreated soldiers had a hard time regaining a job. Places would refuse to hire them because of their participation in the war. Without jobs to earn money many began committing crimes. “Within 10 years after returning home, 25 percent of Vietnam veterans was arrested on criminal charges” (http://thevietnamwar.info).

In 1955 young college aged Americans were pulled into the messy Vietnam War without choice. The Vietnam War was a war that America joined to prevent communism. The war was shown on many news channels during the time and people from all over the world watched from the comfort of their home. In the war the American government used chemicals which terribly harmed the Vietnamese land and citizens. Agent orange, the chemical, killed thousands of people. Soldiers could not believe how harmful the war was. A Lot of soldiers died and a numerous amount of the soldiers suffered from terrible trauma, Post-traumatic stress disorder, after the war from all the horrors. A lot of Americans hated that America was involved

The 1950’s was an amazing time to be alive, especially with the invention of electrical goods and appliances, such as the washer and dryer, toaster, and even the television. The United States during the 1950’s was a utopia, there were many great thing happening, which made the United States the power we are today. After World War II, America was popular, while men were off at war women where working providing for their families, but once World War II ended men and women were forced back to their traditional roles. Men were expected to bring home the cash; however women, even when they worked, many assumed their proper place was at home. During the 1950’s life was simple and great, but with the end of World War II women faced many challenges.

I will tell you a tale of a woman of great success. This is a woman that has inspired me to be something great one day and to never give up trying. Though she may be growing into her elderly years she has lived a very challenging, joyful, loving and successful life. She is a woman of great faith and character, she is my grandmother.

There was no more U.S. presence in South Vietnam, and the war was finally over after 20 years of brutal fighting. By 11:00 a.m., the Vietcong had taken over Saigon, and President Minh finally sent a message of surrender. Immediately the wars impacts were shown, as the ‘Great Society’ program couldn’t take place. However, the long-term effects of the war were more serious than just problems of money and cost. 500,000 veterans suffered from PTSD a mental disorder, and weren’t able to adapt to their old situations. PTSD caused panic, depression, rage attacks, divorce, and even suicide, as more veterans were killed (committed suicide) after the war than soldiers killed during the actual war. Moreover, they were caught in drug addictions, and the chemicals used caused body disorders, which spread through generations. Even those who overcame the wars effects were hurt both physically and mentally. (See source #3) The war started through opaque reasons, and ended as the first ever war America

The 1970’s and 1980’s was a period of change in American society. In the 70’s, fathers went to work, children went to school, mothers stayed at home, and everyone sat at the dinner table to eat a hot home cooked meal. But quite soon divorce rates increased, mothers had the opportunity to work for higher paying jobs that once were only available to men, and children came home to an empty house--