Social Effects of the Vietnam War

College students were aware that over 38,000 American troops had been killed in Vietnam and if something wasn’t done on the streets of America, many more would die. With tensions running high all over America’s college campues, the unrest of the anti-war movent was just about to get worse. Nixon’s decision to engage more troops into a sensless War, sparked a new wave of protests that errupted into many violent standoffs. Unknown to the country, this unrest would take a fatal and trajic turn.

During the Vietnam War, Americans were greatly influenced by the extensive media coverage of the war. Before the 1960’s and the intensification of the war, public news coverage of military action was constrained heavily by the government and was directed by Government policy. The Vietnam War uniquely altered the perception of war in the eyes of American citizens by bringing the war into their homes. The Vietnam War was the first U.S uncensored war resulting in the release of graphic images and unaltered accounts of horrific events that helped to change public opinion of the war like nothing it had ever been. This depiction by the media led to a separation between the United States government and the press; much of what was reported flouted

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

Throughout America’s history, few things have left the nation in such controversial turmoil as the Vietnam War. With an American death toll of almost 60,000 troops, the Vietnam War has gone down in infamy as one of the most tremendous struggles Americans have faced both overseas and on the home front. Because of the tumultuous controversies caused by the war, Americans split into two social factions – those against the war and those who supported it. During the years of 1961-1975 - the era in which the war had its greatest effect on Americans - the population of citizens from 18-35 years old and the Presidency were both affected irreversibly.

Vietnam was an entirely new type of war for the United States. It still remains morally and historically problematic in today’s society. The Vietnam War had a tremendous impact on American society and culture, primarily because it was the first war to be televised. The American press played a significant

The Vietnam war brought many changes to the United States in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Some of the changes were for the better of the country, take the rediscovered Women’s Rights movements and the ever growing Free Speech movements inspired by New Left, while most of the other changes brought on tensions between government and their people. The Domino Theory pushed our leaders to the edge. In order to stop the Domino Theory in Vietnam, the U.S. invaded. The war was useless for the American government to get involved with. Even Robert Kennedy described our presence in Vietnam as ‘... sending a lion to halt an epidemic of jungle rot.’ (Doc E) From new groups forming to rebel, to inflation and loss of trust in the Government, from 1960’s to

University students and ALP opposed conscription. Students had more freedom then ever before so they started taking part in large Anti - Conscription and Anti - Vietnam War rally’s and protests

How Did Protesting Grow During The Vietnam War? “Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of america -- not in the battlefields of vietnam,” -Marshall Mcluhan. The Vietnam war to many people should not have happened. Many people protested in spots like the white house, pentagon, and the capitol building. People burned draft cards and spent years in prison.

“Vietnam divided America more deeply and painfully than any event since the Civil War.” (Readings 9, To Avoid a Defeat, 231). The steady stream of American casualties suffered at the hands of the NVA made a difficult situation intolerable as American support for the war diminished with each soldier laid to rest. President Lyndon B. Johnson made a dire mistake in approving General Westmoreland’s request on to put combat troops on the ground in Vietnam, as the threat to American security had not been triggered to the point where it was worth the lives of American soldiers. The American military was severely underprepared for war, and the eventual withdrawal of troops would become a global embarrassment that continues to haunt the United States decades later. Further, President Johnson sought to put an end to the conflict in Vietnam for questionable reasons, driven more by political expediency than thoughtful consideration for the lives entrusted to him as Commander in Chief.

In American History, the nineteen sixties and the nineteen seventies were extremely turbulent and controversial times. Protest rights were being tested and occasionally suppressed, new moral and political values began to develop, and the Vietnam War dominated the twenty-year period. Vietnam invited many young activist people to begin a huge movement of anti-war protesting denouncing the war, the government, and even the soldiers who were picked against their will to fight. Reasons for American entry into the Vietnam War are controversial, and everyone has a different opinion on why we got into the conflict. Multiple reasons contributed to the entry in Vietnam from support of allies who were fighting their battles, to the fact that the

In April 1965, the SDS led a march of 25,000 people against the war (Salisbury), illustrative of the social tensions of the time. Those that were opposed to the Vietnam War often took radical steps in protesting escalating American engagement, particularly the use of protests and marches. One of the most pivotal incidents occurred at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, in which tens of thousands of protesters gathered to support American withdrawal of troops from Vietnam, which quickly turned into violence as police gassed and beat the protesters ("Protests at Democratic National Convention in Chicago"). Death and combat, which were once viewed as restricted to the battlefields, were now ravaging the streets of the United States. Rather than unity, the country was divided against itself, creating violence and

Many Americans opposed the war and wanted it to end. Protests took place in many cities and on college campuses. On May 4, students at Kent State University in Ohio held a protest, and it became violent. This passage represents one point of view of the events that happened at Kent State University.” This is showing how the author explained the time frame of the Vietnam War and how protesting became violent.

The 1968 presidential election brought further protests as thousands of anti-war protesters, frustrated with the government’s policies in Vietnam, rioted outside the Democratic National Convention and clashed with

Vietnam 's Communist Party is now facing the political and social consequences of its decision to integrate the country with global capitalism. The Communist Party has been enforcing a campaign against what it considers “social evils” like prostitution and there is a strict new law to stop the exploitive adoption of Vietnamese babies by wealthy foreigners. Vietnam formally joined the World Trade Organization in 2007 and now has to change many of its laws and practices to comply with WTO rules. Vietnam’s official name is The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and because of its socialist ideology, the government doesn’t recognize the private ownership of land. Although the Communist Party is still in power in Vietnam, appoints most

An effect was imbalance in the industrial sector, factories in America are forced to make things/equipments to support the military. It also caused increase in taxes because the country has lost an enormous amount of money to the war. It had caused 2 millions soldiers who were sent to the war either wounded, missing in action, or dead. Even though America was scarred from the war, Vietnam left the war more affected than America. The American military dropped Agent Orange, which was exposed to 4 million people and 3 million people suffered from it. It has caused people in North Vietnam to migrate in large populations to South Vietnam, tripling the population from 2 million to 8 million. Deadly weapons and equipments are used in the war, which both sides were affected from it: Vietnamese soldiers and the American soldiers. Napalm for example was dropped by the Americans, which burned down the Vietnam’s forest, exposing the Vietnamese hiding place, and killing innocent civilians. Booby traps that were made by the Vietnamese caused a lot of American soldier to be wounded or dead. Booby traps like the camouflaging spikes under the leaves, punji pit, rope trap, hidden ropes to set of grenades, shoot off arrows, or even send a log slamming were responsible for many American casualties. The Vietnam War has influenced the US economically, socially, environmentally, and and morality of US citizens. Today, decades after the war ended,