The War Of The United States

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.

Prior to the First World War, the USA was a flourishing power in terms of having one of the largest economies and military strength, however America had few foreign policy ambitions during this period. Despite purchasing Alaska from Russia in 1867, there was no real interest in expanding America. Before The Great War, it seemed unlikely that America would become involved in war over the conflicts of other western powers. They considered themselves a ‘City on the Hill’, an example to the rest of the world of stability and democracy. The large Navy ensured security of the North American continent and the small professional army, points to the overwhelmingly defensive front they put on. Washington adopted an isolationist policy with regards

Swimming against a current of pro-war fervor, McKinley stuck to his guns and persisted on remaining diplomatic with the investigation of the Maine explosion still ongoing. This seemed to infuriate the entire nation. Jingoists in congress, yellow journalists and the American public were clamoring for Spanish blood after the Maine, and to them McKinley came across as a feeble leader. McKinley offered one last chance for Spain to avoid war by agreeing to an armistice. He thought that the Spanish would understand that it would be a foolish decision to engage in war with a rising US power. The negative Spanish response did not leave McKinley with many options.

Regarded as one of the most controversial and polarizing military conflicts in U.S. history, the Vietnam War has left a deep and lasting impact on American culture, politics, and foreign policy. From 1964 to the present day, the Vietnam War redefined the scope of U.S. influence both at home and abroad, and caused a fundamental shift in American society that dramatically changed the way in which Americans viewed their government and the role of the United States as a world power. For an entire generation of Americans, who watched as the horrors of the war in Vietnam unfold before the spotlight of the national media, the Vietnam War directly challenged the superiority of the American way and the infallibility of U.S military dominance. In truth, the U.S government, U.S. military, and the American people as a whole struggled to accept the lessons of America’s greatest military failure and the sobering reality of the war’s consequences. To this day, the legacy of this so-called “American War” continues to resonate throughout the fabric of American society as a cautionary tale of U.S foreign intervention and blind acceptance of open-ended conflict.

The Vietnam War greatly changed America forever. It was the longest war fought in America’s history, lasting from 1955 to 1973.The war had two major effects on American people. First, 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. It was the first war ever broadcast on television. The public was able to see what happened on the battlefield. Second, 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. To better understand the horrors of the war, I will narrate the story from the perspective of my grandfather with a few personal opinions injected in between my grandfather 's thoughts.

Although there are many defining years in the making of the United States as a nation, 1776 is the most important year due in majority to Washington and his decisions during the war.

Slavery may have been established as the catalyst of the American Civil War, but the beginning of the dispute began in the time of the Revolution with a weak decentralized government under the Articles of Confederation. Later gained momentum as territorial expansion set Americans against each other on debating whether the new states should be slave states or free states, it questioned the power of the Federal government regarding state rights, and brought about instability in the unity of the United States as a nation. The conflict of the American Civil War began with states’ rights being taken away and flourished with the decision on whether slavery should spread westward, or be equally distributed not only in the Louisiana Purchase territory, but in the rest of the westward territory.

It is fair to refer to the United States as the stray seed of Great Britain’s Earlier Empire, yet even with this relationship their executive leaderships and institutions are vastly different. Like an abused child, the United States vowed to, and successfully created a system of governing completely different from the monarch they were previously ruled under, giving birth to a presidential system that would become the leading example of political democracy.

It had been over a year since anyone had seen an aircraft carrier sitting off the coast; it was a mother hen looking over her young. The small armada had made good time and arrived in the late evening of the fifth day. The USS Iowa with her powerful guns standing guard; Sailors were at their battle stations twenty-four seven now, in the morning the transports would make their way into Norfolk followed by the Iowa. The USS Hornet would remain on duty off the coast; the Iowa would only be in port long enough to drop off the Admiral, once that was done it would quickly return to the Hornet.

Soon the Confederate States of America became a rebellion called the Confederacy that included 13 southern states. President Lincoln would not stand for this as his special message to congress on July 4, 1861 stated, “It was with the deepest regret that the Executive found the duty of employing the war-power, in defense of the government, forced upon him.” (Harris 2007) South Carolina firing on Fort Sumter was the opening salvo of the Civil War. Both the North and South believed in their causes, and both sides thought the war would be over after a few months. Both sides were wrong. Bloody battles such as, Antietam, Bull Run, and Shiloh made it clear that this war would drag on for a long time. The Union of the north was particularly frustrated by their inabi

In April of 1861 the bloodiest war that America had ever been involved in broke out between the states in the North, the Union, and the South, the Confederate States of America. This war was costly for each side in terms of man power, will and finances. In order to counteract the financial drain that the war was putting on the Confederacy’s economy the treasury began producing sheets of bonds that could be bought by the public and then sold back to the Confederate government at the end of the war for certain percentage gain.

The Civil War of the United States, a war that stretched on for a period of four years, was among the worst events ever to occur in American history. The casualties marked by far, the bloodiest in America’s involvement in wars at six-hundred twenty-thousand military soldiers dead. To this day, it is known as one of the most memorable wars in our history. But is that why this war is so well remembered? The strikings of terror and death hold a heavy grip throughout the course of history worldwide, and in fact is one of the key elements that make drama, mystery, suspense, and horror so fascinating in literature. Indeed, there are many incidents in history that are well marked mostly for their count on how many were found dead. However, death

The U.S. War of Independence ensued from the increasing conflict between the British North American colonies and England. However, this conflict cannot be traced back to a single cause, rather, to multiple issues and protests towards the tyranny of the mother country. Even though the numerous Acts enforced by the British government undoubtedly generated dissatisfaction amongst the colonists, it was the government’s rejection of cooperation or compromise that persuaded many colonists of the inevitability of war and independence.

The Vietnam War was a damaging conflict that left deep scars on all the people and countries that were involved. About 60,000 American lives were taken and an estimated 2,000,000 Vietnamese were killed or wounded. That is about 10 percent of Vietnam’s population. Many bombs, weapons, and chemical warfare destroyed Vietnam’s infrastructure and land. Not only did this war bring destruction to Vietnam’s physical country, but it helped bring down two presidential administrations in the U.S., and led to widespread public dissent in America. The American foreign policy today is still affected by the lessons learned in the Vietnam War.

From the time President Truman sent money to help protect Vietnam from communism and created the policy of containment, which meant that the U.S. would try to stop communism from spreading, America was involved in the Vietnam War. However, American boots didn’t touch Vietnam’s soil until Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency when he was given a blank check by Congress to win the Vietnam War at any cost. As the war progressed, it seemed like neither side was making any strong advancements. At the beginning of the war, around 1965, Americans believed that they would easily conquer the Vietnamese people. Nevertheless, the American people felt increasingly dissatisfied with the Vietnam War and the progress that was being made, or the lack thereof. Events like the Tet Offensive, Walter Cronkite’s message to the people, the My Lai Massacre, and the Kent State Shooting all contributed to this feeling of discontentment rising in the American people.