Vietnam War DBQ Rough Draft
The United States became involved in Vietnam affairs after the end of World War II, during the Cold War. The French were trying to colonize Indochina, which included Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. America wanted to have the French as allies against the Soviet union, so they proceeded to aid them in their colonization. Vietnam pressed for independence, and war broke out. The U.S. involvement in the war remains controversial. Many men were harmed, and many AMerican citizens felt it was a waste of forces. The American involvement in the Vietnam War sparked controversy that left an unsettled American society, and resulted in a more cautious foreign policy. A major reason for U.S. participation in the Vietnam War was the need to constrain communism. If France were to lose Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, a leader in Vietnam
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After much controversy about the involvement that the US took in Vietnam, America did not want to have its forces participate in anything of similar nature, due to the uprisings and divisions that occurred. In 1973, The War Powers Act was created. It stated, “the President shall terminate any use of United States Armed Forces with respect to which such report was submitted unless the Congress has declared war...or is physically unable to meet” (Doc. 7). This Act allowed the federal government to have more control during times of conflict, and help in the decision of how to proceed. Many soldiers in the war later joined Congress. After their experiences, “the Vietnam experience has given almost all of them a sense of seasoned caution about using American military power without having the broad support of the American people” (Doc. 8). These views have created a more cautious and reserved take on American foreign policy. There was never a war of more controversy, and America wanted to avoid such problems from occurring again, by reforming their foreign
The Vietnam war has been referred to by many names, one of the longer ones was 'the cornerstone of the free world southeast Asia'. It was called that by John F. Kennedy. He was talking about Vietnam being and essential country in a non-communist world. He believed that if Vietnam became a communist country, all of the surrounding countries would also become communists. This is the main reason America was involved in the Vietnam war. Another reason was that America wanted to spread their “political ideas around the globe”. They wanted to do this so that their anti-communism stance was clear. The public also wanted to keep communism from spreading. To soldiers, the war was like a crusade, a great journey to purge the communists from Vietnam.
The United States, the most powerful army in the world at the time of the war. The Vietnamese war started in November 1, 1955 and ended in 1975. To many people it was one of the most pointless wars in the United States history. It was like the country was split during the war. There was many protest against the some of which that drew blood. So why did the United States join the Vietnamese war. What was the impact on American society, the people of America. What was the impact of war on the United States foreign policy. The foreign policy determines how America conducts relations with other countries, further certain goals. So why did the United States join the war, what was the impact of the war on America society, and what was the impact of the war on the United States foreign policy.
The American involvement in the Vietnam War was a very controversial decision, with many people being for the war, however many people in the United States were also against the war. The Vietnam War was the longest lasting war in the United States history, before the Afghanistan War, in which most people felt strongly about, be them United States citizens, Vietnamese citizens, or just the global population. In order to better understand the ideas of those American citizens that are either for or against the war, one would have to look at the reasons that the United States was involved in the war, the impact of the Vietnam war on the American society, and the impact on the United States foreign policy.
Vietnam was a divided country with the North supporting communism and the South opposing it. The United States was an ally to South Vietnam, with the goal of assisting them to avoid a communist takeover. The United States involvement may have started out with an honorable intention; however, there are many reasons the United States should not have become involved in the conflict, such as it was no business of the United States, it was very costly, many lives were lost, there was no victory in sight, and it went against the United States ethics and standards. Many would argue that the U.S. involvement was crucial, but many more would
Secondly, America’s involvement in the war was under President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s governing force and it was his decision whether or not America should have entered the Vietnam War. The former president always wanted freedom for all and did what he could to provide it. During a speech led by a strong Vietnam believing citizen named Ho Chi Minh, he talks about the Declaration of Independence and how he wants just as America wanted; freedom for all. Ho Chi Minh stated that the “French appealed to the United States for assistance, but President Eisenhower decided not to comply [, and] France finally had to surrender its position in Vietnam” (Doc. B). Although America didn’t help the French in this situation they did agree on French action and at one point “The French pushed Ho into the countryside and established a puppet government, which was recognized and supported by the U.S. government” (Doc. B). The United States at this time would not agree or comply with any actions unless America was to gain something. In this situation, America would only help the French with military help if the French would give the associated areas
America had a few reasons to be involved in the Vietnam War. The big reason was to fight communist power. Countries like North Korea, North Vietnam, Indochina, and parts of Asia were trying spread their communist aggression (Document 2a). In Document 2b, you can see that America wall out the communist aggression, but it just kept coming. The United States was involved in the Vietnam war because we had
The United States started increasing their involvement in Vietnam, partly due to the French failure to
The United States entered the Vietnam War in 1961 to prevent the spread of communism; the United States was afraid if North Vietnam successfully took over South Vietnam then they might have a chance to spread to other countries; thus, causing the Domino Theory. The United States’ fear of the Domino Theory transformed a civil war between two regions into a bloody miniature world war. The U.S. did nothing but lose there; they lost lives, equipment, time, kill more civilians than soldiers, and finally withdraw from the war. Even though the United States joined the Vietnam War to help stop the spread of communism, they never should have gotten involved, because it led to pointless fighting and
Following the Vietnam War, the term “Vietnam syndrome” was created, which attributed to America became much more adverse in the way it conducted its military involvement and foreign affairs. Collectively, the America public was against any sort of seemly unnecessary military intervention. In an effort to create a more adverse foreign military policy, the War Powers Act was passed in 1973. The War Powers Act limited the power of the president to wage war against other countries, because it required the congress to approve the deployment of troops after sixty days of their commitment. Vietnam syndrome would untimely lead America’s military policies throughout
It was under President Johnson’s presidency that the United Sates sent U.S. troops to enter the Vietnam War. The military troops became involved in the conflict in order to contribute to the salvaging of the country underneath communism; additionally it was also supposed to prevent any further expansion of communism during that time. The French had sent in troops prior to the U.S., but after their retrieval it was the United States turn to contribute actively to the cause with military action (Rosenberg, n.d.).
The person I interviewed was the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran. The interview was conducted where I gave her questions about the life her father had and how it felt when she was in the United States going to elementary, high school, and college. She was not a veteran but the effects of her father’s participation in the war affected her greatly throughout her school and personal life.
By 1969 the United States was emerged completely in the Vietnam War, this was the pinnacle of U.S involvement. Although it did not start out this way, at the prelude of the war America 's involvement was minimal and over the next several years began to steadily climb into what will become a
The Vietnam War escalated from a Vietnamese civil war into a limited international conflict, in which the United States was deeply involved. The Vietnam War was fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerilla forces aided by the North Vietnamese. Despite increased American military involvement and signed peace agreements in 1973, the Vietnam War did not end until North Vietnam's successful invasion of South Vietnam in 1975. The Vietnam War may have been the longest war in American history, but after South Vietnam collapsed, America was left to question their highly controversial involvement in a lost cause.
The Vietnam War was a conflict, which the United States involved itself in unnecessarily and ultimately lost. The basis of the conflict was simple enough: Communism vs. Capitalism, yet the conduct of the Vietnam War was complex and strategic, and brought repercussions which had never been seen before. The struggle between North and South had an almost inevitable outcome, yet the Americans entered the War optimistic that they could aid the falling South and sustain democracy. The American intentions for entering the Vietnam conflict were good, yet when the conflict went horribly wrong, and the resilient North Vietnamese forces, or Viet Cong' as they were known, refused to yield, the United States saw they were fighting a losing battle.
In the middle 1960s, every male in America had to register for Selective Service Draft at age 18. He would then be eligible for the draft and could be inducted into the Army for a period of two years. If you were a college student, you could receive a deferment and would be able to finish college without the fear of being drafted. However, once finished with college, a students name would be put to the very top of the draft list and could be deployed at anytime. The anti-war movement was about young men being drafted and then sent into war that most Americans did not believe threatened the security of the US. The Vietnam War was America’s rebellious war, a war without popular support