Vietnam War Protests

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 protests and antiwar movement first began in 1964, gained national prominence in 1965, peaked in 1968, and remained strong throughout the rest of the war. In the beginning, the antiwar movement started out with only a small minority of fervent college students, peace activists, hippies, liberals, and pacifist religious groups who tried to make their voices heard. This opposition originated from people who did not agree with the American government’s actions regarding involvement in the war. Americans were opposed to the Vietnam War because they young men resisted enlistment in the war, citizens argued

“In August of 1964, in response to the American and GVN espionage along its coast, the DRV launched a local and controlled attack against C. Turner Joy and the U.S.S. Maddox , two American ships on call in the Gulf of Tonkin” (Brigham 2). This resulted in the United States government giving Lyndon Johnson the ability to make war under the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. President Johnson then gave orders to perform air raids on Northern Vietnam pushing the United States further into the war. Compared to 1962 when only 9,000 soldiers supported the South Vietnamese, by June 1965 82,000 soldiers occupied the country. The number only continued to rise exponentially, and by 1966 370,000 soldiers had been sent in to prop their South Vietnam allies. President Richard Nixon withdrew American soldiers from Vietnam and as part of the “vietnamization” of the war. Over and 60,000 American soldiers had been lost in a war to preserve the status quo, not to win.

The Vietnam War raged on from 1954-1975, taking over three million lives with it. Conflicts rooted in the cold war resulted in the United States sending troops to defend South Vietnamese democracy. However as the war became more lengthy and expensive, many civilians began to protest the United States participating in the war, creating the Antiwar Movement. Though the movement had lasting effects on society, it did not immediately cause the United States to retreat from Vietnam. The antiwar movement of the 1960’s, which is deeply connected with the transcendentalist belief of Civil Disobedience, protested the involvement of the United States in the infamous Vietnam War, and has had numerous effects on the American Military and Government to this day. However, the movement that strived for peace did not completely accomplish its goal of ending the United States’ involvement in international armed conflict.

Anarchic, civil, radical, militant, and rebellions people is what police officers have to face on a regular basis. Both Vietnam protest and protest today are rebelling against the government. During the Vietnam War, citizens were protesting against the U.S government to stop the war and send American soldiers back home. Today people still manage to go out into the streets to protest for the government to stop discriminating certain groups like Muslims and immigrants. Is protesting a productive, patriotic act or is protesting a counter-productive, productive subversive act? Even though people think that protesting is a counterproductive, subversive act, protesting is a productive, patriotic act and people should be able to do it.

President Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin as an excuse to declare war on Vietnam, which was believed to be fabricated, and was easily able to obtain the War Powers Act from congress. This lead to major protests from around the whole country, many thought the war was immoral, and many thought that the United States had no valid reason to intervene with the foreign affairs in Vietnam. This and many other protests from around the country made the 19060’s to be one of the most hostile decades in American history. In 1968 a killing of over 400 Vietnamese civilians later named the My Lai Massacre only added fuel to the protests flames, and it was clear that most Americans now disapproved of the war in Vietnam. 1969 these protests seemed to force politicians to end the

The Vietnam War was a very long and messy war that started in 1954 and ended in 1975, although the United States joined in 1965. The united states projected the idea of stopping a Communist takeover of Vietnam as their main reason for joining the war. Soldiers fighting in the war were about two thirds volunteer and the rest were selected through the draft. This sparked outrage in many military aged men and was the beginning of the defiance towards the war. (thevietnamwar.info) With so many people fighting the war it was really supported overall by Americans at the start of the war. The Vietnam War affected the relationship between Americans and the government in many ways, some people it strengthened the idea of the government, and many people who were against the war rebelled in many ways to test the governments powers such as skipping the draft, protesting, or anti-war marches.

has adapted to the jungle and the way of life in Vietnam, he would be

During the period of both wars, the U.S. committed to preventing further growth of communism. During the Korean War, the South gained backing and assistance of the U.S., reasoning that the government of North Korea were wanting to pursue the expansion of their communism towards the south of Korea. With the increasing growth of American troops, air and naval forces, and strategic combat, the intervention of the U.S. slowed the North Koreans from advancing south. American involvement in Vietnam was an implementation of the Containment Policy, which was a the obligation of U.S. foreign approach makers to terminate the expansion of communism (Vietnam War). With the participation of the U.S., the South was provided financial assistance and military hardware. This permitted North Vietnamese troops to retain their militia in the south.

Acts of defiance, such as the refusal to divulge sensitive information to their interrogators or bow their heads during the prisoner’s parade through Hanoi, displayed their honor and patriotism to their country. Such examples as the parade the yells of “You are Americans! Keep your heads up.” and the beatings that they would receive because of their defiance would only show the evolution and commitment to their duty, honor, and begin to develop their patriotism showing their boldness towards the enemy, giving the prisoners bravery, hope, and the will to survive. This will to maintain their pride, loyalty, and duties not only provided and defined the POWs experience in North Vietnam, but it also influenced the United States government to take

Lyndon B. Johnson made the Vietnam War his own by escalation and the involvement of the United States growing. While being president of the United States Johnson had the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution signed by the senators. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was signed because of the earlier attack of an American ship by the Vietnamese. This resolution gave the president the power to do what is necessary to prevent another attack. Even though it was proven that no Vietnamese attack actually happened. This was the first time that America had declared a war against another country. He sent American troops to Vietnam by aircrafts and by ground troops. This action contradicted what he said in his election. In his reelection campaign he specifically said

Worried about the situation, the Kennedy Administration elected to increase aid to South Vietnam. As part of the larger goal of containing the spread of communism, the United States endeavored to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and

President Kennedy saw the Vietnam situation as America’s fight to stop the spread of communism. Kennedy, who was young and well liked by the American people, did not really see much protest from the American people. He wanted equality in America, and supported open-mindedness in his country; at his assassination in 1963 only 15,000 troops were in Vietnam. His successor, Lyndon B. Johnson greatly increased the number of troops that went to Vietnam, reaching 500,000 in 1966. Television allowed the American public to see what these soldiers were facing and that this was a senseless war. Too many men were coming home in American flag draped coffins, causing many Americans to rebel and move to the new hippie counterculture.

As the Cold War escalated in the United States, Eisenhower and Washington would make their anti-communist policies felt by stopping Ho Chi Minh from realizing his goal of reunification of Vietnam. The Americans would erect a new non-communist government in Nam, or south, and put at its helm, Ngo Dinh Diem.

     Avoiding a head on clash with the Soviets meant that the Cold War would have to be fought indirectly and on the peripheries. This strategy involved a positive and negative thirst. Positive in that the United States would actively support friendly states and allies. This support would encompass economic, military, and diplomatic aid. The most famous example is the Marshall Plan. By generously helping Western Europe rebuild after the war, the United States was able to effectively quash any Soviet designs in that part of the continent. It is sometimes forgotten how much popularity far-left parties had in certain countries. (France and Italy especially) immediately after the war, American involvement in Greece was another prime example. The United States provided a significant amount of support and material to help the Greek government suppresses a communist backed rebellion. Also, to a lesser extent, the Unites States supported the Shah of Iran in helping drive out Soviet troops who were reluctant to leave. Combined with the invasion of South Korea by the north. American policy makers forged another key assumption. On that would prove central to the Vietnam question. The U.S.S.R. was seen as an expansionist for that had to be countered at every turn possible. There could be no end the United States vigilance. A peaceful and calm co-existence was not viewed as being possible. One can view