Vietnam’s Effect on the Home Front

The United States involvement in the Vietnam War changed the United States social and political views of society as a whole. America’s beliefs of Communism cost them thousands of lives and ruined thousands of others. The Democratic United States hated Communist nations just as much as most white people hated black people in the early 1900’s. The United States was willing to cut off all political relationships with communist nations. The government had the public’s support until the death total began to rise higher than it was expected to.

The Vietnam War started with President Dwight B. Eisenhower, but it ended four terms later with Richard Nixon. The War was between 1959-1973. President Johnson heightened America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. “To yield to force in Viet-Nam would weaken that confidence, would undermine the independence of many lands,” which was said by Lyndon Johnson in his State of Union Address on January 12, 1966. Johnson and much of America believe in the Domino Theory. Unfortunately, because of Johnson’s political beliefs, and lack of military strategy 58,209 American soldiers died and an estimated 430,000 American soldiers received the posttraumatic stress disorder. This took some men away from his family, and I know this because I don’t know my biological grandfather because of it. Luckily, America voted in a President who planned on getting them out of the war and away from communism. That President was Richard Nixon and his Vietnamization theory. This theory didn’t work either, but Nixon’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) is part of the base of America’s modern-day defense plan. Senator J. William Fulbright was 100% correct when he said, “...We are trying to remake Vietnamese society, a task which certainly cannot be accomplished by force and which probably cannot be accomplished by any means available outsiders...” in The Arrogance of Power. If other politicians actually listened to him the most of the war would have been avoided, and many deaths would not have happened.

Society began questioning its involvement with in the war when the death toll began rising higher than expected. On November 30, 1965 Vietnam Protestors stood outside the White House and demanded that the soldiers be brought home. This was as sign to the government from society that we don’t like what’s going on and it needs to be changed. The significant part about this was that this was before a significant amount of soldiers were dying. In, addition in a comic by Bill Mauldin of the Chicago Sun Times drew a man walking blindfolded up a ladder with a sign that said “ESCALATE! There is no substitute for victory”. That man was the government’s strategy. While another man had his head in a box holding a sign that said “REPENT Asia is none of our business”. That man of American society. If researchers looked all through out history whatever public wanted to do the government did the opposite when following the ideals of the public was the solution. The public has the solution to everything. In a way, the American public is smarter than the people in office, because the American public is wiser than the government. If politicians paid any attention to a simple comic. Millions of dollars would not have been owed and thousands of lives would have been saved. It’s ironic how a simple comic could have changed the world.

The Vietnam War was the climax of the Cold War. After the government realized that couldn’t contain communism they decided to back off. Communism began to fade from their conscious. In present-day communism doesn’t phase anyone. I think that if another dictatorship like Adolph Hitler came into affect then there would another war similar to the Vietnam War.

Containment in the Cold War

Immediately following World War II another type of war, known as the Cold War came about. The Cold War was a period of conflict and competition between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their allies. The primary reason for the start of the Cold War was the fact that the US was a democracy and that the Soviets was communist. The US did all in its power to contain the spread of communism. They did this by having containment in Europe and Asia.

The Soviets were in control of Eastern Europe. This part of Europe was called the Soviet Bloc which consisted of East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Albania, Romania, and Yugoslavia. George Kennan introduced the idea of containment on communism to the US in order to prevent the it from spreading. The US did this by creating North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Truman Doctrine, and Marshall’s Plan. NATO was a group of Eastern European countries and the United States who agreed that if the Soviet Union were to attack any member of the group that the other members would all attack the Soviet Union. This became NATO vs. the USSR, which were two groups who had Nuclear weapons. The Truman Doctrine provided $400 million dollars to Greece and Turkey to prevent communist from overthrowing the government. The Marshall Plan was a plan to divide $12 billion dollars evenly between the United States’ primary economic partners in order to restore their fallen economy. John Foster Dulles didn’t believe that this was enough and thought that communism should be destroyed all together. He believed that brinkmanship and massive retaliation was enough.

Even though the United States were successful in containing communism in the Western Europe they still had other parts of the world to protect. Asia was a primary part. The US tried to intervene in the Chinese Civil War, Korean War, and Vietnam War. The Chinese Civil War was between the anti-communist and the communist. The US tried to send over $12 million dollars to the anti-communist, but by that time the communist had won. At the end of WW2, Korea divided into North and South Korea. The Soviets occupying the North while the Americans occupied the South. The North tried to invade and conquer the South which was unsuccessful and started a war. Despite back and forth battles the War ended in a stalemate. During the Vietnam War the American soldiers tried to teach South Vietnamese to fight, or Vietnamization in order for the American soldiers to leave. However, because of the Tet offensive the US was forced to withdraw permanently.

The Cold War lasted 50 years. Overall, the Cold War seemed purposeless. Atomic bombs and space travel were some useful things that came out of the war. Everything else seemed pointless. If the US and the Soviet Union actually talked to each other like adults maybe the Korean and Vietnam War could have been prevented. Millions of lives might not have been killed. If the Cold War never happened the World would be different today.

Racism Lives On

Racism in the United States between World War I through the 1960’s was common. African-Americans had voting and desegregation rights, but these rights were unfairly used especially in the South. Even though slavery ending in President Lincoln’s term, African-Americans were still brutally punished by racist White Americans. In addition, some Americans helped one another when they wrongly treated African-Americans.

In the southern half of the United States voting-rights were given to African-Americans, however they were rarely able to use it. This was because the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) threatened them through lynching. In 1965 in Mississippi 6% of the total African-American population was voting. This reveals how powerful the KKK was. Ignorant African-Americans still aren’t voting, but for another reason. They believe that their vote didn’t count. This idea is completely false and is foolish. In addition, segregation in schools stopped because of the trial Brown vs. Board of Education. In Mississippi in 1964 0% of schools were desegregated. However, prestigious schools such as Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, MIT are predominately populated by White Americans. Unfortunately, African-Americans who are qualified to get into those don’t get in and the less qualified white American does get in.

Despite slavery being over many African-Americans were still physically abused by White Americans. In 1960 some African-Americans arranged a sit-in which included some White Americans. Sadly, food and drinks were poured on the African-Americans but not the White-Americans. The group known as the KKK was a prime example of physical abuse. They lynched thousands of African-Americans. In 1916 White Americans burned Jesse Washington. The next day some White observers of the tragedy snickered and laughed at what happened. Another example of this was the lynching of Emmett Till. The murderers still haven’t gone to trial for the death.

In 1919 a Chicago police officer named Daniel Callahan refused to arrest a white man named George Stuber who killed a 13-year-old black boy named Eugene Williams. A mob of 50 men chased Callahan until he was able to call for back up to help him. This was unjust, because Callahan knew Stuber had killed Williams, but didn’t do anything about it. If Williams had killed Stuber then Callahan might have either arrested Williams or killed Williams himself, because he’s a racist. Some White Americans are cognizant of interaction between White Americans and African-Americans. Especially African-American men and white women. An example of this was the situation with Emmett Till. He supposedly whistled at a White and his punishment was death. That proved this idea of White Americans being cognizant of African-Americans.

Racism in the United States was still common even after slavery. Presently voting-rights and desegregation isn’t a problem. Wrongful treatment of African-Americans is still a factor. Physical abuse is no longer a problem, but verbal abuse is. A radio-host named Don Imus called the Rutgers Women's basketball team a "bunch of nappy-headed hoes.” Unfortunately this racism is still a problem amongst society.