Vietnam War Turning Point

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Recommended: American public opinion during the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a turning point in American history socially and militarily. Many Americans opposed entering the Vietnam War. As with previous wars, specifically World War I and World War II, Americans were hesitant to join the war, but completely willing to provide war materials and financial supplements to the war effort. However, in the Vietnam War, the American people never decided that they wanted to enter the war and President Lyndon B. Johnson heavily involved America in the war anyway. America’s involvement in the war took money away from domestic issues and social reforms. As the American people saw no patriotic duty or compensation for entering this war, citizens began rioting and blaming the conflict on Johnson, using slogans …show more content…

In this war, America was merely focused on winning, despite how much money it took. America went to extremes that have never been reached before, which was deemed legal by the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. Soldiers were ordered to release Napalm and Agent Orange, both of which were extremely dangerous and destroyed entire cities. These extremes had never been reached in any other war or battle. America’s sole purpose for staying in the war was to win. Being too embarrassed and afraid of losing, the government continued to send more Americans to Vietnam to fight. In the end, America did not really do anything except delay the spread of communism. South Vietnam, whom America was “protecting” from communism, had wanted to become a communist country throughout the entire war effort, but Americans would not allow that. As Vietnamization, the US policy of slowly withdrawing troops and placing full responsibility of the war back on South Vietnam, played out, South Vietnam became communist. There was no chance the US could have protected South Vietnam from communism because they did not want to be shielded and withdrawn from communism; they wanted to be

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