Vietnam
The Important Things To Know
- The Domino Theory caused almost all of the fret about the Vietnam war.
- The Ho Chi Minh Trail was entirely crucial to the survival of the South Vietnamese rebels.
- In America, Doves and Hawks apposed each other on if or not we should go to war, then stay at war, in Vietnam.
- The Tet Offensive was a blow that most Americans never saw coming.
- The Pentagon Papers proved that America was not winning the war.
The Bad War
After being controlled for so long, the Vietnamese people turned to the Soviet Union to gain their freedom. Because of our fear of the spread of Communism, American leaders tried to step in. This was made possible through the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which enabled the president to take all necessary measures to repel an attack on America or its troops. The "war" began with President Johnson's Operation Rolling Thunder, which was bombings all throughout Vietnam with no specific target. But when possible, they would destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which supplied the South Vietnam Rebels. A fight between Doves and Hawks broke out in America when a draft was started to supply the war with soldiers. Though, one could buy his way out of the war though college or being the bread winner of the family. For this reason, the war was nicknamed "the poor mans war". At the time, Americans thought they were winning the war, but the Tet Offensive, an aggressive strike on American troops and bases, shocked the American public and leads to both a solution to the war, and the release of the secret documents, the Pentagon Papers. As the truth came out, there was less and less support for that war, which wasn't really a war, and the end came near. U.S. involvement dropped out completely and the North Vietnamese powers took South Vietnam. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was nullified by the War Powers Act, and the Vietnam war ended with a win for Communism.
Thoughts and Questions:
If America had not charged into Vietnam because of their hatred and fear of Communism, we would not have lost so much, nor would we have had such a loss when our troops got back to the U.S. and our American pride would have been stronger so that we could keep climbing in achievements instead of dropping back into war times.
Don't Ask, Just Do
Posers like this would be seen all around America telling citizens to listen and do what the government tells them, not to question, just to enlist, and fight.