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| A Vietnam veteran hurls his service recognition memorabilia toward the U.S. Capitol April 23, 1971. Source: Washington Area Spark |
According to The Women, by April 1971, the majority of Americans had turned against the Vietnam War and the men who fought it, although they had previously supported both.
Based on what you know about the Vietnam War (you may want to do further research on this question), was U.S. involvement a mistake from the beginning? Or was it a war worth fighting that simply didn't turn out as the U.S. wanted it to?
Were those who opposed the War from the start always right? Or did the War lose its justification along the way as events unfolded?
I believe that U.S. involvement in the war was a mistake. The Vietnam war was essentially a civil war between the North and South portions of Vietnam following the French withdrawal. This was set off by disagreement on the form of government that should be established in the country, leading to tensions between the North and South. The Geneva Accords established a separation in Vietnam and divided it at the 17th parallel. An election was expected after this, but never happened because Ngo Dinh Diem, the president of South Vietnam, was afraid that the communist leader of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, would win the election. The war between the North and South gradually escalated as a result of building tensity. The U.S. had been supporting the South since the Geneva Accords and decided to stay involved because of the possible threat of communism. This resulted in U.S. boots hitting the ground in 1965, even though we could’ve avoided participation altogether. It was only assumed necessary because of the Cold War mindset that the States found itself in, which turned U.S. involvement into a sort of proxy war directed at communism. The justification for this war was based on the Domino Theory, which was paranoia that communism would spread to the countries neighboring communist nations, resulting in a large increase of communists.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, those who opposed the war from the beginning were right. There was never enough real justification in entering the war, only perceived justification based on everyone’s fear at the time.
I agree with you entirely. I love your comment because, despite having the same opinion as me, you put completely different reasons showing another side to the conflict. Your comment is also very insightful, and you seem very informed on the topic. I just wanted to let you know you did a good job!
DeleteQuestion 1: Based on what I know about the Vietnam war, the U.S. involved itself in the war to stop the spread of communism. I believe that the U.S. was right in becoming involved in the war. However, I do not think that the lies and the controversy were right. The war was definitely just a war that did not turn out as planned.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: I do not think it is ever bad to oppose war. I don't think the people who constantly opposed the Vietnam War were right but I do not think they were wrong. I believe the war was worthy to receive strong support towards the beginning, however it became unworthy of that support when the U.S. started lying and not telling the truth.
I agree with you. You can never entirely know how something is going to go. You can never plan something exactly right. A lot of people decided to spread nasty rumors about the war and what happened. When some of the soldiers returned from the war people were mean and rude to them for what happened. The U.S. did lie to their country and did not tell the people the truth which made the country turn their back on the soldiers.
DeleteThe United States' involvement in the Vietnam War was a mistake from the beginning. According to Britannica, the United States entered the Vietnam War because they were afraid of the “domino theory” being true. This theory was that if communism got a hold of Vietnam, then all democracies throughout all of South-East Asia would collapse. (Britannica, 2025) The United States lost the Vietnam War, and the communists took over Vietnam. South-East Asia consists primarily of non-communist nations, so the theory was false. The United States also took extreme measures to get Congress and the general public to agree to the war. The U.S. Naval Institute states that the United States Defence Department edited war documents to make it seem like a U.S. naval ship had been attacked, when in reality it had not. President Johnson also pressed the National Security Council, having doubts about the attack himself. (U.S Naval Institute, 2008) Thousands of civilians and Americans died for no reason, trying to fight a war with an imaginary cause.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
DeletePaterson, Pat. “The Truth about Tonkin.” U.S. Naval Institute, U.S. Naval Institute, Feb. 2008, www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2008/february/truth-about-tonkin. Accessed 11 July 2025.
Spector, Ronald H. “Vietnam War.” Britannica, 14 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War .