The Vietnam War and the anti-war movement The Vietnam War was one of the most controversial wars in history. The events that started the war began in the 1950s, and the issues precipitated well into the 1970s. The war itself started an anti-war movement which included marches and protests, and became very prominent once the United States began bombing. After WWII colonies in Africa, the Mediterranean and Asia had established independence from their empires since they were busy dealing with the aftermath of the war. The French and the Dutch however still wanted to keep their colonies, including Vietnam which was a colony of the French, which caused dilemma for United States policy makers.
Bailyn Bernard, The Origins of American Politics. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.: New York, 1970. Bailyn, Bernard. The New England Merchants in the Seventeenth Century. Harper Touchbooks: New York, 1955.
2010. Oberdorfer, Don. Tet! : Turning Point in the Vietnam War. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
A. Plan of Investigation: The Tet Offensive was a psychological turning point for many Americans during the Vietnam War. This investigation will access what role the media had in shaping the negative opinions the American citizens had after the Tet Offensive of 1968. This investigation will focus on the public opinion of US involvement in the Vietman War and the trust and support Americans had for their military and government after the media’s portrayal of Tet Offensive. I will use the method of focusing on the misconceptions the press expressed to the public, false interpretations of the Tet Offensive regarding American military and government as well as facts that the press failed to express to the media.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson, on March 31, 1968 said, “There is a division in the American house now. There is divisiveness among us all tonight.” Very much like the American Civil War, the Vietnam War dichotomized this country. Opposing views about the Vietnam War and the pro war movement began to develop at the beginning of the United States’ involvement in the war. To some, the war was a way to stop the growth of communism. To others, it was a fight that did not concern this country.
It certainly seems that they tried to mend the damage done by appearing on public affairs programs and making speeches about how the Tet was an allied victory and a Communist defeat, but it seems that the damage had already been done. [7] “The Johnson administration’s public relations efforts to salvage popular support for the US Vietnam War policy in the aftermath of the Tet assault failed. Maybe the media is given the same freedom to report and access today, in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, as they were in Vietnam. It may just be that the heart of the American people today are just so hardened with hate for the people we are fighting that we just overlook the atrocities and incompetence that is reported. I am sure that looking back on it, the Johnson administration wished that it had a better handle on the media by maybe using more censorship and giving the media less access to the fighting.
The message of the representation is that Americans is losing the war and wants out and it is clearly shown in the poster "I WANR OUT". This shows that it is accurate because I know from my own personal knowledge that the 1971 protest in America were getting bigger, more violent and serious for the government. However, representation 3 is not totally accurate because not all of America were against the war. I know this because there was a huge questionnaire on if people were against or for the war. 40% said they were for the war and 60% said against the war.
A common theme arises in the letter arises in a sense of “Why Am I Here?” as America starts to question “Why are we fighting the war?” Neither knows what the purpose of the war is and those who fought in it question why it has to be them. Many of the combatants seek comfort in believing they are fighting the war for the future of the children of Vietnam. This is mainly influenced by their guilt in feeling responsible for the death of their parents. Despite the differences of situations between the large conservative body of America and the soldiers of Vietnam, they did share the same opinion or uncertainty of the purpose of the
Chapter 4, pg. 52. This quote is interesting because he wanted to go to war because he didn’t want to feel shame but in reality the citizens of the U.S made him and the rest of the soldiers feel shameful for going into the war. Tim O’Brien uses satire in this quote to show how this one character felt about this
1960’s Assessment War often times prompts tensions between two sides. For the Vietnam War in particular, there was much controversy and factors that led to a number of social, economic, and political pressures. With a destruction of the traditional social order, the war elicited new perspectives, and focused on not only a time of self-indulgence, but one of defiance and morale. People began to reject violence, which was crucial in accordance to the actions within and towards Vietnam. Conflicts between healthcare and actions like the Tet Offensive and Ancient Orange caused social organizations and ideals such as Black Power, NOW, and the SNCC.