Vietnam War & Music

3605 Words15 Pages
Music & the Vietnam War Throughout history, music has played a significant role in the progress and development of cultures worldwide. In fact, in the early stages of human existence, music was even perceived as “magic” (David, 424). Experiencing or participating in music was viewed with the reverence of a supernatural occurrence. Although it is now known that music is not magic, history has exhibited the incredible power music truly posses. Music has been used to bring people together, to influence people, and to even cure a conflict. The Vietnam War is an era which best exemplifies this power of music. In the eyes of many, the Vietnam War was one that should never have been fought; yet it ushered in one of the most aspiring eras of music in American history. Music may have been influential in American culture before the Vietnam War, but this event triggered the most significant musical revolution in the young country’s history because not only was music used as a means of protest and propaganda on the home front, but soldiers abroad also used it for everything from military strategy to moral support. The art form of music influenced the culture of the Vietnam War era more than most musical eras have ever impacted their respective cultures. During the Cold War era, the United States fought a war against communism in Vietnam. This war would come to be called the Vietnam War. In 1955, French forces fought against the communist army known as the Vietnam People’s Army. The Vietnam People’s Army was associated with North Vietnam and it was backed up by the Soviet Union. After the French forces pulled out of Vietnam, the United States began its involvement. By 1965, only a year after full U.S. involvement in Vietnam, protests began to arise in the states. Originally, protests were against the United States’ policy of increasing the draft rate, but these protests
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