Vietnam War: The Fight Against Social Injustice

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Jozeph Kaddissi EN 102 Composition 2 (1:15-2:30) 21 February 2011 Vietnam War: The Fight against Social Injustice The war in Vietnam occurred at a period when the United States perceived communism as a serious threat to democracy, capitalism, American peace of society, and the civilized world. During this period, the USSR and the United States were deeply engrossed in the cold war. The war in Vietnam is only one among the many proxy wars between the communist countries led by the USSR and the capitalistic countries led by the United States. The communist North Vietnam had embarked on a war campaign against the south. Motivated by the need to deter the spread of communist ideology, America felt obligated to intervene to preserve the sovereignty of South Vietnam and possibly to end any further communist incursions in the north. The president of the South, Ngo Dinh Diem, appealed for help from the United States. The United States government gave assurances to the South that it would help combat the Northern communist threat, first through President Eisenhower and then through Kennedy (Public Broadcasting Service). That is how the United States government became involved in the Vietnam War, and is reflected in primary documents that have survived from the period. Before the Vietnam War, President Eisenhower and Kennedy committed the United States to the war against communism in Vietnam. Another primary source is the Tonkin Gulf attack on the United States ships in august 1964. This source gave the United States legitimacy to engage the north, given the ships were attacked while in international waters. The America policy towards South Vietnam is another source of the Vietnam War. President Lyndon B. Johnson noted that since 1954 the United States had helped build South Vietnam (Public Broadcasting Service). All the Presidents of the United
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