The Pros And Cons Of The Vietnam War

The human race has long been assumed to have a warlike nature, involving itself in many violent endeavors. Philosophers such as Hobbs firmly asserted such an ideal throughout their teachings, their theories revolving around said notion. Yet some occasions throughout history point to the contrary, specifically those in which war was the unpopular choice. Perhaps the most exemplary of unpopular wars was the Vietnam War, which spurred a myriad of anti-war sentiment. These ideals manifested themselves in a wide variety of protests and draft evasion. Despite its unpopularity, the government pushed forward with its efforts to remain involved for a number of years, drawing more negative attention to the divide that existed between the popular opinion

One of the most telling aspects of the antiwar sentiments was the effort made to avoid being drafted into the conflict. The popularized term of “draft dodgers” came into use for those individuals that used means, such as “fle[eing] to Canada to avoid the drafts.” Many of those actually drafted for the war were poor working class men, considering the fact that “a lot of draft-age men received deferments were from wealthy and educated families,” perpetuating the idea that “U.S. draft policies were unfair” (Bia). This belief was illustrated by public demonstrations, making it blatantly obvious of not only the dissatisfaction due to the draft itself, but also the underlying antiwar sentiments. Never before in American history had there been such disconnect between those requiring troops and those being enlisted in the army. This would further expand to encompass those that were originally deferred. Yet there was still distaste from all classes, furthering how the draft itself was just another way by which the delegation was not serving the preferences of the people. The draft was furiously opposed by a variety and majority of peoples, furthering the already present, and mounting principle-agent

As part of his campaign, Linden B. Johnson directed his efforts toward the improvement of life of those in poverty, focusing little attention to the Vietnam War. Yet once elected, he brought upon “the escalation of the Vietnam war to an intensity that few Americans expected when they cast their ballots for him” (Walsh). Johnson’s increased interest and support for the war created a major issue of misrepresentation, his election came from his ideas aimed at the “Great Society,” yet he authorized the increase of the original “20,000 U.S. troops to more than a half million” to serve in Vietnam (Walsh). The policies that the former president was elected under was what the general public hoped would come from his stay in office, yet his legacy would go on to be almost entirely regarding his involvement in the war. Not only did he bring the United States deeper into the war, he also failed “to honestly discuss how badly the war was going and to reveal the true costs of the conflict” (Walsh). This duplicity on the part of the former president, forged for a severe difference in preference and policy between him and the majority of United States public that had elected him into office for his first official presidential term in