Vietnam War Essay

The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial subjects in American politics. The US went to the war under the guise of the domino effect, as they believed that if Vietnam fell, the surrounding countries would fall as well. President Johnson said “If you let a bully come into your garden, the next day he’ll be on your porch, and the day after that he’ll rape your wife” One thing that is not controversial is that we lost the war. Lots of different factors contributed to the United States unsuccessful trip to Vietnam. Among many reasons, one of the two biggest factors in the lose of the war was America’s foreign policy how and how bad the US underestimated how important freedom and independence was to the people of Vietnam. On top of that the US used the wrong military strategy, instead of focusing on limiting collateral damage the US used heavy artillery that killed citizens and alienated would be supporters. There was political corruptness in South Vietnam governments, which meant that they could not build an alternative to the NLF. At home, the public opinion of the war was decreasing at a constant rate and demonstrations were at an all time high. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and these problems all contributed to a Vietnam tour that went horribly wrong and an attitude among the American people that was growing ever doubt full of their government.

There is lots of belief that the reason the United States lost the war is because of their foreign policy. America’s mission was not to get rid of Communism all together but rather to just stop the spread of Communism. The US had many past opportunities to destroy Communism; the Korean War would be a prime example. However out of fear that we would sound like ...

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...y changed America, its politics, and foreign policy forever. Not only is this war the longest war in American history, its also the war that will leave the deepest scar. This war changed the way Americans viewed themselves and it tarnished their self-image. The Vietnam war was the first time in history of the United States that failed to accomplish its stated war aims, to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government. Not only did it affect our views on foreign policy, it affected the people of America too. The war was broadcasted on the television, the first time that had ever happened, and it allows the public to get a first hand account of what was happening on the battlefield. This war divided the American people, it was one of the most polarizing times in our history. This war will be in the forefront of Americans mind for many generations to come