Vietnam War Of The Sixties Analysis

The Sixties and Seventies were among the most important decades in American history in terms of massive social upheaval. With practically the entire world in a state of unbalance and with the wild relationship of the United States to the rest of the world, it is unsurprising that the States faced a state of unrest and social change. The United States was involved in two vastly different wars at the time that created a massive feeling of unrest inside its own walls, especially among groups of young people who worked in massive numbers to bring about heavy societal change in many different areas aiming for the top and moving down. These decades included some of the most hotly debated and controversial events in American history. The United states

The Vietnam war was essentially a surrogate war for the Cold War with the Communist Russians supporting North Vietnam with the anti-Communist United States supporting the South Vietnamese. The war in Vietnam was initially widely supported by the people of the United States. The overwhelming support or apathy of the American people can be seen as Anderson writes “opinion polls demonstrated that about 80 percent supported bombing the North, and the same percentage thought it was “very important” to prevent a Communist South Vietnam” (Anderson 59). Initially there was what appeared to be great support for the war, but this great support was more likely a stronger sense of American apathy towards the United State’s foreign policy. Anderson’s book goes on to mention that “surveys also revealed that two-thirds of the public either had not followed or had no opinion of LBJ’s policy, and a fourth did not even know U.S. troops were in Vietnam” (Anderson 59). It was abundantly clear that there was a lack of awareness on the part of the American people regarding this war, and the appearance of support was not due to an actual approval of policy, but a blindness to what that policy actually was. This support would not be long lasting, however, as people would slowly become aware of what the United States was actually taking part in within this war. The start of this war was

The peace movement began popping up around college campuses in which people began holding “teach-ins” in which professors and students would spend large chunks of time discussing ways to improve the Nation’s policies in Vietnam. Consequently, the peace movement spread throughout college campuses. Teach-ins were happening at schools throughout the country and more and more students were becoming involved in the protest against the Vietnam war. The movement for international peace moved forward with strength, surging its way to the White House. Anderson describes this in saying “some 20,000 appeared on a warm, beautiful Sunday. They picketed the White House and then began marching to the Washington Monument. Students sang with folksingers Judy Collins, Joan Baez, and Phil Ochs. SDS president Paul Potter called for a “massive social movement” to change America”(Anderson 60). Barry McGuire’s song Eve of Destruction powerfully describes the attitudes of those searching for peace, and for the often held sentiment that we should move out of Vietnam and into discussion regarding Civil Rights. McGuire sings “You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you’re totin’” describing the unpopularity of the draft and the fact that millions of people, including those fighting, are against this war. McGuire also echoes the ideas that we should focus on our own