“The Impact: Vietnam and the 1968 Democratic Primary”
It was the late Beatle, John Lennon who once said that “We live in a world where people must hide to make love, while violence is practiced in broad daylight.” This refers of course to his distain of the Vietnam War and frankly when you ask someone who was a citizen in America at that time, you will most likely get the same melancholy response. For the better part of 15 years, the Vietnam War was at the forefront of American society in ways that were political, social, and economical. As time went on, public opinion plummeted, leaving President Lyndon Johnson no choice but to decline the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 1968 presidential election. As the Johnson administration transformed into a lame duck, damage control factory, an incredibly intriguing race for the Democratic nomination was brewing. The race included the likes of Senator Robert Kennedy of New York, Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Down the stretch, the Vietnam War proved to be the critical issue that mattered most to the electorate. The reasons were that we were spending countless dollars, risking hundreds of thousands of lives, and not making any progress. Kennedy, McCarthy, and Humphrey all agreed that it be brought to a close, however, the ways of which to go about it were in stark contrast. Throughout the majority of the race, Kennedy was the clear favorite to win. However, once he was struck down things changed much to the detriment of the Democratic Party. They would not see a successful President come of office until the early 1990’s due to the complete lack of governmental trust and the way Democrats, in particular, LBJ, handled Vietnam. The mismanageme...
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... of history, duds. To me, Vietnam was the root cause of this. Johnson had botched his handling of the war and the level of mistrust in the party and in the government for that matter was at a record low. Democrats would not see a successful president until Bill Clinton in 1992 brought them back and charging again.
By 1968 the Vietnam War was a time by which Americans saw deep divide, disappointment, and tragedy. Their government had let them down, the figures they could trust had been killed, and their loved ones were scared by the effects of war. Rightfully so, the American people were upset and angry. The dynamic I have explored that made Vietnam such a critical piece in America’s history that influenced and entire party and a nation will only magnify in time not just in 1968 and not just for one primary election, but for all who shared a stake in this window.
Chris Appy’s s American Reckoning is a book-length essay on the Vietnam War and how it changed the way Americans think of ourselves and our foreign policy. This is required reading for anyone interested in foreign policy and America’s place in the world, showing how events influence attitudes, which turn to influence events.
Lawrence’s purpose in writing this book was concise and to the point. In recent history, due to the fall of the Soviet bloc, new information has been made available for use in Vietnam. As stated in the introduction, “This book aims to take account of this new scholarship in a brief, accessible narrative of the Vietnam War… It places the war within the long flow of Vietnamese history and then captures the goals and experiences of various governments that became deeply embroiled in the country during the second half of the twentieth century” (Lawrence, 3.) This study is not only about the American government and how they were involved in the Vietnam conflict, but highlights other such countries as France, China, and the Soviet Union. Lawrence goes on to say that one of his major goals in writing this book is to examine the American role in Vietnam within an international context (Lawrence, 4.) Again, this goes to show that the major purpose of Lawrence’s study included not only ...
The Vietnam War has become a focal point of the Sixties. Known as the first televised war, American citizens quickly became consumed with every aspect of the war. In a sense, they could not simply “turn off” the war. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is a firsthand account of this horrific war that tore our nation apart. Throughout this autobiography, there were several sections that grabbed my attention. I found Caputo’s use of stark comparisons and vivid imagery, particularly captivating in that, those scenes forced me to reflect on my own feelings about the war. These scenes also caused me to look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of a soldier, which is not a perspective I had previously considered. In particular, Caputo’s account of
The 1960’s was a time society fantasized of a better world. However, the horrors of the Vietnam War soon became evident; the mass amounts of death occurring because of the war became a reality. It created a “movement”, especially in American colleges, in order to stand up for what they believed to be “right”. By 1970, many Americans believed sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake, however there were also various individuals becoming increasingly critical of the student antiwar movement
The Vietnam War was a vicious conflict predominately between the United States and Australia against The Viet Cong and The North Vietnamese. Initially the public supported the war, however the American president of the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, exaggerated how easy and worldwide the war was to attract further support. When he called for “more flags” to be represented in South Vietnam only the Philippines, the Republic of South Korea, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand indicated a willingness to contribute some form of military aid. By doing this “it enabled Johnson to portray the developing war as international to show it must be dealt with and gain support,” (Hastings, 2003). The outcome of the Vietnam War was ensured because the governments of the United States and Australia could not maintain their publics’ support due to the popular culture of the time. This was because much of the war was shown on television or other popular culture, so events like the Battle of Long Tan could be seen by families and people of all ages in their living rooms; this was the first time they could see how bad a war can actually be.
Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, portrays stories of the Vietnam War. Though not one hundred percent accurate, the stories portray important historical events. The Things They Carried recovers Vietnam War history and portrays situations the American soldiers faced. The United States government represents a political power effect during the Vietnam War. The U. S. enters the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. The U.S. government felt if communism spreads to South Vietnam, then it will spread elsewhere. Many Americans disapproved of their country’s involvement. Men traveled across the border to avoid the draft. The powerful United States government made the decision to enter the war, despite many Americans’ opposition. O’Brien’s The Things They Carried applies New Historicism elements, including Vietnam history recovery and the political power of the United States that affected history.
In fact, Stone sends the message that the media’s depiction of the Vietnam War was unrealistic, contrary to the real situation that was characterized by constant struggles by US soldiers and later, returning veterans (Hanley, p. 338). The perception and thesis developed by Stone about the Vietnam War is also built by his narration of the experiences and trials of individual participants in the conflict. According to Stone, these individuals suffered directly and indirectly from the war and are thus best placed to give the real picture of the happenings during and after the war.
It is understandable that some Americans strongly opposed the United States getting involved in the Vietnam War. It had not been a long time since the end of World War II and simply put, most Americans were tired of fighting. Mark Atwood Lawrence is one of the people who opposed our involvement in the Vietnam War. In his essay, “Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance”, Lawrence argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and that it went against our democratic policies, but that there were a lot of things that influenced our involvement.
With the country at war, and high inflation rates plaguing the economy, the presidential election of 1972 would play a major role in the what direction the American government would move in. The movement started in the presidential primaries of 1972. The democrats were seen to have many possible contenders to go up against the incumbent President Richard Nixon. Going into the New Hampshire Primary in early March, Se...
The 1970’s was a turbulent time in the United States. “The unpopularity and questionable morality of the Vietnam War led to a severe
James A. Baldwin once said, “The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose” (BrainyQuote.com). In the 1960s, “the man” was youth across the country. The Vietnam war was in full force, and students across the country were in an outrage. Society needed an excuse to rebel against the boring and safe way of life they were used to; Vietnam gave them the excuse they needed. Teenagers from different universities came together and formed various organizations that protested the Vietnam war for many reasons. These reasons included protesting weapons and different tactics used in the war, and the reason the U.S. entered the war in the first place. These get-togethers had such a monumental impact on their way of life that it was famously named the Anti-War Movement. When the Vietnam War ended, The United States did not have a real concrete reason why; there were a bunch of theories about why the war ended. Through negative media attention and rebellious youth culture, the Anti-War Movement made a monumental impact in the ending of the Vietnam War.
The 1960’s and early 1970’s were a time that eternally changed the culture and humanity of America. It was a time widely known for peace and love when in reality; many minorities were struggling to gain a modicum of equality and freedom. It was a time, in which a younger generation rebelled against the conventional norms, questioning power and government, and insisting on more freedoms for minorities. In addition, an enormous movement began rising in opposition to the Vietnam War. It was a time of brutal altercations, with the civil rights movement and the youth culture demanding equality and the war in Vietnam put public loyalty to the test. Countless African-Americans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, women, and college students became frustrated, angry, and disillusioned by the turmoil around them.
As it unfolded it was continuously prolonged and justified by numerous U.S. leaders as a crusade for democracy or what Martin Luther King jr. deemed “political myth”. On the contrary it was King’s frame of reference, as a spiritual black preacher from the racially segregated southern United States, that allowed him to grasp the complexities of Vietnam that traditional orientalist views could not. Complexities that can be heard in the oral histories compiled in Patriots that touch on the life changing experiences of witnessing, supporting or fighting in the conflict that stretched over a decade long. Looking back we acknowledge that this speech given during the midst of war in 1967 was ahead of its time but when it was first voiced it was received as a risk by his opponents and as foolish by his allies. Hence, the lose-lose situation of King’s stance demonstrates that Beyond Vietnam went further than any of his own political agendas and was purely a moral act to promote freedom and democracy for those forgotten by society and the government during the
Few wars have had the impact that the Vietnam War had on American politics and military. Starting off as a conflict between France and Vietnam, it eventually grew into a long, divisive conflict pitting the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its ally, the United States. In the early years of the war, the United States had a small number of troops in Vietnam and was only providing aid to the French forces. However, in 1964, under President Lyndon B. Johnson it was clear that this conflict would soon escalate into a full-scale war. By 1965 “Johnson approved sending up to 82,000 ground troops to defend U.S. airbases and engage in limited combat” (Vietnam War). As U.S. presence in Vietnam increased, American morale
“For most Americans today, the history of the Vietnam War Is like a play that unfolds in ways quite different from the audience's preconceptions. Ticket holders take their seats expecting a drama about American soldiers. But once the curtains go up, there are some surprises--the Vietnamese