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Aaditya Bahl

Ms. Saleh

Social Studies

December 21, 2018

Social Change Stemming from Vietnam

The period of the Vietnam War Era was a time of immense social change for the people

of the United States. It was a time of political turmoil, blood warfare, and anti-war protests that

caused society to go through a transformation. The Vietnam War was a driving factor for change

in the military, the political views, and the faith in the government of America.

To begin, the military involvement in American society vastly expanded because of the

need of men for the war (N. Saleh). For example, many young American citizens were being

drafted to go to Vietnam, “Come on all of you big strong men, Uncle Sam needs your help

again” (Document C). Hundreds of men, age 18-26, such as college students were being drafted

to enter the war (N. Saleh). However, many people disapproved of being drafted into the war

because they didn’t support the war which lead to the public protesting against the military. In

addition, it was soon considered that dying for America in Vietnam was an honor, “Well, there

ain’t no time to wonder why. Whoopee! We’re all going to die!” (Document C). With the

increased need for men, the military had to make it seem that fighting in the war was worthwhile

for the soldiers. They created songs and propaganda that made Americans believe that there was

honor in dying, and the propaganda also stopped the men from questioning what they were

fighting for (N. Saleh). With all the escalation in Vietnam, the military became more prominent
in American society, changing the views of the American public about the armed forces and the

Vietnam War itself.

With so much more American military involvement on the other side of the world, people

started to change their political views on the Vietnam War. To start off, American citizens were

advocating for peace because they didn’t like the gruesome actions taking place in the war, as

shown by the protesters in Document F. These protesters are putting flowers in the guns of

soldiers, and they are using the flowers as a symbol of peace. They don’t want violence and they

disapprove of the war showing their political views have changed since the beginning of the war.

Likewise, Americans thought that the war was unnecessary and impulsive, “What kind of system

is it that justifies the United States or any other country seizing the destinies of the Vietnamese

people and using them callously for its own purpose?” (Document D). The author of the speech

is questioning why America is allowed to invade any land they wish for any purpose that pleases

them. The public opinion (which was not unlike this) started to turn against the war, sparking

protests, riots, and a complete change in the values of the American people, for they valued

peace over victory against Communism (N. Saleh). The American people had stopped believing

in the war and wanted to end it with protests, but the government suppressed them, leading to a

mutual distrust of the American government.

As the protests and and the continued escalation in the war increased, the government

committed some less than legal actions that caused distrust towards the government (N. Saleh).

For instance, the government, especially President Johnson, lied about American involvement in

the war, leading to distrust, “The Johnson Administration … intensified the covert warfare

against North Vietnam and began planning in the spring of 1964, to wage overt war a full year
before it publicly revealed the depth of its involvement and its fear of defeat” (Document H).

The presidential administration lied about their involvement, as shown in the Pentagon Papers, in

the war causing America to distrust the government (N. Saleh). The public didn’t support the war

in the first place, and the fact that the president, the person they were supposed to trust, had gone

behind their back created a rift between the pubic and the government. Not unlike this, the

Vietnam War itself caused Americans to question the government’s logic for pushing America

into the war, “... it weakened the respect for the executives who got the nation involved in the

war in the first place … which finally declined into physical combat and sporadic anarchy”

(Document I). The American public started to doubt the government for pushing America

through the war, which created a great change in social customs, values, and society itself. After

the government put American soldiers through an unnecessary and gruesome war, distrust had

taken root in Americans leading to a social revolution that has affected the current day.

The Vietnam Era was a chaotic period that escalation in the military, changed opinions

about the war, and tension between Americans and the government. The war contributed to

change in American society like protest of the military fighting in Vietnam and the eventual

distrust towards the government because of lies concerning the war. In the end, the era

contributed to huge revolutions in society that changed the ways Americans perceived war,

Communism, and America’s role in the world.

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